Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add pork to skillet and sauté until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer pork to plate. Add onions, celery and bay leaf to skillet. Sauté until onions are golden, about 6 minutes. Mix in curry powder. Add cider and boil until sauce is slightly reduced, about 6 minutes. Return pork and any accumulated juices to skillet. Simmer just until cooked through, about 3 minutes for boneless chops and 5 minutes for bone-in chops. Season with salt and pepper.

Special equipment: a 4- to 5-qt heavy ovenproof pot with lid

Accompaniment: creamy polenta

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.

Heat oil in pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.

Meanwhile, pat meat dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Brown meat in hot oil on all sides, about 10 minutes total. (If bottom of pot begins to scorch, lower heat to moderate.) Transfer to a plate using a fork and tongs.

Add pancetta to oil in pot and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until browned and fat is rendered, about 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and rosemary and sauté, stirring, until garlic begins to soften and turn golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil until liquid is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Add water and bring to a simmer, then return meat along with any juices accumulated on plate to pot. Cover pot with lid and transfer to oven. Braise until meat is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Transfer meat to a cutting board. Skim fat from surface of sauce and discard along with herb stems. Boil sauce until reduced by about one third, about 5 minutes, then season with salt. Cut meat across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices and return to sauce.

Cooks’ note:
• Beef improves in flavor if made 3 days ahead. Cool completely in sauce, uncovered, then chill in sauce, covered. Reheat, covered, in a preheated 350°F oven until hot, 25 to 30 minutes, then slice meat.

Special equipment: a wide 5- to 6-qt heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid

Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

Pat pork dry and sprinkle all over with salt. Heat olive oil in pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Add carrots, celery, and onion to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Return pork to pot, along with bay leaves, spices, and water, and bring to a simmer. Cover pot with lid, then transfer to oven and braise, turning pork over once, until center is tender but not falling apart when pierced with a paring knife, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Transfer pork to a cutting board and keep warm, loosely covered with foil. Pour braising liquid through a sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Skim off fat and keep liquid warm, covered.

Cut meat across the grain into 6 slices (each slice may break into 2 or 3 smaller pieces, depending on part of shoulder you have; discard string if necessary). Heat vegetable oil in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear pork slices in 2 batches, turning over once, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to plates as browned and spoon some braising liquid over pork. Serve with remaining braising liquid.

Cooks’ notes:
•Pork can be braised (but not seared) 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled (in pot with braising liquid), covered. Remove solidified fat, then reheat, covered, over moderately low heat, about 30 minutes before searing. Searing the pork gives the tender meat a crisp outer edge, but if you’re short on time, feel free to omit this step—the pork will still be delicious. •If you are unable to get a solid piece of pork shoulder, your pork will have loose flaps; in that case, tie the meat together with kitchen string.

Blend all ingredients except beef and coarse salt in a food processor. Rub on meat; marinate 2 hours at room temperatureor overnight in the refrigerator, turning meat once or twice. Heat oven to 400°F. Heat a medium cast-iron pan over medium heat. Sear meat on all sides until it has a brown crust. Transfer pan to oven; roast meat until internal temperature is 120°F, 15 to 25 minutes. Remove; let meat rest 20 minutes (internal temperature will rise to 130°F). Slice, sprinkle with coarse salt and serve with your favorite seasonal vegetables.

The greens from the beets, kohlrabi, and turnips are also delicious.  Just wash, chop and sautee in a little butter or oil.  Season to taste. (We like balsamic vinegar and sea salt.)

Ingredients:

• 2 dark red beets
• 2 chioggia beets
• 3 small kohlrabi bulbs
• 1 bunch of baby turnips
• 6-8 shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 4 Tbs butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• a couple of pinches of sea salt
• A dash of white pepper
• 4 sprigs of fresh dill, chopped

Method:

After removing the leaves, wash the root vegetables and remove the fine hairlike roots, but leave the skins on the beets and turnips.  Peel the kohlrabi.

Slice the root vegetables thinly with a sharp knife or a mandoline. Layer in a dish, starting with the dark red beets, followed by the kohlrabi, then turnips.  Layer the sliced shiitake mushrooms next, then finish with the chioggia beets.

In a saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat and add the minced garlic.  Cook just long enough for the garlic to become soft and fragrant, but do not let it brown.  Stir in the wine, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Simmer one minute longer, then add the chopped dill.

Remove from heat and pour evenly over the vegetables.  Bake for one hour at 375 degrees.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lb leg of lamb (with or without bone)
• 6 or 7 shallots
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine (I used an Australian Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

Method:

Place all ingredients in a cast iron dutch-oven with lid.  Roast in oven at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours, or until a meat thermometer reads 145 degrees.

This recipe is from Christy Tallamy in Leesburg, VA.  It happens to be gluten free, but that does not seem to matter to the gluten-eaters in her family.  She has been asked to make three this year, just to make sure there is enough. ;0)  Happy Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

• One small pumpkin
• One package of Midel Gluten Free Ginger Snaps
• 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs light brown sugar
• 5 Tbs unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing the pan.
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp each of cloves, nutmeg, & allspice
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut pumkin in half and remove seeds.   Brush with a little melted butter and place in a baking dish.  Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, or until the flesh of the pumpkin is very soft.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Scoop pumpkin from the shell and puree two cups of the pumpkin in a glass jug with an imersion blender.  Line a sieve with paper towels and leave for 2 hours to drain any excess moisture.

Set oven temperature to 500 degrees.  Butter a 9″ springform pan.  In a food processor, pulse together grahams and brown sugar.  Add pecans and pulse until texture is like coarse breadcrumbs.  Put crumb mixture in a bowl and add melted butter.  Blend well until the mixture will stick together when pressed with fingers.  Add more melted butter if necessary.  Press into the springform pan.  Bake for 5-8 minutes until brown and fragrant.  Let Cool Completely.

After removing the crusts from the oven, place a glass baking dish on the bottom rack of the oven, with at least one inch of water in the pan.  This will stay in the oven while the cheesecakes cook.  The extra moisture in the oven will help the tops to not crack.  Next, blend together the granulated sugar, salt and spices.  In a mixer, cream the cream cheese, then add the sugar mixture slowly.  Continue mixing and add the two cups of drained pumpkin.  Add the eggs to the mixer one at a time.  Add the cream, vanilla, and lemon juice.  Beat until smooth.

Pour the mixture over the cooled crust.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Reduce heat to 225 degrees and bake for 3 hours, or until the center registers 150 degrees.   Remove from oven and let cool.  Refrigerate overnight, and for up to 3 days before serving.

Preheat oven to 400. Place sweet potatoes on the rack and bake until tender enough to easily pierce with a fork (about 45 minutes) Remove from heat and allow to cool

Saute onion & ginger in oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. ..about 5 minutes. Stir in curry paste and heat for 1 minute then whisk in the coconut milk and veggie stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes

Remove the skins from the sweet potatoes and cut into bite sized chunks. Add to the soup and cook for 5 more minutes so they can soak up the flavor. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt. Blend with either an immersion blender or transfer to a food processor or blender until smooth.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with a drizzle of sesame oil and a little bit of cilantro. Enjoy!

The bittersweet end of the CSA season is marked by the welcoming of the winter season, while saying goodbye to the luscious harvests of the warmer months.  In past years the CSA ends the week before Thanksgiving, but as nature would have it, the rainy late start this year will give us two more weeks.

Nonetheless, it is fitting that we should celebrate this week with the delicious bitterness of radicchio and marigolds covered in sweet honey vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of radicchio
• 8-10 marigold blooms
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, minced
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup Martin Pouret Apple Vinegar with Honey (can be found at Greenlife)
• 1/4 cup local raw honey
• Sea salt
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

In a quart size jar, combine the oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, rosemary, 3-4 marigold blooms, and a pinch of sea salt.  Shake until well blended.

Wash and quarter the head of radicchio (leaving the stalk end attached that holds the leaves together).  Place the quarters in a bowl, sprinkle salt over the cut sides and drizzle some of the vinaigrette over generously.

Melt the butter in a skillet on medium-high heat.  Place the quartered radicchio into the pan and sear, turning once to cook both cut sides of each quarter.  Add the remaining flowers to the pan (you can save some for garnish if you like) and cook for about a minute.

Remove radicchio and flowers from pan and drizzle a little more vinaigrette over and add Parmesan cheese.  Serve warm.

Ingredients:

1 small sweet potato

2  small red potatoes

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 beet

4 small kohlrabi bulbs

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

Olive oil

Sea Salt

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups of grated white sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups of milk

Method:

Peel the sweet potato, beet, and kohlrabi bulbs.  Slice the potatoes, sweet potato, beet and kohlrabi into 1/4 inch slices, cut slices in half if the diameter is too large.  Toss the vegetables and onion with olive oil and place in a large cast iron skillet.  Sprinkle a few pinches of sea salt over the vegetables and place in a 400 degree preheated oven.  Roast for about 45 minutes, or until the edges of the vegetables start to brown.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg and milk together and stir in the grated cheese.  When the vegetables are cooked, remove the skillet from the oven.  Stir the vegetables to dislodge any that are stuck to the skillet.  Sprinkle the cilantro onto the vegetables and pour in the egg mixture evenly.  Return to the oven and cook for another 30-40 minutes, or until the egg is set but still soft.  Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.