Meet Bonnie and An Autumn Dinner Worthy of a Nor'Easter

Hi, I'm Bonnie - cute from boot to bonnet

We had a nor'easter all night and day; super blustery with leaves, sticks flying everywhere littering lawns and roads and torrential rain at times - it was glorious!  And we turned on the heat for the first time for just a little while and then off because it got quite warm.

Remember my husband's car that was totaled on the way to Cape Cod in September?  Well, after much deliberation and car searching, we decided to pass my SUV on to him and I would get a new car.  I have never cared about cars, I don't look at cars or notice "cool" cars coming down the road, I've never picked out a car that I specifically wanted, it was always whatever was available, in good condition and at the right price.  And when I married Dan, I told him to buy whatever kind of car he wanted for me to drive because I didn't have any preference and mentioned perhaps a Toyota, they are dependable and well made.  So he bought me a BMW X5.  I've enjoyed it immensely but it was just a car that got me from point A to B safely and powerfully and I appreciated that very much. Well, this time when I again said, "a Toyota is fine, whatever, you pick",  he asked me what I would buy no matter how impractical or otherwise.  I suddenly thought about what I say every time I see one particular car - "how cute, how adorable!" -  to the Mini Cooper.  So that's what we bought.  And I named her Bonnie. She's not the teeniest one which is the cutest (and impractical for NE winter roads) but rather the Countryman which  has AWD and can handle our winter weather.  Here she is and I think we'll have a lot of fun together.

While we were in Manchester picking up the car and gone several hours, I had a delicious pork roast in the crockpot and thought up very autumny and healthy dishes to go along with it, perfect for this season and weather.  And most of the ingredients were locally grown. The pork came from a Maine farm called Wee Bit Farm where all their animals are raised humanely and pasture/grass fed.  The rice was organic, sprouted and whole grain.  The cabbage, fennel, and apples were grown nearby at Applecrest Farm.  It was all so delectable.  And I have recipes!

Drunken Pork  (Maiale Ubriaco - we learned how to make this in the Chianti region of Italy)

2-3 lb. Pork shoulder or any pork roast (from a formerly happy, pastured pig)
1 pint of red Chianti (or any red wine - I can't guide you, I don't drink wine so we used one we were given by our realtor who brought us two bottles from a trip he took to Sicily)
6 cloves garlic chopped up
1 T fennel seeds
Salt and Pepper

Pork browned with the fennel and garlic

Into the crockpot with wine and seasonings

I threw in some pearl onions too

Cut up the pork in to large pieces and brown with no oil or fat, together with the fennel and garlic.  Pour on the wine, salt and pepper, bring to a simmer than lower heat and simmer with lid on for a few hours until tender.  The wine/alcohol will have burned off/evaporated and you are left with a purplish roast that has an incredible flavor.  Today I had a very small piece of pork, just a pound so I didn't cut it up, browned it whole and put it in a crockpot on low for 5 hours then I finished it back in a large pot on the stovetop to make sure all the liquid was evaporated but a tiny bit and it was super tender. I think the pork is moister when you cut it up first.  I was in a hurry this morning to get on the road.

Finished roast pork with pearl onions ready to eat

I made a pot of sprouted rice - a melange of rices; red, black and brown.  Wholesome.  Served with butter and salt.

Braised Cabbage, Fennel and Apples

I made a double batch so I could use the whole head of cabbage and fennel.  We will eat it for a few days.  You can easily halve this.  It is so delicious and flavorful!

1 head of purple cabbage, cored and sliced thinly
1 head of fennel, use all but ferny fronds, slice thinly
2 apples, cored and sliced thinly
4 T butter
1 T caraway seeds
2/3 cup boiled cider (remember my recipe for this?) Use real maple syrup if you don't have any cider
Salt and pepper

Toast caraway seeds in 2 T heated butter in very large frying pan for 30 seconds.  Add the veggies/fruit and turn to coat in butter.  Pour on boiled cider/syrup and add the other 2 T butter and salt and pepper.  Stir it all up over medium heat, put a lid on and braise until tender but not super mushy.  Some of you like your veggies with some chew; braise it to your taste/texture.  I prefer tender.

This whole dinner was put together quite easily and as you can see, was incredibly healthy and hearty. And burgundy, purple and brown.  :)

Can you see that beautiful boiled cider?

My veggies ended up being too numerous for my largest frying pan so I put it all in a large electric fry pan with lid.