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*Dad’s dry rub:

• 1/4 cup cumin seeds
• 3 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Combine cumin, peppercorns, and coriander in a heavy medium skillet. Stir over medium heat until fragrant and toasted, about 8 minutes. Cool slightly. Finely grind toasted spices in blender. Transfer to a small bowl. Mix in sugar and salt. Makes 1/2 cup.

2 Once the pan is hot, add a teaspoon of oil or fat to the pan and coat the bottom of the pan. Right before you put the chops into the pan sprinkle each side with a little salt, or you can salt the chops in the pan. Put the chops in the pan. Make sure they are not crowding each other too much. There should be space between the chops in the pan or the meat will steam and not sear properly.

Tip: Arrange the chops in the pan with the thickest, boniest parts towards the center of the pan where they get the most heat.

3 Sear the chops, about 2 minutes on each side. Watch carefully, as soon as the chops are browned, flip them. As soon as you flip the chops, if you are using a cast iron pan, you can turn off the heat. Cast iron holds heat very well and there will be enough heat in the pan to finish cooking the meat.

If you have chops that are a lot thicker than 3/4″ (many are sold that are 1 1/2″-thick), you can put a cover on the pan and let the chops finish cook for 5 minutes or so (if you are using a cast iron pan and have turned off the heat, there should be enough heat if you cover the pan to finish the cooking of a thicker chop, if not, lower the heat to low and cover.

How do you know when the chops are done? Mom uses a touch test which with practice I’ve learned as well. If you wait until you see juice oozing out of the top of the chop, it is definitely done. Mom typically just keeps the chops in the pan, the heat is turned off, so the pan is losing heat. The pan initially provides enough heat to sear the second side. As it initially cools it is still cooking, though not searing the meat. After a couple of minutes, it’s just keeping the chops warm.

Serves 4-6, depending on the thickness of the chops.

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup seasoned croutons
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup peeled, chopped green apples
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon minced rosemary

2 Rinse the pork and pat it dry. Butterfly the roast by first cutting lengthwise about halfway through the roast. Then angle the knife and cut horizontally almost all of the way through, on both sides. Unfold the pork and cut tiny slits in the surface of the meat. Cover with 2 layers of of plastic wrap. Pound with a meat mallet to flatten as much as possible. Remove plastic wrap. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper and set aside.

3 Place croutons and stock in a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes, until the croutons have absorbed the stock and have softened. Mash up the croutons a bit with a fork. Stir in the apples, walnuts, cranberries, shallots, maple syrup and rosemary. Spread mixture over surface of the pork. Starting with the smallest side of the meat (which should be in the shape of a rectangle), roll up tightly and secure with kitchen string. At this point you can wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate if you are making ahead.

4 Coat the bottom of a roasting pan with cooking spray or a little olive oil. Place the roast in the pan and cook at 325F, uncovered, for about 1 hour ten minutes, or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140-145F. Start checking the internal temperature of the roast at about one hour. Let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the kitchen string and slice into 1/2-inch thick slices.

Serves 6.

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups stock, beef, chicken, or pork (boiling)

Marinade:
1 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 sprig rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs (can use an herbes de provence blend)
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
6 juniper berries, lightly bruised

Herb-stuffing:
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs (herbes de provence)
2 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 Combine all the marinade ingredients and put in the meat. Let it marinate in the refrigerator several hours, turning it occasionally. Remove from refrigerator and bring to room temperature before proceeding. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels. Reserve the marinade.

2 For the stuffing, pound the garlic to a pure with some salt and pepper. Combine the remaining stuffing ingredients until the mixture has the consistency of a paste.

3 Smear the stuffing onto the top surface of the meat. Tie up the meat to enclose the stuffing, resulting in a roughly spherical shape. Rub the meat with olive oil.

4 Place the meat in a large roasting pan and sear it in a pre-heated 425F oven for 30 minutes or until the surface is golden brown.

Remove the meat to a Dutch oven just large enough to contain it. (We used a 2 1/2 quart Le Creuset.)

5 Drain off the fat from the roasting pan, then strain the marinade into the pan and heat, stirring to deglaze the pan juices. While deglazing, in a separate saucepan bring stock to a boil.

6 Pour the heated marinade over the meat and add enough boiling stock to come one-half or two-thirds of the way up the side of the meat. Cover the pot and place it in a 325F oven for about one and a half hours, basting the meat occasionally. During the last half hour, remove the lid, increase the heat to 375F and baste often to form a glaze.

7 Transfer the meat to a warmed platter. Strain the liquid from the pot into a small saucepan and simmer, skimming the fat, until the sauce is reduced and free of fat. Remove the strings from the meat, slice it or cut it into wedges, and serve with the sauce. Excellent served with mashed potatoes.

Serves 8.

• 16 ounces cream cheese (do not use light), room temperature
• 8 ounces (2 sticks, 1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 egg, beaten, for pastry egg wash

Filling Ingredients

• Salt
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 Tbsp sherry
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped

2 While dough is chilling, heat a large frying pan on medium high/high heat. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon or so of salt on the bottom of the pan. Break off bits of ground pork and add to the pan, until all the pork is added without crowding. Do not stir. Let the pork brown. Once nicely browned on one side, then use a spatula to flip the pieces to the other side so the other side can brown. Once the pork is nicely browned on 2 sides, reduce the heat on the pan to medium, and remove the pork to a bowl.

3 Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to the pan. Then add the finely chopped onion. Let onions gently cook on medium heat for a few minutes until translucent. Add the minced garlic. Cook until fragrant. Add the finely chopped mushrooms, cooking for a few minutes more. Add the curry powder, ground coriander, and cardamom to the pan. Mix the spices in with the onion mix. Add the ground pork back to the pan, mixing in the seasoned onion mix. Add the raisins. Add the sherry, soy sauce, sugar, and corn starch, mixing well. Break bigger pieces of ground pork with the edge of a metal spatula. Remove from heat, and chill until time to stuff the pastries.

4 Preheat oven to 375F. On a lightly floured, smooth, clean surface, roll out one of the dough rounds to a thin 1/8-inch thickness. (If refrigerated for more than an hour, you may need to let it sit for 10 minutes to soften it enough to roll it out more easily.) Use a wide-mouthed jar (about 3 inches wide) to cut out rounds. Place them on a baking sheet.

During this and the next step, if the dough becomes too soft and therefore difficult to work with, put whatever you are working on in the refrigerator to chill for 5 or 10 minutes.

5 Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the inside edge of the rounds with egg wash (to help the empanadas seal). Place a teaspoon of meat inside each round. Fold the round over to and press the edges to seal shut. Use the tines of a fork to flute the edges. Place standing upright on a baking sheet, spaced an inch apart. (You can also lie them down, but with them upright, you’ll fit more on a pan.) Use a pastry brush to brush the sides (not the bottom) of the empanadas with more egg wash.

6 Working in batches, cook in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Makes 4 to 5 dozen empanada turnovers.

1 Preheat oven to 375F. Season pork wil salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Sear pork on all sides until browned, about 10 minutes total. Remove from heat.

2 Rub pork with chopped rosemary; wrap with bacon, overlapping strips slightly. Tie pork roast wih kitchen twine. Roast in oven, basting occasionally with cooking juices, until internal temperature is 145F on a meat thermometer, 35 o 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Transfer pork to a serving dish.

3 Make pan sauce. Place the roasting skillet on the stove top over low heat. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrap up any browned bits from the pan bottom. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan. Skim off the fat. Reheat to serving temperature if necessary.

Serves 4.

2 Combine the other ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until warm; pour over chops. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, basting occassionally.

3 Place the pork chops on a warming platter and pour the sauce into a saucepan. Thicken it slightly with flour to make a gravy, salt to taste, and serve it over the chops.

Serves 4 to 6, depending on the size of the pork chops.