Wild.

• smoked bluefish fillet from Pura Vida in Cold Spring (north of New York City), skinned, chopped, and mixed with a little chopped shallot from Keith’s Farm, plus a tablespoon of lemon juice, four ounces of cream cheese from Murray’s Bagels (on 8th Avenue), and a generous amount of scissored fresh chives from Eataly, served with thin toasted slices of fourth-day Antica Classica from Eataly
• the wine was a Canadian white, Henry of Pelham Riesling 2013

 

Still wilder.  The treatment of the hare was a more rustic version of the recipe, “Pappardelle alla Lepre”, in the Rogers Gray Italian Country Cook Book.

• one small Scottish wild hare (the FDA does not allow us to buy any form of game bagged inside the US, but apparently trusts the Scots) purchased through Fossil Farms, briefly marinated with cognac, then braised with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, canned San Marzano tomatoes (drained), half a bottle of a good red wine, several cloves, and half of a cinnamon stick
• the egg noodles were Pappardelle Antica Madia, from Eataly
• golden-beet tops from Eataly, wilted with olive oil
• the wine was a great Italian red, Conti ‘il Rosso della Donne ‘Boca’ 2008