Vietnamese-Style Grilled Pork Chops

I love Vietnamese cuisine for its explosion of flavor combinations. Salty, sour, sweet, savory—all wrapped up in simple dishes and easy preparation. For this recipe, time is the main ingredient. Four hours will impart great flavor, but a full 24 will penetrate the chops with deliciously rich Southeast Asian taste and yield incredible tenderness in the meat.

Make this recipe when you have a chance to start it one day and finish it the next. Actual cooking time is 15-20 minutes. So it’s pretty much hands off.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 serrano chile, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 2 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp peanut oil, plus more for brushing
• 4 bone-in pork loin chops, about 1-inch thick (2 to 2-1/4lbs total)
• sea salt

Pork Loin Chops

Preparation

1. Combine the chile, garlic, brown sugar, fish sauce, tamari, and 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a bowl, stirring well to dissolve the sugar. Place the chops in a heavy, sealable plastic bag and add the marinade. Seal and turn a few times to coat. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Marinade

Chops in Marinade

Marinated Pork Chops

1. Light a grill for medium-high heat with space for off-heat grilling.
2. Transfer the chops from the marinade to a plate, letting all excess drip back into the bag. Season lightly with salt.
3. Rub the grill grate with peanut oil. Grill the chops until lightly charred and just cooked through, 15-20 minutes total, turning a few times and moving off-heat as needed to prevent flare-ups. 

Beginning to Grill

After Turning

Grilled Chops

Transfer to a platter and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Vietnamese-Style Grilled Pork Chops

Wine-Steamed Cod and Asparagus

If you don’t do much steaming—in a good way—give it a try. There’s really no other preparation as light and healthful, unless dinner is all raw vegetables and fruit. Sometimes steamed food gets a bad rap because we associate it with blandness. That’s just not true, I promise.

Steaming food over a gentle simmer brings out the pure, simple, natural flavors of whatever you’re cooking. That goes for fish, poultry, vegetables, and aromatic herbs—in this case, tender Atlantic cod, fresh asparagus, and wonderfully fragrant ginger, garlic, and dried chile flakes. I used dry white wine and chicken broth for the steaming liquid. Other options: sherry, vegetable broth, water, or a mixture.

Dinner doesn’t get much simpler—all done in one pot, and every ingredient bringing its best taste to the table. Did I mention no fats involved?

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove, peeled, halved lengthwise, very thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp dried red chile flakes
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1-1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled cut into very thin matchsticks
• 2 5-oz skinless cod filets, about 3/4-inch thick
• 6 oz asparagus stalks, cut to about 5 inches long
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal, dark green parts set aside
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Cod Filets

Prepared Ingredients

Preparation

1. Combine the garlic, chile flakes, wine, and broth in a pot that will hold a wide steamer basket. Bring to a light simmer over medium heat.
2. Place the steamer basket in the pot and scatter the ginger on the bottom. Add the cod on top and arrange the asparagus and white and light green parts of the scallions around and on top of the fish. Sprinkle all with salt and pepper.
3. Cover the pot and steam until the asparagus is crisp-tender and the cod is just cooked through, about 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the filets.
4. Transfer the steamer basket to a plate and cover with the lid to keep warm. Bring the liquid in the pot to a boil and cook until slightly reduced, 5 minutes.

Liquid Mixture

Ready to Steam

After Steaming

Divide the fish and vegetables between 2 plates. Spoon some of the liquid from the pot over all and scatter the green parts of the scallions on top. Serve right away.

Wine-Steamed Cod and Asparagus

Roast Duck with Apricot-Maple Glaze

Duck tends to be one of those fowl that folks either love or hate. If you’re in the latter camp (you’re probably not reading this recipe), maybe an easy cooking method and a sweet and sticky glaze will change your mind.

Duck has dark, oily meat that benefits from a long, slow, low-temperature braise. The thick skin will shrink as the fat renders, leaving moist, tender meat beneath it. (Note: This is not a recipe for crispy skin—that would require a higher temperature for a shorter time.)

Scoring the skin before cooking helps render the fat. Just be sure to cut carefully so that only the skin is scored, not the meat.

The simple glaze here is brushed on about 15 minutes before the duck is done. Otherwise, a little salt and pepper and plenty of time are all you need to get this special, inviting dinner on the table.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 5- to 6-lb duck
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup apricot jelly
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 300° F.
2. Remove any innards from the cavity and rinse the duck under cold water. Pat dry. Remove excess skin, tail, and any quills from the duck.
3. Use a sharp knife to score the skin in a crosshatch pattern. (Be careful not to cut into the meat. Score only the skin.)
4. Rub the cavity and outside of the duck with salt and pepper. Truss the legs with kitchen twine and place the duck breast-side up on a rack in a roasting pan. 

Duck with Innards and Extra Skin 

Scored Skin

Duck Ready to Roast

1. Roast the duck 1 hour.
2. Turn the duck breast-side down and roast 1 hour.
3. Turn the duck breast-side up again and roast 30 minutes.

Duck after 1 Hour 

Duck after 2 Hours 

Duck after 2nd Turn

1. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Combine the apricot jelly, maple syrup, orange juice, honey, and soy sauce in a small skillet or saucepan. Season lightly with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
2. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the glaze has slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Brush the duck with the glaze and roast 15 minutes.

Glaze Beginning to Cook

Cooked Glaze

Roast Duck with Glaze

Transfer the duck to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Carve, serve, and enjoy.

Roast Duck with Apricot-Maple Glaze