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This recipe for a robust, wintry stew utilizes the rich–and often overlooked–oxtail. The dish cooks slowly for hours without fuss, allowing the marrow to break down, and yielding a meltingly succulent stew. My friend Emma, who’s from England originally, stirs in a can of Heinz baked beans before serving. The beans add a nice texture contrast to the tender meat. Serve this with some small potatoes, steamed to softness and sprinkled with parsley.

• 4 1/2 to 5 pounds meaty oxtails
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• Flour, for dusting the oxtails
• 5 Tbsp. olive oil

by Jennifer George and Vallentin Vassileff (Illustrator) • localflavor magazine

This is what I was inspired to make after my last trip to the winter market. It’s a dish that uses (almost!) only ingredients from the winter market, and really lets the ingredients shine. The lamb is moist, the arugula pleasantly peppery, the farmhouse chutney adds sweetness and spice, and the fresh bread soaks up all the juices. These little toasts are perfect before a light meal, or made into more substantial sandwiches–a meal unto themselves. You will need:

• A small leg of lamb
• Olive oil
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic
• a pinch of dried oregano
• Crusty baguette

by Jennifer George and Vallentin Vassileff (Illustrator) • localflavor magazine

A galette is a rustic, open-faced pie, made free-form instead of in a pan. It is a simple yet dramatic way to showcase the last of fall’s sweet apples. Bring the galette to the table still warm, with thick slices of local cheese alongside. Apples and Havarti are a perfect cold-weather combination, the cool creaminess of the interior-ripened cheese matching the warm acidity of the fruit. This is farm-style cooking at its best.

• 2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 12 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
• up to 1/2 cup ice water as needed

by Jennifer George and Vallentin Vassileff (Illustrator) • localflavor magazine

Spices. Sausages. Apples. Eggs in speckled blues and browns. Organic lamb. Chutneys and jams. Baskets of tiny arugula leaves. Whole pastured chickens. Loaves of artisan bread. These are just some of the reasons to visit the winter farmers’ market. We might not have summer’s wild bounty these days, but we are lucky to have local farms still bringing us a small trove of edible treasures.

When you walk into the market, the trays of living sprouts at the Sungreen stall stand out like lushly inviting fields. Try the crunchy and substantial sunflower sprouts, or the lemony buckwheat...

Saturday, March 1, 2008
by Jennifer George and Vallentin Vassileff (Illustrator) • localflavor magazine