Spring has finally come!

Being that this is my first post on my first blog I feel as though I must embark with some sort of fanfare; a smack of the champagne bottle on the keel of the boat… though I wish not to be remembered as the Titanic was remembered… I start with some words from Cactus Ed:

“Do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am. A Reluctant enthusiast and a part time crusader. A Half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the West. It is even more important to enjoy it while you can, while it’s still there. So get out there, hunt, fish, mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the Griz, climb a mountain, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and elusive air. Sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness of the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves. Keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive. And I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over the desk-bound people with their hearts in safe deposit boxes and their eyes hypnotized by their desk calculators, I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards.”

~ Edward Abbey

Spring has finally come! – the blog commences here…

The early messengers signal that Spring is just around the corner out here in the Northeast… the ramps, morels, wild watercress and Miner’s lettuce have all stuck their heads up out of the dirt and eagerly point towards the sun from the forest floor. The first wild Halibuts from Alaska start to appear on menus across America with their brilliant red blood lines and translucent flesh… a new dawn casting it’s waking rays across an emerging and appreciative new day. Time to remove ourselves from the deep slumber of winter. Air out the dank spaces and put your dancing shoes on; the dance begins…

"We either have wild places or we don’t. We admit the spiritual – emotional validity of the wild, beautiful places or we don’t. We have a philosophy of simplicity of experience in these wild places or we don’t. We admit an almost religious devotion to the clean exposition of the wild, natural Earth or we don’t.”

- Ansel Adams

Being a cook is not so difficult. I suppose it is like anything else, millions of small steps repeated over and over and over. Man’s vain attempt at domination over what is. Perfection over imperfection. When I stop and really think about it, the Chef tries to conquer and bring nature under his fold. The smart Chef realizes that Nature herself, Mother Earth, the Earth Goddess… whatever moniker you choose, cannot be overcome nor subdued… she can be coddled, massaged but never beaten… So why should do some Chefs seek domination, perfection over nature? I cannot believe I just typed that phrase. Perfection over nature? Louis Szathmary once told me that nature is not perfect. Man has to make it perfect. I love Louis, but that was egotistical and unreal.

I try to live in the natural world and let the natural mystic dictate my tastes. This next dish perfectly exemplifies the very idea. It’s something that really came together to celebrate the beginning of the Spring food season…



Wild Halibut with Morels
the last of winters hand cured Pancetta and wild Ramps

ingredients:

1 each Shallots, peeled and chopped finely
2 sprigs Thyme
½ c. White Wine
1 c. Chicken Stock, warm
2 oz. dried Morels, added to the stock
¼ c. Verjus
4 oz. Butter, use either fresh from the farm or French
4 – 6 oz. Halibut steaks
big pinch Espelette Peppers, Sea Salt and Black Pepper
2 c. mashed Potatoes, your favorite recipe
¼ pound hand made Pancetta
2 bunches wild Ramps
untold quantities of butter and olive oil and maybe even duck fat…

directions:

for the sauce:

Sauté the shallot and thyme sprigs in a small knob of butter. When the shallot just starts turning brown, deglaze with the white wine, chicken stock infused with morels and verjus. Continue cooking till the liquid has reduced by fifty percent. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in butter. Strain sauce and keep in a warm place. Reserve.

for the wild Ramps:

Finely dice pancetta. Add butter and olive oil to pancetta. Add the chopped white stems of the wild ramps and cook till they are tender. Continue cooking till the sweet smells of pork fat and forest garlic intermingles in your nostrils. Add the well washed leaves of wild ramps. and cook till they soft and wilted, about five minutes. Reserve.

Cooking the wild Halibut:

Roll the four pieces of halibut in flour seasoned with Espelette peppers, sea salt and black pepper. Drop each morsel of halibut into a hot pan with both butter and olive oil. I would use a less expensive olive oil. Heat is the enemy of flavor! Cook until the edges are browned and the meat cooked throughout. You may even have to pop the fish into the oven for five or so minutes.

Assembly of the finished dish:

Put a big spoonful of mashed potatoes onto the center of a warm plate. Make a well and fill with the ramps. Top with crispy halibut and morels. Drizzle with the morel sauce and enjoy immediately! People wait for food, food does not wait for people!