GAstRolIteRAcY

tHe mAestRo oF tHe DeePA fishing guide teaches more than just fish-and-cut-bait.

BY emIlY BRooks

MONTAUK—I have a secret: Despite the Prada and high-heeled shoes, I am addicted to fishing. New to New England, I wanted to try my rod in the waters of Long Island Sound.

So, with my container of worms in hand I found Captain Tom Cornicelli of Back Bay Charters, an experienced fishing guide acces-sible to both the Trump family and, thankfully, to the rest of us as well. And, as a Blow just like every other Joe, I gulped down the rest of my coffee, visited the ladies’ room and boarded Captain Tommy’s boat, The Ruffian, on a bright and beautifully sunny morning.

“I know when the trip is going to be successful and when it’s not,” Cornicelli says. “I cannot control nature, but I know how to read the winds and tide like an old, wise man.”

Cornicelli is a perfect square of a man—exactly tanned and muscled as you’d expect a Captain to be. His Long Islander accent carries the soothing resonance of a TV Mafia Bad Boy, but his eyes tell tales of experiential depth and wisdom like The Oracle—my very own guide to the Matrix of Long Island Sound. An Inter-national Game Fish Association (IGFA)–certified captain, he is a member of the White Water Sportfishing Pro Staff and an Ac-curate Reels Pro Staffer, and a five-time IGFA world record holder for saltwater fly-fishing for fluke, false albacore and weakfish.

Cornicelli, who also leads hunting trips in the winter, is a three-time World Wildfowl Carving Champion.

In addition to Saltwater Fishing Camps for kids, Cornicelli offers the Back Bay Saltwater Fishing Academy. He teaches adults to be proficient anglers, saving time and precious fuel by making the most of time on the water. This includes teaching those tactics that work best in East End waters, including rigging, knots, bait selection, casting and boat-handling skills. Cornicelli will teach any grown-up kid how to read the water and better understand tides, weather conditions, moon phases and bird activity—which all aid in effectively locating fish.

We first went live-bait fishing that day, in sight of Gardiner’s Island, catching porgies using a standard hi-lo porgy rig baited with cut clam pieces in an area with a good structured bottom, reef and debris. As the boat left the dock the sun was just bringing to our faces the first warming rays of the day. When queried about the different ethical arguments surrounding live-bait fishing—we would use the perfectly edible porgies to catch bigger fish—Corni-celli says, “As long as there is no waste, then providing striped bass with indigenous breakfast options is conscionable.”Ph

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FALL 2008 edible EAST END 41

Out to rougher waters around Montauk Point, we switched rods and started using a 6-ounce sinker to minimize the resistance on the main line, which was set on one end with a 15-foot leader, and a circle hook decorated with a live porgy on the other. What, no worms?

Circle hooks are quite different to work with since my first in-stinct is to set the hook in the fish’s mouth with an upward jerk—a circle hook only sets with evenly applied tension on the line. This proved a difficult concept for this inland-freshwater-stream gal to master, which of course promoted a joke or two from Captain Tommy wondering if I had some unknown disease that caused me to flail and jerk about like a harnessed rabbit.

Captain Tommy made me feel like a kid again. I suspect the experience is the same regardless of where you actually reside on the numerical age scale. I felt it in the way he gave guidance in a tough-love voice, and the way he’d poke fun at one of us, and the way he would take the rod from you to make sure the hook was set, and the way he’d holler (just like we were) with unfettered glee for having a fish on the line. I couldn’t get away from the feeling that what makes Cornicelli special from other guides is that he’s incredibly sensitive to your needs and treats you like his son or daughter. A day on the water practicing this incredibly difficult sport becomes less daunting in his presence. He even brought us sandwiches and soda and mini bags of chips.

Out at sea, a 34-pound striped bass was caught by another member of the charter. With great excitement I was able to dis-prove any medical theories about excessive twitching and I reeled in a 28-pound striped bass. I walked backward to the bow of the boat to bring the bass along the port side and stretch out the lead-er. Captain Tommy at the stern leaned over the transom despite the six-foot rolling waves strong enough to render a few of the crew seasick. He swung a powerful arm deep in the water, immediately engulfed by a halo of crispy salt-spray prisms, and pulled forth my fish with his right hand and brought her up on deck.

Both fish were placed in the ice hold and we all took turns ex-amining them, talking the general nonsense that deep-sea-fishing novices usually blather on about after an exciting catch.

As we pulled away from the point and headed closer into shore, I said, in a bubbly and helpful sort of way, that I would like to release my fish since there is plenty of food here for all of us. The minute those fateful words left my mouth, I realized my mistake. That fish should have been released immediately and not placed in

the ice-hold for my viewing pleasure. That fish was over 10 years old—a breeding, female cow fish—and it was too late.

We fisherpeople tend to speak of the fruits of our labors with possessive terminology. The truth, however, is that the fish on my hook wasn’t mine. This was an old and beautiful creature that belonged to living waters. I looked back at Tommy, also deep in thought. “There is balance in life,” Cornicelli said. It was then that I began to comprehend the paradigm. Silent, I noticed the memo-rial tribute on Tommy’s boat. Every time The Ruffian ventures out to forage for fish, it does so in memory of life—the life of Captain Ken Lion, Cornicelli’s best friend, loved and lost.

Back Bay Charters (631.874.8471; www.backbaycharters.com) offers a four-day fishing camp for children and teens aged eight and up. Double-checking tied shoelaces and fastened rain jackets, Tommy suits up the kids in Coast Guard–approved life preservers and other safety equipment. In the bay, and relatively close enough to shore to heed the fullest attention to safety, the kids learn ba-sic fishing techniques, proper rod handling, casting, fish-fighting techniques, knots and bait identification.

But Captain Tommy also teaches them more than fishing. He introduces children to living water, ferrying them across the varied topography and ecology of Long Island. Each day is bro-ken up into smaller trips to check on the salt marsh and identify many of its wildlife inhabitants, and to dock on nearby islands for shell searching and raucous exploration. “Everything is spectacu-lar!” Cornicelli exclaimed in a Thoreau-like revelation. “From the smallest fish to the shortest cast!” His excitement is contagious.

Since that day off of Montauk, Cornicelli has become my friend. We talk long and often, he continuing to teach me the les-sons of his 20-plus years as a guide. When talking about kids, Cor-nicelli speaks of teaching them early in life to understand that if we must take the life of another, then do so with wise understand-ing of the entire ecological system surrounding our catch of the day. He believes that sustainability is learning to take only what we need—else there be a time of no more fish to catch.

“The sustainability of whom?” I wonder. “The sea or Tommy?” Perhaps both. A symbiotic concept of exquisite rarity.

“Communing with nature is my life,” Cornicelli says. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” And when he doesn’t think any-one is looking, you might just catch a glimpse of a thoughtful smile briefly illuminating the eyes of this maestro of the sea.

What makes Cornicelli special from other guides is that he’s incredibly sensitive to your needs and treats you like his son or daughter.

42 edible EAST END FALL 2008

EDIBLE NUTMEG fall 2008 27

WhAT’s Fresh WhAT’s LoCAL

ProduceApples • Beans • Beets • Broccoli Cabbage • Carrots • Cauliflower

Celeriac (celery root) • Eggplant • Gar-lic Greens • Kohlrabi • Leeks • Melons

Onions • Parsnips • Pears • PeppersPotatoes • Rutabagas • Sweet Potatoes

Turnips • Winter Squash

Meats Beef • Chicken • Lamb • Turkey

Dairy, etc.Cheese (cow’s, sheep’s, & goat’s milk)

Eggs • Milk

Fish & ShellfishBluefish • Clams • Codfish • Fluke &

Flounder • Lobster • Monkfish • Oysters Porgies • Sea Bass • Sea Scallops • Skate

Squid • Striped Bass • Whiting

2 cups carrots, sliced1 cup potatoes, diced2 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, sliced1 whole bay leaf5 parsley sprigs, whole5 parsley sprigs, diced1 tablespoon whole cloves1 tablespoon peppercorns1 tablespoon sherry vinegar2 cloves fresh garlic¼ cup coconut milk4 cups chicken brothChopped parsley and plain

fresh yogurt for garnish

4 slices whole wheat bread, quartered

2 tablespoons butter1 pound whole wheat

noodles 5 tablespoons unsalted butter24 ounces white button

mushrooms, rinsed and sliced

2 medium onions, diced4 cloves garlic, minced1 tablespoon fresh thyme

leaves⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper¼ cup all-purpose flour2 cups low-sodium chicken

broth2 cups half-and-half2 ounces Parmesan cheese,

grated

4 cups cooked turkey meat, ½-inch cubes

3 cups frozen peas

For the topping: Process the bread and butter in a food processor fitted with the steel blade until coarsely ground.

For the filling: Heat oven to 400°. Cook pasta in boiling water, drain, and set aside.

In a large pot, heat but-ter and sauté mushrooms with ½ teaspoon salt. Cook the mushrooms until they have released their juices and are brown around the edges, 7–10 minutes.

Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 min-utes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, and cayenne; cook until fra-

grant. Reduce the heat to low, add the flour and cook, stir-ring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute.

Slowly whisk in the broth, and half-and-half. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat and cook, whisking continu-ously, until lightly thickened, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat, whisk in the Parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the turkey, chicken, and peas to the sauce. Stir to combine. Spread pasta in a 9x13-inch baking dish and pour in the sauce. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb top-ping. Bake until the topping has browned and the sauce is bubbly, 10–15 minutes.

REcIPEs coURTEsY of chEf EMILY BRooksWWW.masterstaBlefarmmarket.Com

CArroT souPWant dinner in half an hour? Here you go. —EB

Turkey TeTrAzziniGot turkey leftovers? I am pleased to say this recipe is actually healthier than the canned soup-based recipes many of us knew growing up, and it only takes about 30 minutes to prepare. Don’t skimp on the salt and pepper; this dish needs aggressive seasoning. —EB

BRIDGES Healthy Cooking School and Master’s Table Farm

Market

BRIDGES Healthy Cooking, founded by chef Emily Brooks, is a nonprofit, community-focused initiative that reinforces a healthier lifestyle while promoting local, real food. This year BRIDGES focused on creating a replicable Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program through a pilot project, the Master’s Table Farm Market. Aided by a grant from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, Emily Brooks and project co-manager Tim Cipriano established weekday markets at senior centers in Middlebury, Morris, and Washington. Their goal was to increase seniors’ awareness of and access to healthy local food. Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition vouchers, WIC vouchers, and food stamps were accepted. Vendors agreed to discount their prices in return for a lower participation fee. The markets ran from July 1 to October 2. A how-to guide for other communities and senior centers will be posted on the market Web site in November.www.masterstablefarmmarket.com

4-inch square of cheesecloth and a piece of kitchen twine or unwaxed, unflavored dental floss

Make a sachet using the cheesecloth with cloves, parsley, pep-per, and bay leaf.

Sauté onions, carrots, and garlic until slightly browned. Add chicken stock, potatoes, and sachet. Simmer until very tender.

Remove sachet and add coconut milk. Puree until smooth. Add vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with chopped parsley leaves and throw a large spoonful of fresh, plain yogurt directly into the center of the bowl.

Optional: For a spicy twist to this recipe, add 1 tablespoon of curry powder while you’re sautéing the onions and carrots. For more spice you can sauté hot peppers in the beginning or add about ¼ cup of hot red pepper flakes to your sachet.

Serves 4