Eating My Share (7.23.10)

Okay, so I skipped a week. My goal in this blog is to post regularly, so I feel that I've failed a bit these past two weeks. Granted, I've been madly job hunting and doing a lot more with my family (even working on my novel), so I have some good excuses. Yet, they are excuses, even if legitimate.

So, back to the food.

I have mentioned that I belong to a pork CSA with the Piggery. What I failed to mention is that I was a vegetarian for 18 years. My switch back to meat was prompted by a very demanding fetus with a penis: I was literally passing out while I was pregnant with my son, while stuffing my face, risking my health, and dreaming of beef. When I found out he was a boy, I gradually started bringing meat back into my diet, my pregnancy weight gain slowed considerably (I no longer felt I was starving to death), and my son eventually arrived big and healthy.

I relate this anecdote only so that the vegans/vegetarians out there know that I've walked that walk, but now I am an omnivore. That said, I have enormous respect for the family livestock farmers and responsible hunters everywhere. You need look no further than seasonsend.org to see that hunters are part of the solution and not the problem. The same goes for family livestock farms. Not to get political, but meat eating is as American as baseball. I believe that an effort to get Americans to eat a different kind of meat (i.e. "happy" meat, meaning that the animal had a good quality of life prior to a conscientious slaughter) will allow for more progress towards a greener planet and healthier food chain than protesting carnivorous leanings.

If you are a vegetarian, good for you. This week's meal will not be served on a plate near you. However, if you can find grass-raised pork, you know how amazingly different pork tastes when it was lolling about in the forest on hot days (as opposed to stressing out in a tin hut; I swear you can taste the panic in a corporate farmed pig!) and doing all things piggy before going on to feed its caretaker.

Thus, this week's recipe is pork chops and (nope, not applesauce) peaches! I received two lovely thick chops from the Piggery this week, which I sliced open to the bone (they cut easily; that's how tender this meat is!). I mixed together the stuffing with large croutons I purchased at the supermarket (everything else came from my CSA or the green market; of course, I could have made the croutons myself, but sometimes we all cut corners). As a side dish (borrowed from a fellow CSA member with a fruit share), I cooked up peaches with basil sauce, which required white wine. I learned from some friends that cooking wine is a terrible thing to buy. Get the good stuff and drink the rest. Considering the heat, I accompanied the dinner with white wine spritzer. The prep time was a bit longer than usual, but well worth the effort.

Dinner is served!

Stuffed Pork Chop, Peaches with Basil Sauce

Pork Chop (feeds 2-4)

• 2 pork chops, 1-inch thick or more, sliced mid-way to the bone
• 3 cups large croutons (made from day-old baguettes or purchased)
  
• 1 bunch fresh sage
• 1 whole white or red onion (medium-large)
  
• zucchini of choice (I used avocado squash)
  
• 4 cups chicken broth
  
• salt & pepper to taste
  

Preheat oven to 275 degrees; ideally, you want a clay cooker, but any covered oven-ready cooker will do. Lightly grease pan with oil or cooking spray (no need to add fat; this is just to keep your chop from sticking).

Chop sage, onion and raw squash. Soak croutons in stock. When thoroughly wet (it's fine if there is excess liquid), add in salt, pepper and veggie mix.

Put cold (i.e. room temperature) stuffing between sides of split chop. Place in cooker and roast for 30 minutes.

Cooking time may vary depending on thickness of chop; make sure pork is thoroughly cooked prior to serving.

Peaches Poached in Basil Sauce

• 6 large white peaches, halved and pitted (fairly firm peaches work best)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup white wine
  
• 1 bunch fresh basil

At medium heat, dissolve sugar in white wine. When completely dissolved, add approximately 2/3 of the basil leaves. Cook on low until boiling; boil two minutes.

Reduce heat and remove basil leaves. Poach peaches approximately five minutes on each side (skin will start to crack. Remove from heat.

With a slotted spoon, remove peaches to a plate. Add remaining basil (feel free to save a sprig or two for garnish, should flare be your fancy) to the sauce and stir gently until submerged in hot liquid. Let stand.

Gently remove peach skin. Serve with several spoonfuls of the sauce and basil. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream (if you like).

White Wine Spritzer

• White wine left over from peach recipe (any, although Pinot Grigio is nice on a hot day)
  
• Seltzer water (ginger ale or sprite can be used for a white wine cooler, for a sweeter beverage)
• Fresh mint
  

Combine one part wine to two parts seltzer (soda). Serve over ice with a fresh mint garnish.