The meal was surf [but with a pork casing] & turf [otherwise only vegetables], even if it looks downright earthy.

It was.

• four sweet seafood sausages from The Lobster Place [salmon, shrimp cod, scallops, Italian seasonings, fennel seed, shallots, pepper, fresh parsley, pork casing] pan-grilled for about 10 minutes, turning regularly, accompanied by a brown butter sauce made by melting a third of a stick of rich (with a higher fat percentage than virtually any butter available in stores in the U.S.) ‘Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter‘ in a skillet over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until the milk solids had turned brown, removed from the heat, the juice of about a third of an organic lemon whisked in, along with 4 or 5 teaspoons (yeah) of brined wild capers (rinsed, drained, and dried), seasoned to taste with salt and butter, the chopped bulb of one ramp from Lucky Dog Organic Farms stirred into the butter, which was poured over the sausages on the plates, followed by a few washed sprigs of vetch [see image below] from Lani’s Farm, with their purple flowers
• kale from Alewife Farm, wilted in warm olive oil along with a small amount of thin strips of part of a seeded Sierra pepper, seasoned with salt and pepper, drizzled with a little more oil
• thin artichoke shoots from Lani’s Farm [see image below], washed, the stems separated from the leaves at the top and cut into one-inch lengths, sautéed in a heavy copper pan over medium heat until beginning to soften, then 2 Italian bay leaves, 1 finely-sliced clove of garlic from Trader Joe’s, introduced into the pan, along with the reserved leaves, stirred for a minute or so, and a small splash of white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper mixed in and cooked for a couple more minutes, the bay removed, and strips of the ramp leaves added
• the wine was a French (Provence) rosé, Triennes Vin de Pays de Mediterranée Rosé 2015, than which, although it was very good, it turned out something sturdier would have been more appropriate for this meal (we can’t always call it, especially when the meal is at least partially improvised at the last minute)
• the music was several works, including Nicolas Bacri’s Symphony No. 4, from the album, ‘Sturm Und Drang‘, which includes works by Bacri, Batiashvili, Leleux, Bezaly, Kantorow, and others

vetch [vicia ervilia]

 

spring shoots of Jerusalem artichoke [helianthus tuberosus]