I waited too long to head out to Eataly for some crabmeat, which I had thought would be the only possibility for an elegant New Years Eve dinner I had planned only at the last minute. They had totally run out of their supply.

Considering my options while standing near the glass display cases of the fresh pasta counter, I decided to pick up some Reginette, partly because of its entertaining shape.  Then I remembered seeing at least 4 different colored chicories when I had checked out the produce section, some of them even described as from USA farms.

The little meal had now been described almost entirely.

It had all the virtues of a meal for the occasion, including this time, since we normally stay home on this grand night, 2 we have almost never needed before: Simplicity of execution and quick disassembly afterwards.

• two tablespoons of olive oil inside a large high-sided tin-lined copper pot, adding one chopped red shallot from Norwich Meadows Farm until softened and pungent, followed by 2 beautiful  roughly-chopped small Treviso (they were the same size as, and looked very much like endive edged rose-red) which were stirred until themselves softened, half of a cup of an Italian (Marche) white, Saladini Pilastri Falerio 2015 added and boiled down until the liquid was mostly gone, 3 ‘nests’, or about 12 ounces, of mafaldine (semolina flour, water) from Flatiron Eataly, the cooked pasta added, stirred with some of the reserved pasta water until the liquid had emulsified, served in shallow bowls, a little olive oil poured around the edges, garnished with micro scallions from Two Guys from Woodbridge, and sprinkled with Parmigiano Reggiano Hombre from Whole Foods Market
• the wine was an Italian (Sardinia) white, La Cala Vermentino di Sardegna 2015
• the music was Vivaldi’s ‘Orlando’ (1714 Version), Federico Maria Sardelli conducting the  Modo Antiquo Ensemble