Delicious home economics: This was the third meal in which we were able to enjoy some part of a single 5-pound smoked rack of pork (Kassler). I had purchased it to share with friends on New Year’s Day, but over the next 5 days it eventually became the centerpiece of 8 delicious main course dishes, making the cost per serving only $5.

And they definitely were delicious, this last meal, where only a few ounces of our smoky leftovers were able to dominate a luscious combination of some pretty assertive vegetables, no less than the ones which had preceded it.

• two tablespoons of Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter melted in a small, heavy, tin-lined copper pan over medium-high heat, without stirring, until the butter had become golden brown, a generous amount of sage leaves from Eataly added at that time, and the pan removed from the heat and put aside while 3 outer leaves of a red cabbage from Hoeffner Farms, sliced very thinly, sautéed in another, larger, copper skillet (eventually adding water) until lightly cooked (retaining a slight crunch), and, near the end of that time, one medium shallot from Norwich Meadows Farm, thinly-sliced, added and heated until soft, followed by a few ounces of leftover smoked pork (originally a part of the preparation of this meal) which had been sliced into thick matchstick lengths, then the contents of the skillet added to 8 ounces of a locally-sourced and locally-produced, seasonal and and artisanal pasta, Sfoglini ‘Jerusalem Artichoke Fusilli’ (incorporating sunchokes grown by Norwich Meadows Farm) which had been cooked al dente during the preparation of the sauce, drained, and returned to the cooking pot, everything stirred, along with some reserved pasta cooking water, at which time the sage butter was added and the mix seasoned with salt and pepper to taste

• the wine was a Hungarian (Tokaji) white, Royal Tokaji Wine Co. The Oddity Dry Furmint 2013
• the music was Alfred Schnittke’s Sympnony No. 6, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Tadaaki Otaka