Mark Bittman's Brasied Pork + Beans 'n Greens

I wasn’t sure if I would blog Mark Bittman’s Braised Pork with Red Wine from the New York Times food section (3.22.06) since my photos of it didn’t come out that pretty, but I’m posting it right now because:

(1) It’s snowing outside here in midtown Manhattan! A snow squall in the middle of the spring seems like the perfect time to make this dish. The pork braises in red wine; they gravy isn’t thick and wintery.

(2) I really appreciate the lesson Bittman taught in this article: “One of the great paradoxes of the modern supermarket is that the best cuts of meat are sometimes the cheapest.” I enjoy foraging around for ingredients and going from store to store for the best cuts of meat, but it was great to run to the Met Foods on the corner, pick up meat for about $5 and serve dinner for 3. Excellent. Hacking into a pork shoulder to make stew-sized pieces was great stress relief.

(3) CQ and I have a new favorite side: Beans and Greens, a recipe from Mark Bittman’s big yellow How to Cook Everything. They are in this photo too. I never cooked with kale until it started showing up in my kitchen week after week in my Urban Organic box. I had to find some way to cook with the stuff. The secret to making it taste so delicious seems to be boiling a single clove with the beans. The white beans and kale don’t look too photogenic next to the egg noodles, but try it you’ll like it . . . both recipes are perfect for one last snowy Wednesday. Just be sure to rinse the kale and the beans carefully first, since both can hide lots of grit.