Fresh fettuccine with arugula, garlic and butter

My daughters gave me a back yard fire pit for Fathers Day, it's awesome. Tonight I tried a hanger steak on the grill and was amazed at the wonderful smokey flavor that placed this steak near the top of my lifetime list.

When I planned tonight's' dinner at the end of a longday it was the lemon pepper fettuccine that had myattention. I organized the ingredients quickly, havingmade the pasta for tomorrows farmers market in Amagansett earlier in the afternoon, the garlic and arugula came from the garden and I had a piece of Parmesan in the fridge.

The whole dinner was ready within 30 min. of arriving home, first the fire was started (using a pile of wood gathered at the beach with the girls on Fathers Day). Then I boiled 2 quarts of water, sliced the first garlic harvest of the year, added thegarlic to a saute pan with butter and then choppedthe spicy rocket arugula. When the fire settled inand coals were obvious I placed the steak on the grill.

Fresh pasta is best with a light/ simple sauce, heat over medium flame until the garlic begins to brown. Then remove from the flame and add the arugula. Fresh pasta cooksquickly (3 minutes) so preparing the sauce first is important. I learned long ago to salt the water and not the sauce, a trick that served me well tonight. When the pasta is cooked take care to transfer it directly to the saute pan andadd a few spoonfuls of water too. Plate and serve immediately.

serves 2

1 pc hanger steak (1lb)

1/2 pound fresh pasta (lemon pepper from the A. Sisters Food co.)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic

2 cups fresh arugula (chopped)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

3 tablespoons salt for the pasta water

Farm yard pork loin "Roti style"

The plan for this weekend was to highlightNew York raised pork at the Wolffer Estate, where a main course of braised pork butt stew will share the table with several other dishes including grilled vegetables, hanger steak "Azteca" and seafood paella. At the "Little Kitchen" the special menu features our "Roti Style" pork loin stuffed with herbs from our garden (oregano, parsley, thyme, mint and cilantro) mixed with garlic and lemon zest.

If you haven't ordered a whole hog and planto serve this dish at a summer party, no problem.Give your local butcher advance notice and ask for a full pork loin with rib bones removed and bellyleft on. This cut should measure at least 15 inches long and a little more in width from the top ofthe loin to the bottom of the belly.

Start in the garden (or at the Farmers Market) and gather parsley, mint, cilantro, thyme and oregano. Rinse the herbs and remove the thickest stems, then rough chop them all together. Placethe chopped herbs in a large bowl with choppedgarlic, lemon zest, olive oil and salt. Mix the herbs with the rest of the ingredients and then rub the mixture on the inside of the pork loin and belly.

Next, roll the loin from the top down ending up with the belly wrapped around the herb coated loin. Tie the roast off with butchers twine and place in a large roasting pan. Score the skin with a sharp knife taking care not to cut the twine andcover the pan with foil.

Place the roasting pan in a 350 oven and roastfor 2 hours covered, then remove the foil andfinish in the oven for another hour and a half.

To serve, slice the roast into thin pieces and platewith asparagus and sofrito rice.

Serves 20:

1 full pork loin, belly on

2 bunches parsley

1/2 bunch mint

1/2 bunch thyme

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/2 bunch oregano

10 garlic cloves (chopped fine)

1/2 cup olive oil

2 large lemons (zest only)

3 tablespoons salt

Chilatole (Pork in salsa verde)

Dave Bondlow got up early on Thursday morning and drove to Pine Plains New York to a small slaughter house that handles animals raised on farms in the immediate area using humane practices. He picked up one 180 pound pig, split and chilled.

As soon as Dave arrived in Sag Harbor I got busy breaking down the carcass, first removing the primals then separating the rib bones from the loins. The art of butchery takes time, as a novice working with whole animals, this was an exciting first step.

Serving 180 pounds of pork calls for a plan and this one wasgenerated by a wedding rehearsal dinner that I executed for mylate friend Christian Wolffer and his ex wife Naomi Wolffer-Marks,it was in celebration of their daughter Joanna's wedding to Max,a handsome young man that she meet on a train 3 years ago.The plan in this case called for "Chilatole" a pork stew introducedto me by my sous chef Raul, served along with a seafood and chickenpaella and slice hanger steak to 120 guests at the Wolffer Estate inBridgehampton, NY.

The idea of a Mexican flavored celebration came from Naomi and Joanna, I thought the Chilatole would serve well because it provides deep, rich Mexican flavors and would be easy to plate and serve family style for a large group of people.

The first step was to bone the pork primals (ham, shoulder butt and picnic butt) and then cut each piece again into 4 smaller portions. Then we place them in 3 hotel pans (3 inch deep roasting pans) and placed them in a 375 oven (wrapped in foil) for 3 hours. While this was happening, the bones were placed in a large pot over medium heat and mixed with mirpoix (onions, celery and carrots chopped rough) stirred until the vegetables were soft and then covered with water. The stock was simmered for as long as the pork roasted.

The next step involved roasting a mixture of vegetables (tossed invegetable oil) on a sheet pan in the oven with the pork. The mixtureof tomatillo, onion, jalapeno, zucchini and garlic was roasted foran hour until the onions were soft, then transferred to a blender and pureed until smooth. When the pork came out of the oven, it cooled for an hour in refrigeration and the stock was strained and then skimmed of any fat that rose to the surface.

After the pork had cooled to a temperature that allowed it to be handled, it was cut into cubes a little smaller than a golf ball and returned to a hotel pan. We then poured the stock over the top and added salt, pepper, cumin and ground coriander seed to taste, followed by several bay leaves. The pan was returned to the oven and cooked for another hour until service.

Just prior to service we added corn and allowed the corn to cook with the pork for 20 minutes. To finish the dish we added a few cups of the vegetable puree, tasting as we went to make sure the flavor was to our taste. Then the service bowls were filled with stew and topped with shredded, fried corn tortillas and cilantro sprouts.

This recipe serves 6:

4lb pork (picnic butt or shoulder butt)

2 tomatillo

1 cup chopped onions

10 jalapeno peppers

3 zucchini (chopped)

4 garlic cloves

4 corn cobs (kernels only)

6 bay leaves

1.5 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

3 corn tortillas

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Dan's Paper Restaurant Review

June 16, 2011 by Stacy Dermont

Estia’s Little Kitchen is that adorable little place on the West side of the Bridgehampton Turnpike, just outside of Sag Harbor. I’ve heard good things about it for years, but until last week I had not been inside.

It’s just as cute on the inside and the service is friendly. We were a dinner party of four so we were able to try many different things. One member of our group had been there many times before, but only for breakfast or lunch.

To add to the festive atmosphere, I started the evening with a bright orange mimosa served in a big, round glass. My husband enjoyed a glass of Paumanok Chenin Blanc 2009 with the appetizers and switched to a Paumanok Late Harvest Riesling for the dessert course. Estia’s drink offerings include local wines from Wölffer and Grapes of Roth, plus beer and wines from abroad including a selection from Spain, Chile and Argentina.