Tasty Recipes from Recipe Wizards

While some find bitter melon an acquired taste, in this recipe it adds zing to the rather bland pork filling.

Grilled pork chops with peach-jalapeño glaze, tasty from the start by preparing with a quick and simple brine.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 12 minutes

Serves 4

Note: The prep time does not include the 30 minutes to one hour marinate time for the pork chops.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 cups boiling water

3 cups ice cubes

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 cup peach preserves

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 large or 2 small jalapeños, minced but not seeded

1 pound boneless, center-cut pork loin chops, trimmed of fat (4 chops)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium bowl, combine the salt and brown sugar. Add the boiling water and stir to dissolve. Add the ice cubes and stir to cool. Add the pork chops, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour.

Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a small saucepan over low, stir the chili powder and cumin until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Add the peach preserves, lime juice and jalapeños (wear gloves). Stir well, then set aside.

Heat a gas grill to medium or prepare a charcoal fire. Oil the grill grates.

Remove the pork chops from the brine, rinse well and blot dry with paper towels. Season both sides of the pork with ground black pepper.

Grill the pork chops, turning once, until an instant thermometer inserted at the center registers 145 degrees, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Brush both sides of the chops with the reserved glaze and grill, turning once, for 90 seconds more. Serve with additional peach-jalapeño glaze on the side.

Per serving: 294 cal.; 26 g pro.; 32 g carb.; 8 g fat (3 sat., 4 monounsat., 1 polyunsat.); 73 mg chol.; 560 mg sod.; 0 g fiber; 17 g sugar; 23 percent calories from fat.

Prep time: 45 minutes

Cook time: 3 1/2 hours

Serves 6 to 8 (Makes about 16 meatballs)

Kim Severson, who included this recipe in “Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life,” writes that the sauce is a version of her mother’s recipe, which first appeared in the Dining section of the New York Times.

Note: The recipe for meatballs can be halved. Remaining sauce and meatballs can be frozen. The cook time includes the meatballs cooked in 2 batches.

INGREDIENTS

For the meatballs:

2 pounds ground beef

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs made from 2 or 3 slices of dense, coarse bread, crusts removed.

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 heaping tablespoon fresh chopped basil

1 heaping tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

For the sauce:

1 pound pork spareribs, neck bone or pork chop

1 pound chuck roast, blade steak or brisket

Salt and pepper

1 medium onion, chopped small, about 3/4 cup

2 cloves minced garlic

One 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 bay leaf

One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, Italian if possible

One 28-ounce can tomato sauce or one 25-ounce carton of Pomi strained tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped

4 small or 2 large jarred pepperoncini

INSTRUCTIONS

For meatballs:

Mix all ingredients except olive oil by hand in a large bowl, using a light touch.

Take about 2½ ounces of meat in hand and roll between palms to form a ball that is firmly packed, but not compressed. Each should be about 2 inches – bigger than a golf ball but smaller than a tennis ball.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high in a large, heavy pot that will later be used for sauce. When it shimmers, add the meatballs in batches. Don’t crowd the meatballs. Allow the meatballs to brown well on the bottoms before turning, or they will break apart.

Continue cooking until browned all over. Don’t overcook. Remove them to a plate as each batch is finished.

Allow meatballs to cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate until sauce is ready.

For sauce:

Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the beef and pork.

Using the same pot and remaining fat from cooking the meatballs, brown the meat quickly and remove.

Turning heat to medium, add the onions and cook 3 minutes, stirring.

Add the garlic and cook another 3 minutes.

Add tomato paste and stir, cooking the paste for a couple of minutes until it absorbs the fat and deglazes the pan.

Add the oregano, basil, red pepper, salt and bay leaf, stirring to combine.

Add the cans of tomatoes and sauce, then fill each can with water and add to the sauce.

Stir in sugar, parsley and pepperoncini, add back 2 meats and any accumulated juices, and bring sauce to a gentle boil.

Turn heat down to a simmer, partially cover and leave the sauce to simmer for 2 1/2 hours or more, stirring regularly.

About 20 minutes before serving, add back the meatballs and allow them to heat through. Remove bay leaf.

To serve, boil 1 pound of spaghetti according to package directions. Drain pan, add spaghetti back to pan and add 3 cups of sauce, or enough so all the spaghetti is generously coated.

Toss pasta in the hot pan for a minute, then put the pasta on a large platter. Pour 2 more cups of sauce over the pasta, then arrange meat and 2 meatballs per person.

Serve with a bowl of sauce and a bowl of Parmesan cheese to pass.

Per serving based on 8 servings, meatballs and sauce only: 692 cal.; 53 g pro.; 27 g carb.; 41 g fat (16 sat., 19 monounsat., 3 polyunsat., 3 other); 182 mg chol.; 2,029 mg sod.; 5 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 54 percent calories from fat.

Dear SOS: Will the Urban Tavern Restaurant in the Hilton Union Square, San Francisco share with you and all of us? We had “braised baby back ribs” served over a large-grain type of couscous. The ribs have interesting spices, like allspice, and were so tender we were able to eat them with a fork! I would love to know more about the grain they used too. It was tasty, and just the right accompaniment for the ribs.

-Lucia Arias, Northridge, Calif.

Dear Lucia: We loved these tender, braised ribs, richly flavored yet bright with notes of fennel, coriander, ginger and nutmeg and slow-cooked over a bed of diced apple and celery hearts. The restaurant uses St. Louis-style pork ribs, spare ribs that have been trimmed to give them a clean, mock baby back look. We tested the recipe using whole spare ribs and St. Louis-style racks and loved it both ways (be aware that you will need a very large roasting pan to fit two whole racks of spare ribs).

The restaurant serves their ribs with fregola, a large couscous-type pasta from Sardinia, and seasonal vegetables. Fregola is available at select gourmet and cooking stores; it is readily available online.

URBAN TAVERN’S SPICE-BRAISED PORK RIBS

Total time: 4 1/2 hours, plus overnight refrigeration and cooling times

Servings: 6 to 8

Note: Adapted from Urban Tavern. For St. Louis-style (or mock baby back) ribs, take a rack of spare ribs and trim the skirt meat along the underside of the rack, then remove the rib tips at the joint before removing the silverskin from the underside of the rack and trimming the edges to clean. Alternatively, ask your butcher to prepare the racks for you. The restaurant serves the ribs with fregola and seasonal vegetables.

SPICE RUB

1/2 cup fennel seeds

1/2 cup coriander seeds

2 tablespoons ginger powder

2 tablespoons ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder

1. In a medium saute pan heated over medium heat, toast the fennel and coriander seeds until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.

2. Grind the fennel and coriander seeds to a fine powder using a spice mill or coffee grinder, then combine with the ginger, nutmeg, paprika, salt, black pepper and cayenne powder to form a rub.

3. This makes a generous 1 cup rub, and you may not use all of it for the final recipe. Store the rub in an airtight jar or sealable plastic bag in a cool, dark place up to 4 to 6 weeks.

BRAISED PORK RIBS

2 racks pork ribs, preferably St. Louis-style, silverskin removed

Spice rub

1 cup apple cider

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups beef broth

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

2 1/2 cups diced apples, about 2 apples

2 1/4 cups diced onion, about 1 onion,

Scant 1 cup diced carrots, about 2 carrots

1 1/2 cups diced celery hearts, from about 1 bunch

1. Coat the rib racks generously on each side with the spice rub. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight to season.

2. The next day, in a large saucepan, bring the cider, chicken and beef broths and bay leaves to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Heat the oven to the broiler setting. Place the rib racks on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Broil the racks until browned on each side, about 2 to 4 minutes per side, depending on the heat of the broiler.

4. Reduce the oven heat to 300 degrees. In a large roasting pan, combine the diced apples, onion, carrots and celery heart, and place the seared ribs on top (pour any drippings from the rimmed baking sheet over the ribs). Pour over the hot broth.

5. Cover the pan tightly, first with parchment paper, then a layer of plastic wrap, then with a layer of foil, creating as tight a seal as possible. Place the covered pan in the oven and braise the ribs for 3 hours.

6. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the ribs completely. Skim the fat from the pan and set the ribs aside. Strain the braising liquid (we had about 1 quart) into a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the sauce by half.

7. To reheat the ribs, place the ribs in a roasting pan and pour the sauce over. Place the ribs in a 325-degree oven and heat until the ribs are warmed through before serving.

Each of 8 servings: 725 calories; 49 grams protein; 20 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams fiber; 50 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 191 mg. cholesterol; 10 grams sugar; 893 mg. sodium.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves 2

This restaurant-style recipe needs a thick steak and a heavy pan. But the steak should come out juicy and flavorful every time.

INGREDIENTS

Two (8-ounce) top sirloin steaks or filets, preferably 2 inches thick

2 slices thick bacon

Seasoning salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup mushrooms, quartered

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap one piece of bacon around edge of each steak; secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle seasoning salt and pepper on both sides of steak.

In a heavy ovenproof skillet, heat oil. Sear steak on one side, then sear the other. Add mushrooms to pan and stir just enough to coat with a little oil from the pan.

Place pan in center of oven. Roast for 9 minutes for rare, 11 minutes for medium rare. Remove from oven. Remove from oven and check for doneness (larger steaks may take more time). Pull toothpicks from steaks. Serve immediately with mushrooms on top of steaks.

Per serving: 541 cal.; 51 g pro.; 3 g carb.; 35 g fat (10 sat., 20 monounsat., 4 polyunsat., 1 other); 154 mg chol.; 646 mg sod.; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 59 percent calories from fat.

Rustic Moroccan-style lamb stew

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

This simple ground lamb from Darina Allen’s new cookbook, “Forgotten Skills of Cooking” (Kyle Books, $40, 600 pages), is a versatile dish that can be served with rice or pasta. It also could be used in a shepherd’s pie, accompanying it with mashed potatoes and corn.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground lamb

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram

1 fresh chili, seeded and chopped

Dash soy sauce

Salt and ground black pepper

Pinch sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large sauté pan over medium, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until tender and lightly browned.

Add the lamb and sauté until browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cumin, marjoram and chili. Stir to combine. Drain any excess fat. Season with soy sauce, salt, black pepper and sugar. Serve with rice or pasta.

Per serving: 404 cal.; 29 g pro.; 5 g carb.; 29 g fat (11 sat., 15 monounsat., 3 polyunsat.); 110 mg chol.; 254 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 66 percent calories from fat.