The chops are the easy part.

First, make sure you’re set up to grill indoors. I live in New York City in a 50s era brick Brooklyn building. Suffice it to say, i have a gas oven. It’s taken me years to perfect indoor grilling – and i finally have! The trick? Use an UNSEASONED (i can not stress this enough) cast iron griddle with deep grates, and grill INSIDE your oven, directly on the bottom on top of the gas broiler below the oven floor. Not on the stove top. By grilling in your oven, you are closer replicating the heat radiation you get when grilling over coals than cooking with only direct heat from your stove. Also by opening and closing the oven door, you can mirror the convention effect of a lid. All in all, this is THE way to grill in your teeny tiny NYC kitchen all year long. You’re welcome! Never use oil directly on the grill. Make sure your protein or veg has a good coating of oil, but not too much or it’s smoke city.

Okay now to the chops. Opt for bone in if you can. Get a quality piece of pork – if you’re cooking with a gas stove chances are you live close enough to a butcher or farmers market – do it.

For the marinade I opt to dress a few hours ahead of time.

• Fish sauce, 1 tbsp per 2 chops.
• Acid (lemon or rice vinegar), 2 tsp per 2 chops.
• Oil (avocado, olive or any high heat cooking oil) 2 tbsp per 2 chops.
• Spices (mix of all or some ground cumin, coriander, paprika, black pepper, 5 spice, cayenne, garlic powder, turmeric, red pepper flake, allspice) roughly a tbsp per 2 chops. Optional.
• Aromatics (all or some of crushed garlic, fresh ginger, lemongrass) an ounce or two per two chops. Optional.
• Liquid smoke, 2 tsp. Optional.

Toss chops in marinade in a bag or dish, coat well. Set in fridge for later.

When you’re ready to grill – remove chops 30 min before cooking. Add skillet to bottom of oven, removing top grates. Preheat oven to 450. When the grill is hot and the chops are ready, Add chops to the grill pan, do not move or crowd. Close oven and cook for about 5 min. Turn using tongs. Grill another 5 min and test internal temp. Should be about 140-150 degrees (135 if boneless). Remove. Rest for 5-10 min. Serve.

Ingredients

• 2-3 chicken breasts or 4-6 chicken thighs
• 2-3 tbsp of schmaltz, lard, bacon fat or avocado oil
• 2-3 jalapeños or Thai chilis, deseeded and deribbed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 tsp ginger, minced
• 8-10 sprigs of cilantro, minced
• 4 scallions or a handful of chives, minced
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp mirin
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 lime, juiced

Instructions

Cut chicken into 1.5×1.5 inch cubes, lay on a sheet in freezer and allow to stiffen up for an hour or so.

While the chicken is in the freezer, prep your other ingredients. Using a knife to coarsely chop all your ingredients into 1-1.5 inch units. Add chilis, garlic, ginger, and herbs to food processor and blend till well minced.

Reserve minced ingredients to a medium mixing bowl.

Measure out your fat and liquid ingredients. 2-3 tbsp of fat depending on the amount of chicken you are using. Pour all liquid ingredients into one bowl, reserve.

Time to mince your meat. Take the semi-frozen chicken cubes out of the freezer and add them in a 1-1.5 inch layer to your cleaned out processor.  Work in batches for more precision. Pulse for a second on, second off until the meat has reached desired consistency. AVOID MAKING A PASTE.

ADD minced meat to bowl of minced ingredients. Add fat and liquid. Mix gently with a spatula or with your hands. Don’t overwork the meat. Add about 2 tspns of both salt and pepper for seasoning.

Form patties with your hands, being sure to make a bit of dip impression with your thumbs in the middle.

Over a medium high cast iron skillet or griddle, add about a tbsp of avocado or olive oil, allow to get hot, then add patties in batches being sure not to overcrowd the pan.

Cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side, flip, cook for another 2 or so minutes then add to a 400 degree oven for a final 5 minutes. I use an instant read thermometer and make sure they render at 165-175 degrees in the middle before I serve.

Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes then serve as desired.

Serve with:

• Iceburg lettuce wrap or potato bun with picked veggies and Kewpie Mayo and Sriracha
• Ramen noodles topped with soft boiled egg and sliced scallions
• On top of steamed roasted veggies like red peppers, onions, water chestnuts  and rice
• Instead of making patties, roll into small balls and make dumplings or pot stickers
• Use pork or beef shoulder/chuck instead and skip the added fat

• 2-3 lbs beef eye chuck roast, tied
• 2 large golden Yukon potatoes, medium cubes
• 3 medium carrots, 2 large sliced for roasting, 1 diced
• 1 tbsp minced parsley
• 1 large onion, thin sliced
• 1 large celery stick , diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 5-10 pepper corns
• 5-10 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2 tsp Worcestershire or fish sauce
• 1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1.25 cup homemade chicken stock

Season roast 1-24 hours before cooking with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven 325-350F.

Pat dry then sear roast medium high all over in a pot or Dutch oven in high heat oil. 10 min.

Reserve roast and add all vegetables except larger carrot and potatoes. Medium heat.

Season, sauté veg over low for 3 min then add flour, stirring for 3-5 more min. Then add thyme, pepper corns and bay. stir on med heat for a few more min to cook flour well.

Add broth, vinegar and Worcestershire, stir. Bring to gentile boil then simmer.

Add roast to pot. Cover, then place in oven for 2 hours, turning and checking roast every 30 min.

Once roast is very tender (a little piece can be torn from a corner) remove roast and strain gravy of all veg, pushing on the veggies to get as much moisture out as possible.

Add the strained gravy back to the pan, then add the potatoes and carrots. Add roast back to pot. Cook for 45 min. Check for done-ness with the tip of a knife.

Remove kitchen string from beef. Allow meat to rest for 10 min before slicing and serving.

Top plates with extra gravy and freshly chopped parsley.

• 2 bell peppers, roughly chopped

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp toasted coriander seed, ground
• 2 tsp toasted cumin seed, ground
• 1 tbsp Sweet Hungarian paprika, ground
• 1 small jalapeño, chopped
• 1 tbsp Hungarian Hot Paprika paste
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 fresh tomato, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Pepper
• 3-5 large handfuls spinach or hearty green
• 3-5 Oz.Goat cheese, canelles
• 3-6 eggs
• 2-3 oz of extra virgin oil

Chopped parsley and fresh or preserved lemon to garnish. Serve with toasted loaf of bread, sliced.

1. Mix chicken stock with all spices and pastes, reserve.
2. Sauté onions med-low in EVOO, season, cook for 5-10 min.
3. Add bell peppers and tomato season, sauté another 5-10 minutes.
4. Add garlic and jalapeño, cook for another few min then add paste-spice mixture, stir.
5. Cook on simmer covered for 20-25 min.
6. Add goat cheese, crack eggs and nest half the spinach in the stew.
7. Cover, cook another 5-10 min. Top with parsley and serve with lemon and toasted crusty bread.

Ingredients

• 3-4 lb grass fed strip (top loin) roast

• 3 tbsp salt

• 3 tsp pepper

• 3 cups homemade chicken stock

• 3 tsp “beef base” base paste (I recommend “Better than Bullion” brand)

• 1 tbsp gelatin

• 2 bay leaves

• 1.5 tsp dry “herbs de Provence” or a few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary

• 3 cloves

• 10 pepper corns

• 10-12 med size golden Yukon, peeled (i like the ones that are a bit larger than eggs, but as you wish)

Equipment

• 12 inch oven safe stainless pan

• Sieve/strainer
• peeler

• Small sauce pan (5 cup)
• Meat thermometer

Instruction

1. PREP the meat: call your butcher and ask for a strip roast, 3 to 4 lbs. Trim the front bit of meat that is sinewy and attached to the ribs when you get home. Reserve and refrigerate scraps. A day prior to cooking, salt and pepper roast generously. Reserve and refrigerate.

1. PREP the potatoes: peel, slice tips off potatoes then slice in half. Salt and pepper, toss, reserve.

1. PREP the stock: thaw 3 cups of homemade chicken broth. Add 2 tspn beef base to chicken stock, mix. Taste, add more beef base if necessary. Using cheese cloth or spice bag – combine cloves, pepper corn, bay leaves and dried herbs. Tie and reserve.

1. SET oven to 300F.

1. ADD high heat cooking oil to skillet. Then add roast fat side down. Scatter meat scraps around roast.

1. MEDIUM heat on stove.

1. BROWN roast 8-10 min / golden brown.

1. TOSS and brown scraps.

1. TURN roast, Brown for another 2-3 min.

1. REMOVE roast and scraps, reserve

1. BROWN potatoes, wide side down in fat and oil left in skillet. MEDIUM heat for 15-20 min / golden brown.

1. TURN potatoes, 1 by 1 checking for fineness. Cook another 5-10 min on other side.

1. OFF heat.

1. ADD layer of tin foil on top of potatoes. Make roughly 5 holes for drippings.

1. ADD roast to skillet and put in oven for 40-55 min – 300F convection / 280F temperature if your oven runs hot.

1. ADD browned scraps, gelatin and spice sack to broth. Bring to boil then reduce to simmer for about 15-20 min.

1. DRAIN broth (jus) through strainer and then into a fat separator. Reserve jus.

1. CHECK internal temp at around 40-45 min.

1. REST and tent roast in foil when internal temperature comes to 115-125F.

1. ADD reserved broth to potatoes, return to oven and up heat to 550F/BROIL.

1. BOIL BRAISE potatoes in broth for 20-30 min while meat rests.

1. CARVE roast.

1. PLATTER potatoes.

1. SERVE with jus (finished broth). Green salad and horseradish cream are wonderful accompaniments.