Doesn’t everyone remember the first time they went to New York City? I mean, the Big Apple, the inspiration of a Frank Sinatra song for the ages!Since this is a food blog, and about New York, we included a riff from another classic tune of the 20th Century, Billy Joel’s 1977 hit from his LP The Stranger, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant (‘in our Italian restaurant’). Never mind that I grew up Italian, those are some of the coolest lyrics (and music!) from my generation. Yesterday, on my weekly grocery run, I bought a nice piece of Atlantic Salmon. A little fatty, the way I like it, and on sale at $15.99 per pound. The Atlantic Ocean is colder than the Pacific Ocean, near my home, and hence the salmon is typically fattier than what we get from the Pacific Northwest waters.
I had no forward intentions about dinner based on the salmon, but this morning, it came to me. I would replicate a salmon and pasta dish I had in New York on my first night in the city. It was 1995 and New York at the time was transitioning from its gritty period during the 1960s and 70s. It’s hard to say, but disco and clubbing could have been instrumental in the city’s transition. Who can forget the 1983 release of (the Bee Gees) Staying Alive? Everyone remembers the movie’s star, John Travolta, though you would be hard-pressed to win a hand at Trivia to answer the question: who wrote the screen play? Sylvester Stallone! Rocky wrote it with Norman Wexler.
I was in New York for a job interview. It turns out, that was a transformative and seminal moment for me. I did seven interviews in one day and caught the evening flight back to San Francisco. A few days later, I got the word: I had the job. That job changed everything for me. I was in my mid-30s and had finally stumbled upon a career. Three decades+ later, that career, still going, became very fulfilling and lucrative (enough). Gratitude comes to mind.
The one-and-only night I spent in New York City on that trip was the night before the long day of interviews. I arrived in time for a walk before dinner, not knowing where I was per se, or much about the city. The company, at the time located on 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, had put me up in a business-class hotel not far from their headquarters. I walked the neighborhood, learning that a stretch of 52nd Street was a center of jazz performance from the 1930s to the 1950s.
An hour or so into my walk, I started getting hungry and began taking a closer look at the restaurants I passed. I would try the first one that caught my fancy.
Before I found the restaurant, a modest Italian joint (name long-ago forgotten) with (no kidding) red-checkered tablecloths, I passed a couple of black women dressed like prostitutes. Because they were. The larger one of the two – she was big but not fat, pretty, and with all the curves in the right places. She wore a snug-fitting red dress and solicited me. I was shocked, having never met a prostitute, and her suggestions for the next hour of my life made my head race.
Paul Simon’s lyrics come to mind, “I do declare there were times when I was so lonesome I took some comfort there – la la la la la-la.” First time for everything, I thought.
Then I had a conflicting moment, and imagined that the ladies were plants, and the company I was about to interview with was testing my moral character, watching what was about to go down. In hindsight, I’m pretty sure that thought of precaution was why I declined the offer from the lady in the red dress.
Karma’s a funny thing, and who knows, had my temptation succumbed, I may not have got the job offer.
That night I dined solo on a salmon and pasta dish, with a side of sliced, warm beets, and serving of fresh spinach lightly sauteed in olive oil and garlic. The salmon was roasted with light seasonings, the pasta in a cream sauce that was perfectly prepared, not too-thick or too-rich as it could overwhelm the simple deliciousness of freshly caught roasted salmon. The sides were a delightful complement, especially since I had rarely eat beets.
Notes on the cooking
I make my white sauce with a classic butter roux, with a twist; I add in a couple heaping tablespoons of white truffle sauce I buy in cans from Urbani Truffle (in New York, where else!) and have them shipped to the house. The sauce includes butter, flour, parmesan cheese and half and half. I used penne pasta for my replica.
I cooked a couple of fresh red beets earlier in the day in boiling water. Once the beets had softened, I ran cold water in the pot (in the sink). After they cooled a bit, I removed the skins with a sharp knife. Then put them in the fridge until dinner, when I would slice them, then warm them (microwave or oven), and serve them unseasoned.
Roast the salmon skin down; after smearing some peanut oil on the bottom of the dish so the skin can be removed easily after cooking. Salt and pepper the top (lightly). Discard the skin, unless you have a dog or cat, and serve the same wedges on the same plate as the pasta and beets.
If the spinach is a little wet, drain it so its juices don’t mix with the main components of the meal.
I used four (4) medium-to-large sections of garlic (from a fresh clove), which I put through a garlic press in an extra-large skillet with a light amount of good olive oil. I started cooking the garlic without the spinach, yet before the garlic started to turn golden brown, I added a big tub of fresh spinach in batches, until my (deep) skillet was full, then drizzled a few tablespoons of water on it. Cover tightly, cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes then turn the stove top off. Leave the lid on, unattended, for another 10 minutes. Remove lid, turn heat back on to evaporate some of the liquid and lightly salt to taste and a little more olive oil. That’s it. Serve all four dishes at once!
Wine
I had some ideas on what to pair with this meal, ranging from a Fume Blanc (too light, I thought) to a clean, stainless steel tank-fermented and non-oaky Chardonnay from Merriam Vineyards to a Pinot Noir or a Rhone varietal or blend. But first, I shot off an email to my wine rep at Kermit Lynch Wine Merchants in Berkeley, Bryant V. and asked for his thoughts once I sent him the menu and cooking notes. Now, I would trust this man with my dog and my truck if I needed someone to keep an eye on my valuables, so I had full confidence in his opinion. Wow, I was not disappointed!
Here it is
What would you pair with my dinner tonight?
Sounds delicious! My pairings to go with your meals:
- Roasted salmon (lightly seasoned): (I would love a white Burgundy, perhaps a Macon Village if not a Sancerre for white, a light red Morgon or Liguria Rossese)
- Penne pasta in a white truffle cream sauce (light on the truffle, but there) (You would want a white with a bit of richness, perhaps an aged Savinieres or Viognier like Condrieu. If not again a White Burgundy a safe choice that has a bit of neutral oak)
- Fresh spinach in garlic and olive oil, sauteed (Chablis – especially a lean, unoaked style – Crisp, steely, and a natural match for greens. Muscadet – If you want something ultra-refreshing with a subtle saline touch. Or a lighter red like red Burgundy)
- Warm beets sliced thin – (Saumur-Champigny) – Herbaceous, slightly peppery notes work beautifully with beets.
There you have it.
Just so happens, I had just returned from a leisure week in Hawaii and after putting in a long day at the desk, prepping dinner and doing laundry in between, I had a hankering for martinis, since you can’t enjoy them in the islands (too warm, the glass warms quickly). I had a couple while finishing the cooking. Bryant was right, a light red paired nicely. There was an unfinished bottle of Cotes-Du-Robles (aka Rhone) from Eberle (a 2021) in California’s Central Coast region (Paso Robles) on the shelf. It’s 54% Grenache, 38% Mourvèdre, 8% Syrah. It was just right.