A little bit of smoke goes a long way, whether it’s with vegetables, meat, or fish, but this time we had a full 4 ounce section of smoked bluefish fillet to mix with less than 8 ounces of dried pasta, a ratio twice that I’ve used with similar dishes in the past.

Joy.

• several chopped baby leeks from baby French leeks from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm and some very small stems of a small rib from a small stalk of celery from Norwich Meadows Farm, both sautéd in a little olive oil inside a large antique copper pot until softened, the juice from half  of an organic Whole Foods Market California lemon added and the pan kept over heat for another 2 or 3 minutes, stirring, the flame reduced to low and a pinch of sea salt, part of one crushed dried Itria-Sirissi chili, pepperoncino di Sardegna intero from Buon Italia and a pinch of home dried Norwich Meadows Farm golden habanada pepper stirred into the sauce until both hot and sweet peppers had become pungent, then adding less than 8 ounces of Afeltra Pasta di Gragnano Spaghetto from Eataly that had just been cooked until barely al dente, along with almost a cup of the reserved pasta water, continuing to stir until the liquid had emulsified, followed by mixing in one 4 ounce piece of smoked bluefish from Pura Vida Seafood Company and some chopped leaves from the celery rib, the dish transferred to low serving bowls, drizzled with a little olive oil around the edges, sprinkled with lemon zest and a little more red pepper flakes, and garnished with homemade toasted bread crumbs
• the wine was a Portuguese (Vinho Verde) white, Quinta de Paços Casa do Capitão-Mor Alvarinho 2017, from Flatiron Wines 
• the music was a glorious 1982 DGG recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, Claudio Abbado conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna State Opera Chorus, the Vienna Boys’ Choir, and Jessye Norman

There was a somewhat meaty first course and a vegan main, although since the flavors were so rich,  Barry had to ask me whether meat had any part in the latter. It did not, so I think the suggestion of it came from the savoriness of the habanada pepper, the smokiness of the toasted pine nuts, and/or the earthiness of the micro kale finish.

The antipasto, or the appetizer course, was more southern Italian than the next one.

• slices from a 2-ounce package of la Quercia ‘Prosciutto Americano’ from Chelsea Whole Foods Market arranged beside some leaves of arugula from Jersey Farm Produce Inc. in the Saturday 23rd Street farmers market, that had been drizzled with olive oil (Renieris Estate ‘Divina’ (Koroneiki varietal), Hania, Crete, from Whole Foods Market, seasoned with local Long Island sea salt from P.E. & D.D. Seafood and freshly-ground black pepper, then one sliced ripe medium red heirloom tomato, its one overripe section first severed from the rest and discarded, placed on top of the arugula, also drizzled with a little of the oil, sprinkled with scissored chives from Space at Ryder Farm, and seasoned with salt and pepper too [the rosemary cracker in the picture to the right of the arugula is an errant part of the accompaniment to our drinks before dinner]
• slices of ‘Whole wheat Redeemer Bread’ (wheat, water, salt) from Lost Bread Co. (not in the picture)

The primi, or main, in this case, to the extent that it echoed Italy at all, was the more northern Italian of the two.

• one sliced red spring onion from Norwich Meadows Farm and one chopped clove of ‘Chesnok Red’ garlic from Alewife Farm heated until both were fragrant in a couple tablespoons of Whole Foods Market house Portuguese olive oil inside a large antique copper pot, followed by one thinly sliced habanada pepper from Alewife Farm stirred in, and then, as soon as it had finished cooking to an al dente state, 9 ounces from a one-pound box of Sfoglini Einkorn Macaroni, together with a cup of the cooking water, tossed in, the heat under the pan pushed to high and the mix cooked, stirring, until the liquid had emulsified, arranged in shallow bowls with a little olive oil drizzled around the edges, garnished with some micro kale from Norwich Meadows Farm 

 

• the wine throughout the meal was an Italian (Puglia) white, Dominic Hentall Terra Bianca 2018, from Naked Wines
• the music throughout was an album of Dieterich Buxtehude’s Trio Sonatas, performed by harpsichordist Jonathan Cohen and three musicians from his ensemble Arcangelo

We were trying for seriousness here, even if both plates ended up looking a little frivolous.

A strong-flavored salumi, together with a dark bread, then an earthy pasta, with a sauce that could communicate with it.

Not a meal for a July evening, but just right for mid-October.

• And one that was more about assembling than preparation.three ounces of an (almost local) Fairway Market-purchased salumi, a capocollo produced by Daniele Inc. in north central Rhode Island [I have a soft spot for anything Rhode Island, so this Providence TED conference video by a member of the family business’ third generation got to me] arranged on t plates on top of a few large leaves of arugula from Windfall Farms, seasoned with local P.E. & D.D. Seafood sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and both the green and the capocollo drizzled with some good olive oil (Renieris Estate ‘Divina’ (a Koroneiki varietal) from Hania, Crete, purchased at Whole Foods Market
• slices of ‘Whole wheat Redeemer Bread’ (wheat, water, salt) from Lost Bread Co.

Except for the time it took to boil the pasta, the second course took only a few minutes to complete.

• a few tablespoons of a rich butter, Vermont Creamery Butter (total fat 12g, 83% butter fat), from Whole Foods Market (unfortunately they don’t stock the producer’s unsalted version), melted slowly inside a large antique copper pot before a small handful of fresh whole sage leaves from Keith’s Farm, one finely sliced fresh habanada pepper from Campo Rosso Farm, and a pinch of hickory smoked Scotch Bonnet pepper from Eckerton Hill Farm were stirred in, the mix seasoned with local P.E. & D.D. Seafood sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper, and, as soon as it had finished cooking to al dente, 8 ounces from a one-pound box of Sfoglini Einkorn Macaroni, together with a cup of the cooking water, stirred in, the heat under the pan pushed to high and the mix cooked, stirring, until the liquid had emulsified, a little olive oil then drizzled around the edges and some Parmigiano Reggiano (aged 24 months) from Whole Foods Market shaved on top, garnished with micro red amaranth from Windfall Farms 

 

• the wine for both courses was a Spanish (Catalonia/Tarragona/Monsant) white, Franck Massard Herbis Verdejo 2018, from Naked Wines
• the music throughout was Mendelssohn’s wonderful 1832 secular cantata on Druidic themes, ‘Die Erste Walpurgisnacht‘, based on the poem by Goethe, Kurt Mazur conducting  the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in the Studio Versöhnungskirche; we followed that with other pieces by Mendelssohn

This will be the very last appearance here of the three ‘heads’ of puntarelle that I purchased last Wednesday exactly one week ago as I write this, and which I eventually included in 4 nights of meals (9 servings) before exhausting its wonderful bounty with 2 different recipes.

A great vegetable.

• two or three roughly chopped cloves of ‘Chesnok Red’ garlic from Alewife Farm heated inside a large antique copper pot in a few tablespoons of olive oil until softened and fragrant, seasoned with local sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, a couple of rinsed, dried, and filleted Sicilian anchovies from Buon Italia, and a bit of crushed dried Itria-Sirissi chili, pepperoncino di Sardegna intero, also from Buon Italia, followed by the addition of roughly 9 ounces of the external leaves of several heads of puntarelle from Tamarack Hollow Farm, trimmed of any wilted portions at the bottom, and washed very well in several changes of water (the base of this plant often has sand), parboiled inside a tall stainless steel pot in a large amount of well salted water until just tender, removed with a broad vintage slotted spoon, drained, and cut up very roughly, stirred into and mixed well with the contents of the pot with the puntarelle, then adding 9 ounces of Afeltra penne rigate, cooked until barely al dente in the same water in which the greens had been parboiled, along with almost a full cup of the pasta-vegetable water, mixed well over high heat, allowing the pasta to absorb the flavors and the liquid to have emulsified, when the puntarelle will have partially ‘melted’ into a kind of sauce for the pasta
• the wine was an Oregon (Willamette Valley) rosé, Chris Baker Willamette Valley Rose of Pinot Noir 2018, from Naked Wines
• the music was an album of Sinfonie Concertanti by Mozart, Holxbauer, and Pleyel, performed by the Kammerorchester Basel 

Both were definitely local, but If the ‘wild tomatoes’ were not, technically wild anymore, the seafood really was, even if it had been domesticated by the fisherman (by bringing it home) and the fisherman’s wife (by preparing the salad at home).

• eight ounces of a squid and conch salad (including olive oil, parsley, red pepper, lemon juice) from P.E. & D.D. Seafood in the Union Square Greenmarket, made by Dolores Karlin, the wife of Phil Karlin, the fisherman himself, arranged on a thin bed of arugula from Norwich Meadows Farm, the seasoning of the salad adjusted only slightly, including a drizzle of juice from an organic California lemon from Chelsea Whole Foods Market, arranged on leaves of  a head of Roxy purple leaf lettuce from Lucky Dog Organic Farm, dressed with a good olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a drizzle lemon juice too, arranged as a bed for the salad
• slices of an organic multigrain baguette from Bread Alone

 

The main, or pasta course, included a scion of the ur-tomato, called the ‘wild Mexican tomato’, here grown on Eckerton Hill Farm, boasting the sophisticated flavors expected of a member of an ancient lineage.

• a very simple pasta sauce begun by heating and softening in a little olive oil inside a large antique copper pot over a medium flame, one and a half garlic scapes, cut into very short lengths, from Phillips Farms, adding some crushed dried espelette pepper from Alewife Farm, the mix tossed with 9 ounces of an Afeltra pasta artigianale di Gragnano I.G.P. 100% grano Italiano biologico that had been cooked al dente and drained, almost an entire cup of its cooking water also added, everything stirred over a high flame until the liquid had emulsified, then 4 ounces of fantastic, sweet tiny ‘wild’ Mexican tomatoes from Eckerton Hill Farm were stirred in, followed by a mix of chopped lovage from Keith’s Farm, chopped parsley from Jersey Farm Produce Inc. in the Saturday 23rd Street farmers market, and torn peppermint leaves from Alex’s Tomato Farm, also in the Saturday market, and finished with more herbs and a little olive oil drizzled around the edges

 

• the wine throughout was a Portuguese (Douro) white, Quevedo Family Alvarinho 2018, from Naked Wines
• the music throughout was Pier Francesoc Cavalli’s 1640 opera, ‘Gli Amori D’apollo E Di Dafne’, Gabriel Garrido conducting the Elyma Ensemble