This meal was clearly dominated by vegetables, and, as is sometimes the case in our kitchen, the meat was more or less reduced to the role of a foil for their virtues. There were three ‘sides’, rather than the usual one or two, since a friend returning from a weekend in the country had surprised us late in the afternoon with a gift of some of her garden’s bounty.
This entire dinner, in spite of the fact that it included three dressed vegetables, took only one hour to assemble!
- two thick loin lamb chops from 3-Corner Field Farm (one for each serving), thoroughly dried, cooked on a very hot grill pan for about 4 minutes on each side, seasoned just after having been seared, then removed from the pan and each topped with about 8 slightly-crushed ramp fruit from Berried Treasures, the ‘buds’ having been heated earlier in a bit of olive oil, finally the chops finished with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil
- snow peas from Norwich Meadows Farm, parboiled, drained, and dried, then re-heated in olive oil, tossed with spearmint from Lani’s Farm, seasoned with salt and pepper
- small, very tender, bicolor corn from Sycamore Farm, steamed and the kernels cut from the cob and reheated along with some warmed chopped jalapeño pepper from Garrison, New York, the gift of a friend, tossed with chopped lovage from Keith’s Farm
- flat-leaf kale from a friend (and gentlefolk farmer), torn form the stems and cut in a broad Chiffonade, then braised in a heavy pot in which slightly-crushed garlic from Phillips Farm had previously been heated in some olive oil, finished with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of more olive oil
- there was a cheese course: slices of pepper-covered 3-Corner Field Farm Brebis, and toasts of whole wheat bread (or ‘Integrale’) from Eataly
- the wine throughout was a California red, Matt Parish Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2013
- the music was Lully’s ‘Bellérophon‘, Christophe Rouset conducting Les Talens Lyriques & Choeur de Namur