Note to self:  This was a glorious meal, one which I did not want to see come to an end.

 

What could be simpler than a few small fillets of grey sole, a handful of tiny potatoes, and an even smaller handful of greens?  The fact that this assemblage attained as lofty a status as it did tonight (March 28th) was owed to a combination of the quality and freshness of the ingredients, the fact that none of them had been asked to travel very far, and that the one ingredient which had been harvested months before, the tiny Nicola potatoes, had been so perfectly husbanded for many months.   Then there was also the excellent company. I was only the steward.

• five small grey sole fillets from P.E. & D.D. (a total of 12 ounces), dried thoroughly, salted and brushed with good white wine vinegar, sautéed in a olive oil and a bit of butter, then removed, the pan wiped with a paper towel, butter, local lemon juice from Fantastic Gardens of Long Island, and sliced pea shoots from Monkshood Nursery and Gardens, together allowed to heat for a minute or so, the sauce spread onto the sole, the two plates served with lemon quarters
• ’18K Gold Nugget’ (Nicola in this instance) potatoes from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm, boiled in salted water, drained and steamed dry, rolled with a small amount of butter and freshly-grund black pepper
• breakfast radish greens from Eckerton Hill Farms, wilted with olive oil in which two tiny Rocambole garlic heads from Keith’s Farm had been allowed to sweat for a bit, then seasoned with salt, pepper, and a bit more olive oil
• the wine was a California white which uses Portuguese grape varieties, S + A  Verdelho, Calaveras County 2014, from Naked Wines
• the music was the Ferdinand Ries piano quartet in E-Flat, Opus 17