Hello!  Sorry it's been a bit.  If you are a reader, you're probably looking at me reproachfully like the Guilford Farm cats, Oliver and Katie:

(they did get some food).

What can I say?  It's been a busy month.  The part of teaching all of Organic Chemistry I from August 21-September 11 was especially busy.  But I've got a few things in my phone to share, and a giant backlog of hot peppers and okra I need to do something with.  But for today, let's talk about watermelon.  I made this a few weeks ago, but now I have another watermelon in this week's CSA so I'll be making it again soon.

I've cooked a lot from Vivian Howard's Deep Run Roots, which makes sense, since her book is organized around produce in North Carolina.  This recipe looks crazy, but I promise (just like like Vivian does) that it tastes great!   The recipe for Country Style Pork Ribs in Red Curry Braised Watermelon calls for "pork shoulder or blade steaks" which are just sliced up pork shoulder or "Boston Butt".  I have no idea why they are called "country style ribs" but it's good to know that's what those are, especially if you have a recipe that calls for 2-3 lbs of pork shoulder and the only pork shoulders you can find are the 6-10 lb behemoths at the grocery store.  This is easy to put together and delicious served over rice.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 8-ounce pork shoulder or blade steaks
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons red curry paste
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 5 cups watermelon, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes, seeds removed

First you need a watermelon:

Once you've got the rind off, chunk it up so you've got about 5 cups

Heat up the oil in a enameled cast iron dutch oven, and brown the ribs you've seasoned with salt and pepper:

Dump the watermelon on top, and add the rest of the ingredients that you've whisked together

Slap on the lid, slide it into a 350° oven and braise for 1 1/2 hours.  Then remove the lid and let it cook for 30 min more.  Serve over rice to soak up the broth.

Plated up with a little of Thai basil garnish: