Makes 4 large servings

2 pounds pork meat (shoulder, butt or picnic)
1/4 cup salt (or as desired)
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon fresh garlic
1 large can white hominy
4 dried California (aka anaheim or pasilla) peppers
Garnishes: shredded lettuce, radish slices, lime halves, chopped onions

In a large pot, cover meat with water, add salt, bring to boil, cook three to four hours or until cooked thoroughly. Mix garlic, oregano and two cups of water in blender, add to cooked meat. Soak peppers in hot water for 30 minutes, then puree in a blender with a small amount of water, drain and add to the meat. Add hominy to meat. Reheat to desired serving temperature. Serve in individual bowls with garnishes and tortillas, as desired.

1 (1-pound) bag dried black beans
4 quarts water
1 smoked ham hock
1 1/3 cups olive oil
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
12 cloves garlic, peeled, finely chopped
12 small sweet chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped (or your choice combo of hot peppers)
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon whole dried oregano, crushed
1 cup dry red wine
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Cumin Scented Rice, recipe follows

Pick over beans, discarding any shriveled ones of foreign particles. Wash well and soak, covered in water, for 4 hours. Drain beans and place in 4 quarts of water in a soup pot. Add ham hock to the beans. Bring rapidly to a boil. Reduce heat to moderate and simmer beans until tender, about 35 to 45 minutes.

In a sauté pan, heat 1 and 1/3 cups olive oil. Add the chopped onions and garlic to the pan and sauté over low heat. Add the chopped chiles and season with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaves and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 1 cup of drained black beans to the onion mixture in the sauté pan, and mash thoroughly with rest of the ingredients in the skillet. Stir in the sugar and the dried oregano.

Add the bean and onion mixture to the bean pot. Cover, and simmer for 1 hour, at moderate heat. Add red wine, vinegar, 4 teaspoons dried oregano and cumin. Uncover and cook until sauce thickens. Serve hot.

Cumin Scented Rice:
1 1/2 tablespoons CF margarine
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
3 cups uncooked basmati rice
2 small limes, juiced
6 cups cold water
2 teaspoons salt

Heat margarine over medium heat in a large saucepan. When margarine is melted, add cumin seeds and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the rice and cook for 2 minutes.

Turn the heat to high and add the lime juice, water and salt. Mix well. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat and cook covered on low for 15 minutes until water evaporates.

1 large firm red apple such as Braeburn, Gala, Rome Beauty, or Fuji
2 tablespoons CF margarine
2 (1/4-inch-thick) baked ham slices, quartered
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup apple juice
1 1/2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard, or to taste
Pinch of ground cloves

Preheat oven to 250°F. Core whole apple (without peeling) and cut 8 (1/4-inch-thick) rounds.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, then sauté ham, turning once, until browned, 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer ham to a heatproof dish and keep warm, loosely covered with foil, in oven. Add remaining tablespoon butter to skillet and sauté apple slices, turning once, until golden and tender, 4 minutes total. Top each piece of ham with an apple slice and continue layering, using all of ham and apple slices, to make 2 stacks. Keep warm in oven.

Add shallot to skillet and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden. Add vinegar and cook, stirring, 10 seconds, or until absorbed by shallots. Add apple juice and boil until reduced by half. Add mustards and cloves and boil until mixture is slightly thickened and syrupy. Serve stacks with sauce.

3 pounds mild Italian sausage
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
3 green or red pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 tablespoon dried oregano flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil flakes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups canned, crushed and peeled Italian tomatoes
1/2 cup dry Sherry

Place sausage in a large skillet with 1/4 inch water in bottom. Cook over medium heat until water evaporates. Add olive oil and saute a few minutes until browned on all sides

Remove sausage and add onions and green peppers. Season with oregano and basil. Sauté until onions are golden brown. Add garlic and cook one minute longer. Add tomatoes. Simmer five minutes.

Add Sherry and cook over high heat until Sherry is absorbed. Add sausages to sauce during last two minutes. We serve this dish over steamed rice.

To top

1 pound dried small red beans, picked over and rinsed
2 large smoked ham hocks
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 green onions, green part only, chopped, plus more for garnish
Red pepper sauce
2 andouille sausages, cut into 3-inch chunks
4 cups cooked white rice

Place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Soak the beans overnight in the refrigerator.

Drain the beans and put them in a large heavy pot with the ham hocks, adding just enough cold water to cover (about 2 quarts). Add the onion, celery, green pepper, cayenne, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, green onions, and several shakes of red pepper sauce; give everything a good stir to combine. Simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 21/2 hours. You want the beans to be almost overcooked, like they are getting ready to burst. Stir the beans occasionally to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot. Add about 1 cup of water toward the end of cooking if the mixture appears too thick or dry.

Mash about 1 cup of the cooked beans against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon, this makes the broth thick and creamy. Toss in the sausages and cook for another 30 minutes to heat them through. Adjust the seasoning, if needed. Serve the red beans in a wide bowl over some steamed white rice and garnished with chopped green onion.

2 sides pork spareribs (about 6 pounds), separated
1 (28-ounce) can chunky tomato sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon "soy" sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Place the spareribs in the bottom of a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Reserve 6 tablespoons for BBQ sauce. Pour the mixture over the spareribs. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

Using a sharp knife, carefully remove the top layer of fat from the roast, sprinkle with plain salt and set aside. Make tiny holes in the pork with a small sharp knife. Mix all the ingredients and put the seasoning inside using the holes. Place the fat layer back on top of the roast. Cook in pre-heated oven at 450F for an hour, then lower heat to 325 degrees and cook until done.

3.5 lb pork shoulder (bone in) with fat on it
Salt and pepper
BBQ sauce
onion

Place roast, fat side up in pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook at 450 degrees for 45 minutes then lower heat to 325 for 2 hours or until done. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Shred with fork, removing fat. Sauté onion until soft, mix into pork with BBQ sauce. Serve on rolls or bread.

2 tablespoons oil
1 (2-pound) boneless center cut pork loin, trimmed and tied
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, thickly sliced
2 carrots, thickly sliced
2 stalks celery, thickly, sliced
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 tablespoons cold CF margarine
2 apples, such as Cortland or Rome peeled, cored and cut into 8 slices
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large ovenproof skillet heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Season the pork loin all over generously with salt and pepper. Sear the meat until golden brown on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the meat to a plate and set it aside.

Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, herb sprigs, and 2 tablespoons of the margarine to the skillet. Stir until the vegetables are browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the sliced apples, then push the mixture to the sides and set the pork loin in the middle of the skillet along with any collected juices on the plate. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the loin until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 140 to 150 degrees F, about 30 to 35 minutes. (See Cook's Note.)

Transfer the pork a cutting board and cover it loosely with foil while you make the sauce. Arrange the apples and vegetables on a serving platter and set aside. Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Return the skillet to a high heat and add the vinegar scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen up any browned bits. Reduce by half then add the cider and reduce by about half again. Pull the skillet from the heat and whisk in the mustard, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of cold margarine. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

Remove the strings from the roast and slice into 1/2-inch thick pieces and arrange over the apple mixture. Drizzle some sauce over meat and serve the rest on the side.

Cook's Note: Pork cooked this way will be slightly pink. If desired, cook the pork to 160 degrees F, but be aware that this lean cut will not be as moist at the higher temperature.

3 lb. boneless pork loin
Coarse mustard
Pepper
Onion
Garlic cloves

Using a sharp knife, cut several notches in pork and inset small clove into each. Place pork in pan, fat side up. Coat with mustard, sprinkle with pepper. Quarter onions and place in bottom of pan with 1/2 cup water. Cook at 325 degrees until 150 degrees on a meat thermometer.