Kassler, ramps, garlic-oregano jelly; cabbage; collards

smoked_pork_chops

We’re almost in German lands here.

  • six or eight ramps from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm, their white portions only (the green leaves reserved), chopped and swirled around for a minute in a small amount of equal parts of bacon fat, duck fat, and butter which had been heated inside an oval copper au gratin, two smoked loin pork chops [‘Kassler‘] from the Amish farm in Pennsylvania which offers their excellent produce at the Union Square Greenmarket under the name Millport Dairy, added to the pan, which was then covered with tin foil and kept above a very low flame (just enough to warm the chops, as of course they were already fully-cooked), turning the meat once, and, near the end of the cooking time, the green parts of the ramps which had been set aside earlier, added and stirred about, the pork removed, plated, brushed with a garlic oregano jelly from Berkshire Berries, then covered with both the white and green ramp segments
  • the same fats as described above in the preparation of the pork, heated above a medium-high heat in a large enameled cast iron pan, then about 28 ounces of red cabbage from Eataly, finely-sliced, and one medium roughly-chopped ’Picasso’ shallot (very strong) from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm added, cooked, stirred occasionally, until the cabbage had softened slightly (about 10 minutes), water added throughout, after which some salt was introduced and a little lemon juice, local apple cider vinegar from Race Farm, and a sprinkling of freshly-ground black pepper, before the heat was reduced and the mixture cooked 5 or 10 minutes more (or until the cabbage was wilted and the shallots softened), and a few tablespoons of raisins and some red current jelly added and stirred into the pan
  • very tender collard greens from Migliorelli Farm, washed, drained, and braised very lightly in a heavy pot, finished with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil
  • the wine was an Austrian (Lower Austria/Niederösterreich) white, Landhaus Mayer Grüner Veltliner 2014
  • the music was Franz Josef Haydn, Symphonies Nos. 97, 98, and 99, performed by the Orchestra of the 18th Century, conducted by Franz Brüggen