Recipes

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 (From Charcuterie) 

Take:
1 bone-in pork shoulder, 3-4 lbs

For Spicy Dry Rub combine:
 1 T freshly ground black pepper
 1 t. cayenne pepper
 2 T chile powder
 2 T ground coriander
 1 T dark brown sugar
 4 T Spanish paprika
 1 T dried oregano
 3 T kosher salt
 1 T ground white pepper

Rub all sides of the roast generously with the rub (you will have extra rub which you can keep in a jar for use another time.
Place the shoulder in a covered baking dish or cover with foil.
Bake at 250 degrees for 4-6 hours or until the meat has fallen off the bone and is easy to shred OR place the shoulder in a crock pot on low for 8 hours.  Remove the bone and shred the meat.  Add barbeque sauce if you’d like (I find the pork to be plenty juicy and flavorful without it).

 You Will Need:

- 1 pack thick cut chops (2 chops)

Brine:
- 1 quart water
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1/8 cup sugar or sorghum molasses                    

Some optional additions to brine (the possibilities are endless...)

1 clove garlic
1/2 chopped onion
1 bay leaf
1 tsp whole black peppercorns 
½ tsp crushed fennel seeds 
1 tsp. crushed sage leaves

To prepare the brine, put all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp.  When cool, place the chops in the brine so that they’re completely submerged (it’s okay to stack them) and leave them in the fridge.  After 2+ hours, or up to 12, drain the brine and allow the chops to rest in the fridge until you’re ready to grill them (1-4 hours).  
To Pan-roast: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat an oven-proof skillet over med-high heat, add a film of oil or lard and sear both sides of the chops.  Place the uncovered pan in the hot oven and roast until the chops reach an internal temp of 130-140 degrees, 10-15 minutes.  Cover and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
To Grill: When you’re ready to cook, preheat the grill to 375 degrees.  Place the chops over a burner on low, but leave another burner on high to keep the temperature up.  Close the lid.  Flip them after 10 minutes.  After 4 minutes on the second side, they should be done.  You can check with a meat thermometer; you want them between 130-140 degrees.  Remove from the grill and cover the chops with tin foil or a lid for 5 minutes.

You Will Need:

- Leaf Lard or Pork Fat
- Sharp knife
- Large cutting board
- Crock pot
- Sterilized Glass jars with lids
- Funnel
- Ladle
- Cheese cloth 

 - Rubber band      

     Using a sharp knife, cut the fat into roughly 1” chunks (it’s easiest to do when it’s still slightly frozen).  Place the fat into a crockpot, cover, and set on Low.  Give it a stir after a couple hours.  

       Once you see liquid beginning to cover the unmelted fat, stir again and keep the lid off.  Allow the lard to continue heating, stirring occasionally, until most of the fat is melted.  This can take 6-8 hours (there will still be some fat that is not melted).  

       Line the funnel with cheese cloth and secure it with a rubber band.  Set the funnel in the jar and ladle the liquid fat through the cheese cloth filter.  Be careful not to overfill your jar!  You can keep cooking the remaining bits of lard until most of it melts and filter it into your jars.  The remaining bits are “cracklins” and can be fried and used to season greens or cornbread, or as a tasty treat for pets.  

       Roughly 3 lbs of leaf lard yields 4 or more cups of rendered lard. 

 Note: The longer the lard is cooked, it will have more pork flavor and be off-white when solidified, which is better for sautéing and other savory cooking.  You can start filtering the liquefied fat as soon as there’s enough to spoon out.  The first jars will be your most neutral lard - excellent for those flaky pie crusts and biscuits.

 (Adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables)

Ingredients:

1 fennel bulb
2T  high heat oil (safflower, grapeseed)
Kosher salt
Black pepper
½ Lemon

Using a very sharp knife, cut the top and bottom from the fennel bulbs.
Slice the bulbs in half and then remove the cores from the fennel. Then cut the fennel lengthwise into 1/8 inch slices (it is ok if a little thicker).
Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil and then the fennel slices. Spread the fennel out in the pan to encourage browning.
Cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping the fennel slices every few minutes, until golden brown.
Remove the fennel from the pan and drain off any excess oil. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice, to taste. Serve with meat or with grain and greens.

 From http://gnowfglins.com/2014/05/26/garlic-scape-pesto/ , shared by a market customer...

10 to 12 garlic scapes, approximately 2 feet tall
3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/16 teaspoon black pepper
Makes from 3 to 3-1/2 cups.

Remove the head from the scapes, then chop the stems into 1 to 2″ pieces. Place in a food processor along with the nuts and the parmesan cheese. Grind until the mixture is coarsely chopped but the pieces are fairly equal in size. With the motor still running, slowly drizzle the oil in through the feed tube until all the oil has been incorporated. Continue grinding until your desired texture is reached. I prefer the pesto fairly smooth and just a bit grainy, while others prefer it much more coarse. Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.