Slow-Roasted Pork Belly; Parsnip Gnocchi with Leek-Rosemary Butter; Wilted Baby Spinach Salad

First, a word about pork belly. Some people hear "belly" and think they're going to get organs, but, not to worry, pork belly is just bacon that hasn't been smoked or cured yet (that being said if you're not eating offal you should be). It's got a ton of fat, so you have to cook it for a long time to render out a lot of the grease. The end result is a rich, tender little piece of pork with some awesome crispy skin on top. You can't find pork belly in most American supermarkets, but it's in most Chinese groceries.

Preheat the oven. My thermometer is broken, or maybe my oven is broken, so I'm not actually sure exactly what temperatures I used. Therefore there's going to be a lot of "til it's done" in this recipe and not a lot of "X degrees for Y minutes." In any case, if your oven is working, you want it at about 325 or 375, depending how much time you have (lower and slower is better but it will be edible if you cook it quicker). I cut about a 3"x2" chunk from the end of the slab of belly, scored the skin side to expose the fat, and rubbed with plenty of salt and a little black pepper and cinnamon. Put it skin side up on something that will allow the fat to drain - a roasting rack is great, but some carrot sticks stacked into a little rack works just as well. It needs to cook for at least an hour at 375, preferably two or more at 325.

Once the pork is cooking, you can start the gnocchi. Boil, steam, or roast a couple parsnips until they're done through but not yet mush. Grate them on the smaller holes of a grater (microplane would work too if you have one) until you have a pile of parsnip mush. Add an egg yolk per about a cup of parsnip, and a pinch of salt and nutmeg. Obviously if you salted the parsnips when you cooked them the first time, you don't need a lot of salt now; if you didn't salt them before, be generous. Mix around the egg and parsnip until it's well-combined, then fold in a little bit of flour at a time until you get something resembling a dough. Don't overwork it or you will get chewy gnocchi. Flour a work surface and roll the dough out into a long log about a half inch thick and cut into squarish pillows. If you want ridged gnocchi you can roll them on the back of a fork. Set those aside until the pork's about done, then drop into boiling salted water until they float, which should be just a few minutes. In a separate pan, melt some butter and saute some chopped leek and rosemary until soft but not browned. Drop in the gnocchi, turn up the heat, and don't touch it for a minute - we want to brown the dumplings a little. Once you get some color on the gnocchi, turn the heat way down and put aside for a minute while you get everything else ready to go.

For the vinaigrette, combine a bit of real maple syrup (I try to find an excuse to put this in basically everything), cider vinegar, orange juice, and coarse dijon mustard. Whisk with a little salt and pepper. Take a little of the melted pork fat from your roasting pan and whisk in. (If you're feeling more cardiologically responsible than I was, feel free to use olive oil instead.) Toss with a handful of baby spinach and let the acid and warm bacon grease wilt it down a bit.

Let the pork rest for a few minutes before you cut into it, then slice in half - the crispy skin can be a little tough, so you might have to put your back into the slice. Rest the belly on top of the gnocchi, and set salad on top of that. Dust a little ground clove and a little orange zest off to the side of the plate (those didn't make the picture, but they look cool and taste good to dip the other stuff into).

Skillet-Roasted Lamb Chops with Rosemary-Leek Hush Puppies, Quick-Pickled Fennel and Shallots, and Green Pea Puree

For the fennel (which you can make ahead of time): combine equal parts vinegar (cider or sherry would be best) and water, and bring to a boil along with salt (lots), a few black peppercorns, a bay leaf, and a little sugar. While that's getting hot, thinly slice your fennel bulb and a shallot, either on a mandoline or with a sharp knife. Once the pickling liquid is boiling, pour it over your vegetables in a bowl to cover, give it a quick stir, and set aside for about an hour. Once the vegetables have lost most of their crunch, drain off the liquid, rinse once or twice with cold water, and set aside.

For the lamb and hush puppies, preheat an oven to about 375. In a mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, an egg, and some chopped leek and rosemary (I wish I'd used more rosemary in mine, so be generous) along with salt and pepper to taste. Add cornmeal until the batter is thick but not yet doughy. Set aside.

Cook some green peas until done, but don't overcook them as this will ruin the color. You're shooting for a bright green, not olive. In a blender, combine peas, salt, olive oil, and lemon juice and blend until smooth.

For the lamb, get a cast iron skillet or other heavy pan as hot as you can manage, then add a bit of oil to the bottom. While the pan is heating, salt and pepper your rack of lamb to taste - I like it heavy on the pepper. This is also a good time to get your fryer oil going. I don't have an oil thermometer, but it's ready to go once a little dollop of hush puppy batter starts bubbling and hissing as soon as you drop it in. Sear the lamb for a few minutes on each side, then put the skillet in the oven (lamb fat side down) for about 15-20 minutes. We're going for medium rare.

Get out the bowl of hush puppy batter and add a dash each of baking soda and baking powder. Stir to combine, then drop spoonful-sized globs in the got oil. If you are a food geek like me you will make quenelles, but don't bother if you don't feel like it. They're done when they're medium brown on the outside. Set them on a paper towel and throw a little salt on to season the crust.

Put fennel on the plate along with some of the pea puree, and set a couple of hush puppies in the peas (dipping the former in the latter is highly recommended). Slice out your chops and rest on top of the fennel.