I love being able to use a word like ‘vetch’ in the list of a meal’s ingredients, although until I came upon some in the Greenmarket on Monday, if I had been asked, I would have probably have thought the word described one of the ingredients of some medieval magic potion. It tuns out that it’s certainly ancient, and an ancient friend to human civilization.

• two hake fillets from P.E. & D.D. Seafood, dredged in seasoned flour and dipped in a beaten egg from Millport Dairy, sautéed in butter along with a few sage leaves from Stokes Farm, drizzled with organic lemon juice, tranferred onto 2 plates, the juices remaining in the pan distributed over them, followed by a sprinkling of vetch shoots from Lani’s Farm
• seven halved Backyard Farms Maine ‘cocktail tomatoes’ from Whole Foods, combined in a small ceramic baking dish with one sliced fresh green spring shallot from John D. Madura Farm, a little olive oil, half of a teaspoon of chopped thyme from Stokes Farm, salt, and freshly-ground black pepper, placed in a 400º oven for about 20 minutes, removed, sprinkled with the green ends of the same fresh shallot, chopped small
• fiddlehead ferns from Lucky Dog Organic Farm, washed, cleaned, blanched, sautéed in olive oil with some sliced fresh Sierra peppers, seasoned with salt and pepper, finished with a dollop of ‘Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter‘
• slices of a sourdough baguette from She Wolf Bakery
• the wine was a Spanish (Uclés) white, Fontana Mesta Verdejo Uclés 2014, from Chelsea Wine Vault
• the music was Mozart, Piano Concertos Nos. 17 & 20, and Haydn, Symphony No. 51