Winter is icumen in

Ezra Pound

We city people have our own country ways. Haddock has arrived in our local fishers’ greenmarket stalls, and in New York City that’s almost as good a portent of wintertide‘s approach as any bellwether in the Old Farmer’s Almanac, which I bought religiously, I don’t mind saying, every year of my long sojourn in New England (always nailing the previous year’s edition to the wall inside the [inside] privy).

Also, I wasn’t to make it cleat that I myself am very fond of winter. For all I know Pound may have been as well, and only playing with the traditional English round, ‘Sumer is Icumen in‘.

• two 8-ounce haddock fillets from P.E. & D.D. Seafood served with an accompaniment of local mushrooms, starting with separating or chopping the individual sections of 9 ounces of oyster mushrooms from Blue Oyster Cultivation (a mix of grey and yellow), sautéing them, along with 2 different kinds and colors of finely chopped small sweet seasoning peppers, aji dulce and Granada, both from Eckerton Hill Farm, over medium-high heat in a little over 2 tablespoons of olive oil inside a vintage thick-walled tin-lined copper 14-inch oval sauté pan, stirring, until softened if not browned (I had a lot of mushrooms this time, so they were too crowded, but the taste didn’t suffer), for roughly 5 minutes, all transferred to 2 warm plates (in a warm oven, door ajar), the pan wiped dry and an additional tablespoon of olive oil added, the flame turned up to medium-high and, once the oil was shimmering, two 8-ounce haddock fillets from P.E. & D.D. Seafood that had been seasoned with the fisherman’s own local salt and some freshly ground black pepper, were introduced and cooked, flesh sides down, and without moving until well browned, or for about 3 minutes, when they were carefully flipped over and cooked on the skin side until the fish was just cooked through, or about 2 minutes longer, transferred onto the plates next to the mushrooms, then about three quarters of a cup of a good low-sodium vegetable stock (using Better Than Bullion, from Whole Foods Market) was added to the same pan and cooked over high heat until reduced by at least half, the pan removed from the flame, 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of Chelsea Whole Foods Market organic California lemon stirred in, the sauce seasoned to taste with salt and pepper before being poured over both the fish and the mushrooms, lemon wedges served on the side [I mostly used this Serious Eats recipe, although I substituted the fresh peppers for the author’s “chili flakes”]
• half of a bunch of very sweet green kale (with an awesome texture once heated) from Norwich Meadows farm, washed several times and roughly chopped, including the stems, wilted inside a large antique copper pot in a little olive oil in which several thinly sliced cloves of ‘Chesnok Red’ garlic from Alewife Farm had first been warmed and begun to color, the greens arranged on the plates, seasoned with salt and pepper and drizzled with a little olive oil
• the wine was a California (Sonoma County/Alexander Valley) white, Jac Cole Alexander Valley Oak Fermented Chardonnay 2018, from Naked Wines
• the music was Vivaldi’s ‘Il Teuzzone’, written in Mantua in 1719, and first produced in Venice during Carnival celebrations that year, performed by Jordi Savall and the Concert des Nations; the story is “a seething tale of family rivalries and altered wills at the ancient Chinese court“

It was a beautiful balanced meal, beyond the picture, and it included a delicious real Chablis and a fascinating 100-year-old mystical opera that could have been written yesterday.

The haddock was really fresh, and with more than a little luck, I managed to cook it perfectly; the mushrooms also ended up just right, that is, cooked only to the point where they began to soften, but still with some body, and although there were more of them than I normally have in an accompaniment for fish, they were so good I felt there still weren’t enough. Even the small/subtle taste of the micro greens really showed through, since the fish was cooked so minimally, and, finally, the large greens, the collards, were a perfect, sweet foil for the featured players on the plates.

• two tablespoons of olive oil heated inside a vintage thick-walled tin-lined copper 14-inch oval sauté pan over medium-high heat until barely starting to smoke, 7 ounces of sliced oyster mushrooms from Blue Oyster Cultivation tossed in, seasoned with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and a pinch of a combination of 2 peppers (crushed home-dried light-colored habanada purchased fresh the year before from Norwich Meadows Farm, and hickory-smoked Jamaican Scotch bonnet from Eckerton Hill Farm last fall, cooked, stirring occasionally, until well browned, or 3 to 4 minutes, transferred to warmed plates (in a warm oven, door ajar), and set aside, the pan wiped dry, an additional tablespoon of olive oil added, the flame turned up to medium-high and, once the oil was shimmering, the mushrooms replaced by one 15-ounce haddock fillet from P.E. & D.D. Seafood that had first been halved crosswise and seasoned with salt and pepper, cooked, flesh sides down, and without moving until well browned, or for about 3 minutes, carefully flipped over and cooked on the skin side until the fish was just cooked through, or about 2 minutes longer, transferred to the plates next to the mushrooms, while about three quarters of a cup of good low-sodium vegetable stock was added to the same pan and cooked over high heat until reduced by at least half, the pan removed from the flame and 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of Chelsea Whole Foods Market organic lemon stirred in, the sauce seasoned to taste with pepper, and, if needed, pepper as well, before being poured over both the fish and the mushrooms, the haddock finished with a garnish of micro red mustard from Windfall Farms,  with lemon wedges served on the side [this Serious Eats rechelped bring the fish and the mushrooms to the table]

I can’t continue without relaying my most recent story about mushrooms, from the Wikipedia entry for Johann Schobert, because it involves two of my favorite things, mushrooms and music:

“In 1767, Schobert went mushroom picking with his family in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais near Paris. He tried to have a local chef prepare them, but was told they were poisonous. After trying again at a restaurant at Bois de Boulogne, and being incorrectly told by a doctor acquaintance of his that the mushrooms were edible, he decided to use them to make a soup at home. Schobert, his wife, all but one of their children, and his doctor friend died.”

Lesson: trust the experts (most of them anyway).

• one small bunch of collard greens from Norwich Meadows Farm, the stems removed, washed 3 times, drained (some of the water retained and held aside to be added, as necessary, while the greens cooked), roughly chopped, braised gently until barely wilted inside a medium size, antique copper pot in which 2 cloves of garlic, also from Windfall Farms, had been heated until they had softened, seasoned with salt and black pepper, finished with a small drizzle of olive oil
• the wine was a French (Burgundy/Chablis) white, Vincent Mothe Chablis 2017, from Crush Wine and Spirits

• the music was Karol Szymanowski’s 1918-1924 “Sicilian drama”, ‘Król Roger (King Roger), Simon Rattle conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Chorus, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus [from the liner notes: “In 12th Century Sicily, a mysterious shepherd speaking of a god of beauty, sensuality and (sexual) liberation troubles the reign of King Roger. The shepherd will eventually reveal himself to be none other than Dionysus, whose temptations the king ultimately resists, offering himself instead to the sun (Apollo).]

[the still of Mariusz Kwiecień as King Roger and Jose Luis Sola as the Shepherd/Dionysus, from the Santa Fe Opera production of ‘Krol Roger‘, is from Culture.pl]

There was mustard.

But so much more.

I found the haddock first (I almost always head for the fish stands before looking at anything else), and then, while looking for vegetables, I spotted a farmer new to the Union Square Greenmarket: She was offering a beautiful selection of mushrooms, along with 5 different sizes of eggs produced by her free range chickens in Vineland, New Jersey [I just found this 1987 New York Times article on the history of Jewish chicken farming in New Jersey].

I now had my entrée secured, and I had already decided which greens I’d be serving to accompany it.

The preparation itself began with the mushrooms and finished with the fish; the simple operation of braising the mustards somehow found its way in the middle.

• two tablespoons of olive oil heated inside a very thick-walled tin-lined copper 14-inch oval sauté pan over medium-high heat until barely starting to smoke, 6 or 7 ounces of sliced Lion’s mane, aka pom pom, mushrooms from Gail’s Farm, in Vineland, New Jersey tossed in, seasoned with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and a pinch of a combination of 2 peppers (crushed home-dried light-colored habanada purchased fresh from Norwich Meadows Farm, and hickory-smoked Jamaican Scotch bonnet from Eckerton Hill Farm, cooked, stirring occasionally, until well browned, or 3 to 4 minutes, transferred to warmed plates (in a warm oven, door ajar), and set aside, the pan wiped dry, a tablespoon of olive oil added, the flame turned up to medium-high and, once the oil was shimmering, the mushrooms replaced by one 16-ounce haddock fillet from P.E. & D.D. Seafood that had been halved crosswise and seasoned with salt and pepper, cooked, flesh sides down, without moving until well browned, or about 3 minutes, carefully flipped over and cooked on the skin sides until the haddock was just cooked through, or about 2 minutes longer, transferred to the plates next to the mushrooms, while one cup of good vegetable stock was added to the same pan and cooked over high heat until reduced by half, the pan removed from the flame and 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of Chelsea Whole Foods Market organic lemon were stirred in, the sauce seasoned to taste with salt and pepper and poured over both the fish and the mushrooms, finished with a garnish of micro red mustard from windfall farms, in a line dividing haddock and pompoms, with lemon wedges served on the side [I mostly used this Serious Eats recipe]

• one bunch of mizuna (aka kyona, Japanese mustard greens, or spider mustard) from Norwich Meadows farm, wilted in a little olive oil in which 2 halved cloves of ‘music garlic’ from Windfall Farms had first been allowed to sweat and begin to color, the greens seasoned with salt and pepper, arranged on the plates and a little more olive oil drizzled on top
• the wine was a French (Southwest) white, with semillon, sauvignon blanc, and sauvignon gris grapes, Chateau Lassolle (Stephanie Roussel) Triple S 2014, from Copake Wine Works
• the music was a recording of the 2008 Stadttheater Bern performance of Per Nørgård’s 1932 opera, ‘Der göttliche Tivoli (The Divine Circus)’; the opera portrays the schizophrenic Swiss artist Adolf Wölfli (1864-1930)

I’ve been talking about cold weather food for days, and while this meal continues the theme, the appearance of tomato, and sorrel this time (although both were grown inside), suggests relief might be on the way.

It was still an oven-baked dish, and the bok choy was a local January/February phenomenon discovered in the Union Square Greenmarket after weeks without any real green vegetables, or at least none on my visits afternoons, and it was the last bundle on the table when I arrived at the farm stand.

• two 8-ounce kennebec potatoes from Rick Bishop’s Mountain Sweet Berry Farm, washed, but not peeled, sliced thinly with a sharp knife, tossed in a ceramic oven pan with two tablespoons of butter which had already been allowed to melt inside the pan over a very low flame (I stepped away for a minute, and when I looked back, I saw, scarily, that the butter had begun to brown a bit in the center of the clay casserole; I stopped it before any harm was done and I think the slight browning actually added more flavor to the dish), some sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper added, the potatoes then spread evenly, roasted at 425º, sprinkled after 12 minutes with one large sliced scallion from Philipps Farms, and, at roughly 20 minutes, a few Backyard Farms Maine ‘cocktail tomatoes’ from Whole Foods Market, each sliced horizontally into 3 sections and lightly seasoned, the pan remaining in the oven a few minutes longer, for what would be a total of about 25-30 minutes, when they had begun to brown, when one 17-ounce haddock fillet from P.E. & D.D. Seafood, cut crosswise into two pieces of equal weight, ws placed on top of the vegetables, the fish spread with softened knobs from a little more than one tablespoon of butter, some sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, the pan returned to the oven for 10, maybe 13, minutes, or until the fish was just done, or cooked through, its contents arranged on the plates, the fillets topped with fresh baby sorrel from Two Guys from Woodbridge that had been just slightly heated in a little butter
• several small heads of bok choy from Philipps Farms, the last in their stand when I arrived, the leaves separated from the base, very thoroughly washed and drained, halved crosswise, the stems stirred into a large antique large copper pot inside of which 2 bruised and halved garlic cloves from John D. Madura Farms had been heated until beginning to brown, the thinner, leaf ends added a few seconds later, occasionally introducing some of the water which they had shed after being washed, the greens cooked until barely tender, their stems still a little crunchy, seasoned with salt and pepper, arranged on the plates, and drizzled with a little more olive oil
• the wine was a really awesome Australian (VictoriaAppellation/Goulburn Valley) white, Ben Haines B Minor Rousanne Marsanne 2016, from Copake Wine Works
• the music was Bellini’s opera semiseria, ‘La Sonnambula’, Evelino Pidò conducting the Lyon Opera Orchestra and the Lyon Opera Chorus 

There are seafood dishes that both evoke and hail summer. Probably less familiar are those that suggest and welcome the colder months of fall, or even of winter. This past Saturday fell within one of those colder months, and this hardy dish did its seasonal thing very well.

Fortunately the vegetable chosen, also a seasonal thing, mostly, wasn’t the least bit shy either.

It was all really, really good.

• an interesting mix of 4 different alliums, born of necessity, but consumed with great pleasure, consisting of one shallot from Lucky Dog Organic Farm, joined, because there was only one of its kind in my larder, by 10 really tiny (an early harvest) Stuttgarter yellow onions from Keith’s Farm, themselves also the only ones I had (as well as the first I’d ever seen, at least identified as such), plus one small red onion from Quarton Farm, and one sweet walla walla onion from Alewife Farm, all peeled and, but the Stuttgarter, which were left whole or halved, cut into equal, roughly half-inch sizes, sautéed inside an oval tin-lined copper gratin pan in 3 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium-high flame, stirring occasionally, until they had begun to soften, joined by 8 ounces of whole shiitake mushrooms from, from Bulich Mushroom Company in the Union Square Greenmarket, adding a good pinch of sea salt and freshly-ground pepper, continuing to sauté everything, stirring occasionally, until all were nicely browned (about 7 or 8 minutes), at which time one third of a cup of good Spanish Rioja wine vinegar was added, cooked, stirring, over medium high heat for about a minute, while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom, the pan removed and set aside, wiped clean inside with paper towels and returned to a flame, now turned high, and two 8-ounce haddock fillets from P.E. & D.D. Seafood, with skin on, that had already been rubbed on both sides with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, added to the pan when it was very hot, skin side up, and seared until a good brown crust had developed, or for about 3 minutes, the fillets turned over, the reserved onions, mushrooms, and pan juices arranged around fish, everything scattered with fresh rosemary branches from Alewife Farm, the pan placed inside a 400º oven and roasted for about 12 minutes or so [the original haddock recipe appears here]

• two very different-sized heads of treviso (one small, one medium to large) from S. & S.O. Produce, washed, drained and wiped off, cut lengthwise into sections, their various sizes and numbers of leaves pulled apart and reassembled into 4 stacks which were then tied up with butchers string before they were arranged on a large Pampered Chef unglazed ceramic oven pan, covered with a good number of fresh thyme branches from Phillips Farm, seasoned generously with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, drizzled with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and baked 10 minutes or so in the same 400º oven prepared for the haddock, flipped to the other side and returned to the oven for another 10 minutes,
• the wine was an Oregon (Willamette Valley) white, Erath Pinot Gris 2016, from Philippe Wines
• the music was Donizetti’s 1835 [very] dramma tragico, ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’, in a recording with Jesús Lopez-Cobos conducting the Munich Opera Orchestra and the Munich Opera Chorus