Pork: It’s what’s for dinner

These recipes come from Farmer Meredith at Aspen Ridge Farm. You’ll find the meat products you need at the market this Saturday, plus other vegetables to make a great, nutritious dish.

Our family prefers to not subscribe to the modern American version of fast food, and I’m sure our market customers would agree with those sentiments. Unfortunately schedules are tight, days are long, and time is often short resulting in a lack of meal planning. On those days I pull from my arsenal of fast food recipes that utilize nutritious alternatives to burgers and fries. Here are two ideas that I hope will inspire you to stock up and prepare for your next chaotic day! Feel free to chat about other quick meals on Saturday when you’re stocking up on meats and eggs.

• 1 lb. Sweet or Hot Italian Sausage (ideally pasture raised, organic pork for your best nutrition)
• ~4 cups Stock/Bone Broth (Can be chicken, beef, veal, lamb, pork or combo. Just pick your favorite)
• ~2 cups diced root veggies (we like carrots and potatoes)

We always have stock and root veggies on hand during the winter months for quick meals like this. In a pinch, sausage defrosts quickly. Place all the above ingredients into one pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Sausage needs about 15 minutes once the pot is boiling, and my veggies usually take about 30 minutes until soft. Need it done faster? Dice your veggies finer. I find the seasoning from the sausage flavors the entire pot so I don’t need to take the time to taste and season, but your taste buds might differ. Adjust accordingly.

Have a bit more planning time, but need a hands off meal? Place all the ingredients above into a crock pot and cook on low for a few hours. Taking the extra minutes to peel and dice winter squash makes a nice addition to the crock pot version. Even consider doubling the batch in a large crock pot for a second dinner/lunch leftovers.

Really short on time? Veal cutlets are very thin, so they defrost and cook extremely quickly. Pasture raised veal has more flavor than conventional, and lacks the guilt of confinement raised veal. It pairs nicely with just about any side of your choice. Salad, sautéed carrots, left over casseroles, etc. Think quick.

Heat a frying pan on medium heat, with your fat of choice (butter is great with cutlets). Lightly salt and pepper both sides of the cutlets and place on your preheated pan. I fit about 4 cutlets across my pan and as soon as I lay them out, the edges are browned and it’s time to flip. Cutlets are tender unless over cooked, and they cook extremely quickly. If you’re new to cutlets, try cooking one and then testing so you don’t accidentally over cook the entire batch.

Enjoy!