Texas Harvest Salad

• 1 c. cubed butternut squash, roasted with olive oil, salt & pepper
• 1 small apple, cubed
• 1 medium watermelon radish, sliced as thinly as possible
• 2 handfuls arugula or spinach, washed and spun dry
• 1/4 c. pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
• a pinch of flaky sea salt, such as Maldon

Dressing:

• 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. whole grain mustard
• 1/2 c. olive oil

Instructions:

1. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl, drizzle with dressing and top with pumpkin seeds and flaky sea salt

Pork Braised in Milk

• 1 pork bone-in shoulder roast
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil for the pan
• 1 quart whole milk
• Peel of 1 lemon, removed with a sharp knife in large strips
• 1 bunch sage
• 1 head garlic, separated into cloves but not peeled
• 2 tsp pink peppercorns

Instructions:

1. Generously season pork with salt and pepper. Let rest for at least an hour or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 300.
3. Heat a big glug of olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven. Brown the pork deeply on all sides while letting the unpeeled garlic cloves sizzle alongside. Remove the meat and garlic cloves to a plate and wipe out the pan.
4. Return the meat and garlic cloves to the pan, pour in milk to come about halfway up the sides of the roast, add lemon peel, a sprig of sage, and peppercorns, and braise in the oven, turning pork every 30 minutes for about 3 – 4 hours until meat is meltingly tender and milk has formed golden, ricotta-like curds around it.
5. Just before the pork is done, pick remaining sage leaves from stems and fry in 1” olive oil in a small skillet. Remove to drain on a paper towel and set aside until ready to serve.
6. Serve with smashed fingerling potatoes and a simply sautéed dish of greens like dandelion greens or kale, spooning sauce over everything. Top with fried sage leaves.

Grapefruit & Bittersweet Chocolate Tea Cake

• ¾ cup grapefruit juice, divided
• 1 ½ T freshly grated grapefruit zest, divided
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• 3 large eggs
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• ¾ c sugar
• 1 ¾ c all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 ½ c powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
2. Add ½ cup grapefruit juice to a small saucepan set over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and reduce the juice by half. Cool slightly.
3. In a medium bowl, combine 1 T grapefruit zest, yogurt, eggs, olive oil, and reduced grapefruit juice and whisk to mix well.
4. In a large bowl, add the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until everything is well blended. Stir in the chocolate.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place in the hot oven. Bake until the cake is deeply brown and set and springs back gently when pressed, 50 to 55 minutes.
7. While the cake bakes, prepare the glaze. In a bowl, combine the remaining ½ T grapefruit zest with the remaining ¼ cup grapefruit juice. Gently stir in the powdered sugar and continue to stir until well mixed.
8. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes before cooling on a wire rack.
9. When cooled to room temperature, place the cake on a serving platter and drizzle with half the glaze. Reserve the rest of the glaze for serving along with the sliced cake. Serve with crème fraîche, if desired. The cake can be made 1 day in advance.