Taking inspiration from a market
Now that the local farmers markets have reopened for the season, they’re overflowing with, well, kale. But also baby carrots and beets, some pretty radishes, Swiss chard and lots more kale. I buy what I can because it’s in season and local. I can attest that Tuscan kale flowers cooked in a skillet with a fatty duck breast turn crispy and delicious. By the time the duck is pink and perfect, the kale is basically deep fried.
This is also the season of the partially sprung spring when the supermarkets fill with produce from warmer climes. It may not be local and organic but, wow, is it fantastic. Have you tried the Guatemalan blackberries? The Cara Cara oranges from California? We will soon have fat West Coast asparagus, the sweetest Florida strawberries and purple-tipped artichokes.
I have to admit that I get a little most excited in April by what I’ll find at Whole Foods or the DeKalb Farmers Market. Will there be that mad rush for the Ataulfo mangoes? The leeks that are so sweet you can almost eat them raw? The Hass avocados that seem plumper, creamier, paler in color than they do at any other time of year? The fava beans? My sweet Yahweh, the fava beans …
Yet I remain dutiful to the two local farmers markets I usually visit. I get my turnips and my green garlic. I poke around the prepared foods and baked items. I look for inspiration.
And I find it. There wasn’t a whole lot for the produce bin at the Decatur Farmers Market on a recent Wednesday. Yet I got a good piece of pork shoulder from Riverview Farms, a tub of salsa verde from Zocalo and some garlic. I began to devise a recipe in my head and pretty much had it worked out by the time I got home.
That is why we shop at local farmers markets. You take what they have and make do. Invariably, that’s where the best meals are born.
Mexican-style Pork Stew
Total time: About 1 hour (with pressure cooker)
Hands on: 15 minutes
Servings: 8
- 2 pounds pork shoulder or Boston butt
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
- 1 quart prepared Mexican salsa verde
- 1 can (14 ounces) white hominy, drained
- Salt and pepper to taste
Combine the pork (cutting it to fit if necessary) with the onion, garlic, bay leaf and thyme (or oregano) in a pressure cooker and add water to cover, about 6 cups. Add a generous pinch or two of salt. Bring to full pressure and cook for 45 minutes. Release pressure under cold water and test pork for tenderness. If not shred-apart tender, then cook for another 15 minutes. (Alternately you can cook the pork in a large pot, covered, at a simmer for 2-3 hours.)
Remove the pork from the pot and cut away any fat and bone. Shred the meat into large pieces with your fingers. Skim as much fat as you can from the liquid in the pressure cooker. Add the pork with 3 cups of the salsa and all of the hominy and return to high pressure. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in some of the remaining salsa to brighten up the color and flavor, and add salt and ground black pepper to taste. Optional garnishes could include red radish slivers, cilantro leaves and chunks of ripe avocado, as well as griddle-toasted corn tortillas.
Per serving: 342 calories (percent of calories from fat, 50), 23 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 18 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 64 milligrams cholesterol, 543 milligrams sodium.
