Thought for Food: Daddy Bill's Birthday Stew

Jean Janssen, founder of Smart Markets, suggests the following recipes using farmer market products.

Last night we celebrated my husband's birthday with "a home-cooked meal," which was my husband's wish, and how we celebrate just about every event in our household. We don't don't go out to dinner very often, which is fine with me because I really do like to cook! This evening I had lots of ingredients on hand - many of them from our two winter markets - and some produce from the grocery store. All I had to do was figure out which to use and what to do with them. And here's what we had for dinner:

Daddy Bill’s Birthday Stew Serves Four:

2 pounds pork loin roast, trimmed and cubed into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

1 fennel bulb, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 - 3 cups homemade beef stock or good quality store-bought beef or chicken broth

3 - 4 carrots, diced into 1⁄2 inch pieces

3 large white or yellow potatoes, diced

1⁄2 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

In a large sauté pan or Dutch oven, brown the pork pieces, which you have patted dry with paper-towels in 3 Tbsp of oil. You may need to do this in more than one batch.

Remove the meat when brown on two sides, and add the onions and fennel to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes; add garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes, and then add back to the pan the pork and its juices. Add the stock or broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook slowly for about 45 minutes to an hour until the pork in very tender.

In another pot, blanch the carrots, potatoes and sprouts in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Add these to the simmering mixture about 30 minutes into the cooking time, and season to taste. I used dried thyme and fresh rosemary.

Just before serving, add to the mixture a slurry of 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 1 Tbsp water, stirring constantly until the liquid thickens. Serve on rimmed plates or in wide soup bowls with good bread and country butter. Enjoy!