I think that simple assemblages of a good fresh or dry pasta and good ingredients, sometimes, but not necessarily always fresh ingredients, are among the most satisfying meals of all, in the preparation and in the eating, and this was one of the best.

It’s the sort of meal that asks for no real skill, no precise ingredients, no strict amounts, no fat wallet, no long preparation, no strictures on hotness, and neither meat nor fish.

The quality of the ingredients is the one essential, and, along with several other choice bits, this dinner benefited from these beauties:

• almost 9 ounces of Afeltra 100% Grana Italiano Penna di Rigata [sic] from Naples via Eataly Flatiron, cooked al dente, drained, then tossed into a large heavy antique high-sided copper pot in which less than one-inch-long sections of 4 garlic scapes from Berried Treasures Farm had been slowly heated in flavored cooking fats reserved from the preparation of the previous day’s meal (a bit of roughly-chopped rocambole garlic and thin scallion, both from Keith’s Farm, that had been heated in a little Whole Foods Market Portuguese house olive oil and a bit of Organic Valley ‘Cultured Pasture Butter’ until softened) adding a little additional olive oil, straight, until the scapes had begun to soften, then 5 or 6 thinly-sliced, very pungent yellow seasoning peppers (I’ve forgotten their proper name) added to the pot and stirred, and about 3 quarters of a cup of reserved pasta cooking water gradually added, stirred over a fairly high flame until the liquid had emulsified, seasoned with sea salt, and 14 of “the best cherry tomatoes” from Stokes Farm, halved, slipped into the mix and stirred with the pasta before some torn leaves of Gotham Greens Rooftop, basil from Whole Foods were added, the pasta arranged inside shallow bowls, olive oil drizzled around the edges, scattered with more basil before some Sini Fulvi Pecorino Romano D.O.C. from Whole Foods Market was grated on top of everything
• the wine was an Italian (Veneto) white, Il Conte, Pinot Grigio 2017 from Flatiron Wines

• the music was Vivaldi’s gorgeous 1740 opera, ‘L’olimpiade, Rinaldo Alessandrini conducting  Concerto Italiano (my favorite part of the synopsis is the part that says that because the hero has no chance of winning the olympics, and therefore the grand prize, the hand of his secret beloved, he asks his friend to compete disguised as him, with no explanation of how a guy can disguise himself so if he’s required to run naked)

 

[the last image, of a 5th century BC Olympiad depicted on a black figure vase, is from a review of Pergolesi’s ‘L’Olimpiade’, with the same Metastasio libretto Vivaldi used, as did some 50 other composers]

In many ways, this meal was almost the opposite of the one we enjoyed the day before: I wrote about Tuesday’s dinner that there were no contrivances or adornments, and this time nothing but the micro green garnish was left on its own.

In fact last night I may have gone just a little too far with the embellishments (the fish in particular, looking on the plate like a stuffing, couldn’t fully display its own flavors), although we both had to agree that everything was really delicious, and Barry said these may have been my best turn at eggplant ever. Yay Turkey!

• a combination of both a little roughly-chopped rocambole garlic and thin scallion, both from Keith’s Farm, heated until softened in a little Whole Foods Market Portuguese house olive oil and a bit of Organic Valley ‘Cultured Pasture Butter’ inside a large heavy antique  oval copper pan over medium heat, the alliums removed and discarded (or saved for some use the next day), a little more oil and butter added if necessary, the flame raised to medium-high, and, once the pan was quite hot, four 4-ounce sea perch (aka redfish, or rose fish) fillets from American Seafood Company that had been rinsed, dried with paper towels, and seasoned with sea salt and a little freshly-ground black pepper, added, seared, skin side down first, for about 3 minutes (the skin should be nicely golden and ideally fairly crisp by then), turned over and cooked for another minute or so, the fish removed and placed on 2 plates that had been kept warm, either in a warm oven or tented with aluminum foil, then 4 ounces of roughly-chopped blewit mushrooms, foraged by Windfall Farms in Montgomery County, were introduced to the skillet and sautéed until slightly undercooked, more oil added once along the way as necessary, one chopped habanada pepper from Norwich Meadows Farm added near the end of that time, the mushrooms finished by lowering the heat a bit and tossing in short segments cut from 2 Berried Treasures Farm garlic scapes that had previously been blanched, and continuing to cook for roughly one minute, the allium and mushroom mixture divided between the warm plates, 2 perch fillets placed next to each ‘bed’, both fish and mushrooms finished with a generous squeeze of an organic Whole Foods Market lemon, lemon wedges placed at the side of the plates

• a garnish of some flashy purple micro radish, also from Windfall Farms

• five beautiful small orange Turkish eggplants from Lani’s Farm, cut horizontally into 3 slices, mixed with a little olive oil, one large finely-chopped Rocambole garlic clove from Keith’s Farm, 6 or 8 pitted and halved Kalamata olives from Whole Foods Market, sea salt, and freshly-ground black pepper, pan-grilled, without the olives, on an enameled cast iron ribbed pan over a brisk flame, turning once or twice, rejoined by the olives once they were done, kept warm above a very low flame while the fish was prepared, sprinkled with chopped peppermint leaves from Keith’s Farm, arranged on the plates, and more mint added, finished with a drizzle of olive oil

• slices of an excellent She Wolf Bakery sourdough from the Union Square Greenmarket
• the wine was a Spanish (Catalonia) white, Celler Frisach, Garnacha Blanca ‘Terra Alta L’Abrunet’ 2017 from Flatiron Wines

• the music was Viktor Ullmann’s 1935 opera, ‘Der Sturz Des Antichrist‘, which is described in Gramophone as a “prophetic music drama – an allegorical depiction of the rise of a dictator, the destruction he causes and his ultimate defeat.” [is listening to a performance in the 21st century to be prophetic as well?], in its premier performance, by the Bielefeld Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bielefeld Opera Choir, Rainer Koch conducting, 60 years after it was supposed to be mounted by the Vienna State Opera; Ullmann died in Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944

[image of Viktor Ulmann from ClassicFM]

No micro greens of any kind were harmed in bringing this dinner to the table.

It was a pretty simple meal. I wanted to make it so because I didn’t feel up to any challenges last night, and because, having decided the centerpiece on the plate would be a terrific small beef steak and, after that, that the principle vegetable would be Brussels sprouts, I knew there wouldn’t be any need for contrivances or adornments.

But the steak was a very special steak; the sprouts, while perhaps not out of the ordinary otherwise, were accompanied this time by one complex dried chili pepper; and the tomatoes, included mostly for their color, happened to be “the best cherry tomatoes”, by both the farmer’s testimony and my own.

• a single small (eleven and a half-ounce) grass-fed, grain finished culotte, or picayna steak from Sun Fed Beef in the Union Square Greenmarket, brought to room temperature, halved crosswise, seasoned on all sides with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, seared briefly on the top, or thick, fat-covered side inside an oval enameled heavy cast iron pan, the other, long sides cooked for 2 or 3minutes each, then the ends and the narrow bottom side seared, each very briefly, the steaks removed from the pan, perfectly medium-rare, arranged on 2 warm plates, each topped with a pat of defrosted ramp butter that I had made last April using some small, first-of-the-season woodland ramps from Lucky Dog Organic, a bit of juice from an organic lemon from Whole Foods Market, and some Organic Valley ‘Cultured Pasture Butter’, the steaks then allowed to rest for about 4 minutes
• a couple dozen Brussels sprouts from Lani’s Farm, the little cabbages liberated from their stalk moments before, tossed inside a bowl with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus one whole hot dried Sicilian peperoncino from Buon Italia (it can be seen at 12:30 in the picture at the top), roasted inside a medium size unglazed seasoned Pampered Chef pan until the sprouts were partly brown and crisp on the outside (at which time they taste surprisingly sweet and somewhat nutty)

• eight of “The Best Cherry Tomatoes” from Stokes Farm, each punctured once with a trussing needle, rolled around in a little olive boil inside a small Pyrex skillet until they were a little more than warm, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper, mixed with some torn leaves of basil (Gotham Greens Rooftop, from Whole Foods, arranged on the plates, where some more basil was scattered on the top
• the wine was a Spanish (Rioja) red, Bodegas de la Real Divisa Marqués de Legarda Crianza 2013
• the music was the album, ‘Johanna Beyer: Sticky Melodies’

There really isn’t much reason to describe this meal in a Food Blog post, since I’ve assembled similar versions of each of these 2 courses so often in the past, but there are always differences, some subtle and some not, and they don’t always end up tasting as good as they did this time.

The antipasto, which began the meal, was simple enough. We like dried beef, and even when it’s not spectacular, we consider it a treat. While we both thought this particular imported bresaola wasn’t as spectacular as the domestic we usually enjoy (both normally come from Eataly’s shelves).  The arugula however was really wonderful.

• four ounces of sliced Bresaola Organic Bernini from Uruguay (so maybe it’s proper name would be charque, via Eataly Flatiron, drizzled with a good Campania olive oil (Lamparelli O.R.O.) and a bit of juice freshly squeezed from on organic Whole Foods Market lemon

• a handful of very peppery baby arugula, or rucola, from Windfall Farms, dressed with more of the same olive oil and lemon, plus Maldon salt, and freshly-ground black pepper
• slices of ‘El Bario Sourdough’ from Hot Bread Kitchen

The main course, only a little more complex than the appetizer, was a prepared mushroom ravioli, one of the several kinds of filled pasta that I buy to place in the freezer as a standby entrée, for the nights when I may not have have the time or the energy to create a meal from scratch. It’s incredibly convenient, and the pasta doesn’t even have to be defrosted.

We’re never disappointed with the dishes it inspires. The ‘trimmings’ really make this dish, and this time they included garlic scapes at the start with a delicious fennel blossom garnish to finish.

• ten ounces of Rana portobello-mushroom-and-ricotta-filled ravioli rounds from Eataly Flatiron, boiled al dente inside a large pot of well-salted water for 2 minutes, drained, slipped into a large vintage tin-lined copper pan in which two slice-sectioned garlic scapes from Berried Treasures farm, a small chopped portion of a medium hot bright red aji rico pepper from Alewife Farm, and a bit of a dried habanada pepper had been briefly sautéed (warmed, basically) in a tablespoon or so of olive oil, a bit of pasta water added and the mix stirred over a moderate to high flame until the liquid had emulsified, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, a dozen or so pitted Gaeta olives from Buon Italia stirred in, the contents of the pot placed in shallow bowls, finished with a drizzle of olive oil around the edges, a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts, and a garnish of scissored flowering fennel from Lani’s Farm
• the wine was a California (Lodi) red, Jacqueline Bahue Lodi Cabernet Franc 2017, from Naked Wines
• the music was the album, ‘Restless, Endless, Tactless – Johanna Beyer and the Birth of American Percussion Music’ (wow, where has Johanna Beyer been all of our lives? her music is really wonderful, and so ahead of her times)

Jumbo shrimp: It’s an archetypal oxymoron, but no less delicious for being a classic. There were also a lot of them this time, a bounty which would have been unlikely on our table had Jean Claude Frajmund not been offering them at a very good price on Saturday (he was in a hurry to close his stall in the Union Square Greenmarket that afternoon).

Did I mention that they were also local? Eco Shrimp Garden has been bringing its harvests to the New York area since 2015. Their produce is extremely fresh excellent whole shrimp which begin as Pacific White Shrimp postlarvae which Frajmund sources from Texas and Hawaii. They’re then raised in Newburgh, New York, on the side (in fact, inside) of the Hudson River, in chemical-free saltwater tanks using sustainable practices.

[note: I had difficulty manipulating 2 huge pans on the limited area of the range top, so the okra ended up less charred, and therefore more al dente, than I would have preferred; I will have to remember to pick a more appropriate vegetable side the next time I have to use a 13.5″ pan for the star of the entrée]

• one teaspoon of chopped rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm heated inside a (13 1/2″) seasoned cast iron pan over a very low flame until the garlic had colored nicely, then one finely-chopped no-heat Habanada pepper from Norwich Meadows Farms added and pushed around with the garlic, followed by a pinch of Spanish saffron (DO La Mancha from Antonio Sotos), one dried chipotle pepper from Northshire Farms in the Union Square Greenmarket (unpunctured and left whole), and almost a heaping teaspoon of freshly-ground cumin seed added, all stirred for a minute or two, after which 19 ounces (13 by count) of Hudson Valley farmed shrimp from Eco Shrimp Garden were added (their shells all cut with a kitchen shears along their backs from head to tail, to ease shelling once they were served), seasoned with salt and pepper, the heat brought up a bit and the shrimp cooked until firm, turning twice, served on 2 plates with a generous squeeze of lemon, finished with a generous number of chopped stems of fennel blossoms from Lani’s Farm

• twelve ounces or so of small green okra, including a very few purple that were purple (but not the yellow string bean that strayed into the picture above), from Lani’s Farm, sautéed over a high flame inside a very large enameled cast iron pan in a little bit of olive oil and 2 dried  peperoncino Calabresi secchi from Buon Italia, seasoned with sea salt
• the wine was a California (Lodi) white, F. Stephen Millier Angels Reserve Pinot Grigio Lodi 2017, from Naked Wines
• the music was the album, ‘Works For Violin by George Antheil, Johanna M. Beyer, Henry Cowell, Charles Dodge, Ruth Crawford, David Mahler, Larry Polansky, Stefan Wolpe’, performed by Miwako Abe, violin, and Michael Kieran Harvey, piano

We had to wait months for our second Indian breakfast at home, but it was every bit as good as we remembered it from the first time.

Our schedule was finally again to work with one of the infrequent appearances at the Saturday Chelsea’s Down to Earth Farmers Market of Nirmala Gupta’s Bombay Emerald Chutney Company, which meant that while I was off to the Union Square Greenmarket yesterday Barry could head up the next block to pick up some of her South Asian treasures.

• two delicious defrosted cauliflower and potato-filled roti from Bombay Emerald Chutney Company, heated over medium heat inside a large enameled cast iron pan, turning them several times
• served with 2 chutneys, a ‘Royal Coconut Chutney’ and a ‘Royal Pomegranate Chutney, from Bombay Emerald Chutney Company as well (the pomegranate had not made its appearance when the image above was captured)
• the vegetable side was a matter of topping the shared contents of one package of Tasty Bite Organic Basmati Rice from While Foods Market that had been heated in our tiny microwave [I’ve just revealed one of the secrets of our lunch habits: I almost never cook in the middle of the day], a slowly-cooked improvised mix of vegetables, herbs, and spices (Sicilian fennel seed and yellow mustard toasted in the bottom of an antique medium copper pot until they had become fragrant, a little Whole Foods Market house Portuguese olive oil added and some chopped celery from Neversink Organic Farm, 2 chopped Japanese scallions from Norwich Meadows Farm, a small chopped rocambole garlic clove from Keith’s Farm, half a dozen small okra from Lani’s Farm, a bit of a finely chopped medium spicy ahi rico pepper from Alewife Farm, one small sliced Italian frying peppers from Stokes Farm that had accidentally fallen into my bag on Saturday, and a pinch or so of a dry seasoning called L’ekama from Ron & Leetal Arazi’s New York Shuk, all finished, once the vegetables had been lightly cooked, with a large pinch of fenugreek from Bombay Emerald Chutney Company) and some more olive oil, then, once on the plates, topped with some scissored flowering dill from Stokes Farm
• the music was Handel’s 1749-1750 oratorial, ‘Theodora’, William Christie conducting Les Arts Florissants

Purple.

Like the 2 vegetables, the piece of tuna loin was almost purple, but I think it would normally be described as a deep cherry red, the color, and the firmness, of raw beefsteak. Rob Williams, the fisherman from whom I had bought it that day said it was yellowfin. I’m no tuna authority, but it was so different in both appearance and taste from any tunny I have ever cooked (that number is probably something like a hundred), or eaten, that I’m inclined to think it was actually an Atlantic bluefin. The skin was also unusual, more like a light gray than the nearly black tone with which I’m familiar.

Because of the color of the flesh I was skeptical about its culinary virtues (I did say I was not an expert), so Rob cut a thin piece off of the side of the steak seen in the photo above and then handed it to me.

I tried it, savoring both the taste and the long, luxurious ‘finish’ for a couple minutes, and decided I really had to bring this treat to our table.

I was a little concerned about the area of really dark muscle, so I included all of it in my own portion, which I cut a bit larger to compensate. In the end however, I was surprised to find that it was little different from the rest of the flesh (or maybe even more tasty), so I kind of made out this time.

• one quite thick 17-ounce tuna steak from Seatuck Seafood Company’s stand in the Union Square Greenmarket, rinsed, dried, halved, tops and bottoms seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper and rubbed with a mixture of a little more than a tablespoon of a combination of wonderful dry Sicilian fennel seed from Buon Italia and a little dried peperoncino Calabresi secchi from Buon Italia, all first crushed together in a porcelain mortar and pestle, the steaks pan-grilled above a medium-high flame on a small vintage Korean cast iron grill pan (for little more than a minute or so on each side), finished on the plates with a good squeeze of the juice of an organic lemon from Whole Foods Market and a drizzle of olive oil, garnished with flowering fennel from Lani’s Farm

Even without this very robust tuna, it would have been a very rich meal. The two vegetables I picked to accompany the tuna only just before starting the meal (the radicchio had thoughtfully survived our trip to Arkansas last week), boasted some pretty serious flavors as well.

They were also purple.

If I had taken the time to think about it, I would have tried to include more color on the plate: I even had some bright cherry tomatoes sitting right there on the breakfast room windowsill.

• five small Japanese eggplant from Betsy Ryder’s family ancestral (since 1795) Ryder Farm, each halved lengthwise, brushed all over with a mixture of a little olive oil, 2 finely-chopped medium size rocambole garlic cloves from Keith’s Farm, a pinch of super-pungent dried Sicilian oregano from Buon Italia, sea salt, and freshly-ground black pepper, pan-grilled on an enameled cast iron ribbed pan above a brisk flame, turning twice, adding more of the material from the marinade the second time, then arranged on the plates, sprinkled with chopped winter savory from Keith’s Farm, and drizzled with a bit of olive oil

• the remains of one small head of treviso, including its stem, which was the length of the the leaf section attached above it, from Tamarack Hollow Farm in the union Square Greenmarket (the outer leaves had gradually been pulled off and used in earlier meals) halved lengthwise, the stem sliced through several times to speed its cooking evenly, marinated for half an hour in a mix of one medium finely-chopped Keith’s Farm rocambole garlic clove, a small bit of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, pan-grilled, then finished on the plates with some of the reserved marinade
• the wine was a Portuguese (Douro) white, Crasto White 2016, from Garnet Wines
• the music was Sebastian Fagerlund’s opera, ‘Höstsonaten (Autumn Sonata), inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s 1978 chamber drama Höstsonaten (Autumn Sonata), John Storgårds conducting the Finnish National Opera Orchestra

On Monday we’re going to be leaving the state for 5 days, so I’ve been carefully addressing the current apartment food stocks, to avoid leaving anything in the refrigerator that wouldn’t survive well.

I worry about the success of meals working under those constrictions, but so far it seems that I needn’t have.

• one thick triangular 13 and a half-ounce swordfish steak from Pura Vida Seafood Company, halved horizontally (making them, separately somewhat thinner than would be my preference), marinated on an ironstone platter for more than half an hour, turning once, in a mixture of olive oil, a tablespoon of fresh oregano from Keith’s Farm, a small amount of finely-chopped small ahi rico peppers (medium spiciness) from Alewife Farm, and a chopped stem of a small scallion, also from Keith’s Farm, drained well, the steaks covered on both sides with a coating of homemade dried breadcrumbs then pan-grilled over medium-high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until just barely fully cooked all of the way through, removed from the pan and arranged on the plates, sprinkled with a little Maldon sea salt, and a bit of juice from a Whole Foods Market organic lemon squeezed on top, garnished with micro chervil from Two Guys from Woodbridge

• just under a pound of quite small ‘blue eyes potatoes’ from Berried Treasures Farm (I haven’t been able to find the potatoes on line), boiled with a generous amount of salt until barely cooked through, drained, halved, dried while still inside the large still-warm vintage Corning Pyrex Flameware blue-glass pot in which they had cooked, tossed with some good Portuguese olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, arranged on the plates, where they were garnished with flowering dill from Rise & Root Farm

• ten or more ounces of small pink and yellow cherry tomatoes, also from Berried Treasures Farm, punctured with a small fork to keep them from exploding when pierced on the plates, heated in  a little olive oil inside a 10″ copper skillet, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, tossed with torn leaves of a Full Bloom Market Garden basil plant from Whole Foods, both before and after they were arranged on the plates
• the wine was an Italian (Sicily) white, Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Bianco 2017, from Garnet Wines
• the music was a magnificent piece, Henry Brant‘s huge ‘Autumn Hurricanes’, described as “A Spatial Cantata for Widely Separated Vocal and Instrumental Groups”, from the album, ‘Henry Brant Collection Vol. 5’

I thought this meal was pretty special all the way around.

There were certainly at least a couple exotic elements, but everything was quite local.

I had been really looking forward to preparing these very special chops. They turned out to be even more delicious than I had expected, which is saying a lot, after having very much enjoyed this pork in other forms.

I used the same basic recipe I almost always use, but this time I had something else new to me to try out, a part of a gorgeous locally foraged chicken of the woods [laetiporus sulphureus] mushroom, and I incorporated it in the lemon sauce which is always produced naturally by the chops.

The vegetable was a bit less exotic, but it too was local, and from a local greenmarket, that at Union Square. I didn’t catch their name, but they were very neat sweet potatoes. The choice, and the orange hue, anticipated colder autumn weather and the meals it inspires, but it didn’t add another color to the plate; for that I had to add some chopped parsley.

• two 8-ounce Mangalitsa pork chops from Møsefond Farm [more here], purchased at Chelsea’s Down to Earth Farmers Market, located only one block west of us, defrosted inside the refrigerator overnight and brought to room temperature the next evening, thoroughly dried, seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, seared quickly inside a heavy enameled cast-iron oval pan before half of an organic Whole Foods Market lemon was squeezed over the top and then left in the pan between the chops, placed inside a 425º oven for between 14 and 16 minutes altogether (flipped halfway through, the lemon squeezed over them once again and replaced in the pan), removed from the oven, arranged on warm plates and topped with a combination of the juices that remained in the pan and a sauce produced by sautéing small pieces torn from a larger section of a locally-foraged chicken of the woods mushroom (laetiporus sulphureus) from Windfall Farms in the Union Square Greenmarket only moments before inside a medium high-sided heavy antique copper pot in a mix of a little olive oil and a ¼”-diced piece of Buon Italia guanciale that had been browned in the oil, the fat of the bit of cured pork cheek having been slowly rendered in the oil, after which a few tablespoons of a good white wine and 4 small sprigs of fresh thyme from Keith’s Farm, tied together, were added to the sauce pot with the mushroom, the liquid reduced a little over a higher flame before the thyme was removed
• five sweet potatoes, or just under a pound, from Central Valley Farm, left unpeeled, but washed thoroughly, cut as for short french fries, tossed inside a bowl with olive oil, sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, two large unpeeled cloves of rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm, and a pinch of crushed dark dried habanada pepper, roasted in a 425º oven in a treasured large well-seasoned Pampered Chef unglazed ceramic oven pan for about 35 minutes, or until crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and a little chewy on the edges, some Maldon salt thrown onto the pan after it was removed from the oven, the frites arranged on the plates and garnished with chopped parsley from Phillips Farms
• the wine was an excellent California (Sonoma) red, Jacqueline Bahue Sonoma Valley Cabernet Franc 2016, from Naked Wines
• the music was at least our second listening of Antonio Vivaldi’s very silly, but absolutely beautiful 1731 opera, ‘La Fida Ninfa’

It was a gorgeous fluke.

And it was a very good thing. I think fluke is the tastiest flatfish, and my favorite flatfish, and this was a very special one.

It was a single large fillet, and knowing that it was from a fish caught in local waters only the day before,  I decided to prepare it almost as simply as possible, enabling it to show off its own goodness; I even skipped a flour coating.

Weighing a little over a pound, it was easily divided into 2 pieces lengthwise, making it both pretty easy to handle in the pan, and pretty pretty to look at on an oval platter before it was cooked.

• one thick 18-ounce fillet from a fluke caught the day before, purchased at the Union Square Greenmarket from the fisherman’s American Seafood Company, rinsed, divided into 2 pieces, dried thoroughly, salted and brushed with a good Italian (Piedmont) white wine vinegar (Aceto Cesare Bianco, from Buon Italia), sautéed, skin side down first, making that side the one seen in the picture showing the finished meal, inside a large rectangular enameled cast iron pan in a mix of some olive oil and a little bit of butter (I managed to get it done absolutely right; I hadn’t timed it, but it might have been 5 or 6 minutes, total) turning once a little more than halfway through, removed to 2 warm plates (they had been inside the oven, turned to the lowest, warming temperature setting), the burner flame turned off, or almost off, the pan wiped with a paper towel and 3 or 4 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons of juice from an organic Whole Foods Market lemon, and a handful of micro chervil from Two Guys from Woodbridge introduced and stirred with a wooden spatula for less than a minute or so while scraping the bottom of the pan, the sauce carefully poured onto the plated fish

• a few ounces of young, tender flowering broccoli rabe from from Windfall Farms, barely wilted in olive oil flavored with bruised rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm and some a bit of crushed peperoncino Calabresi secchia from Buon Italia, seasoned with sea salt and pepper, arranged on the two plates and drizzled with more olive oil
• sections torn from a rich, chewy organic Bread Alone multigrain baguette
• the wine was a Portuguese (Douro) white, Crasto White 2016, from Garnet Wines
• the music was an album of Vivaldi’s Concerti Per Viola D’amore, Fabio Biondi conducting Europa Galante