1 large finely diced scallion
paprika
black pepper
sea salt
sweet basil
parsley
garlic powder or 2 finely minced cloves
dill – just a dash
red pepper flakes
thyme
olive oil

Pork chops – no bone, 1 1/4 – 1 1/2″ thick
1 package of hickory smoked bacon
1 sweet yellow onion
toothpicks

Directions:
Combine all ingredients for rub in a bowl.  Ingredients should be in pretty equal amounts except for those marked. Use just a splash of salt (no more than 1tsp) because bacon will also provide some salt.  Unwrap pork chops and pat each dry with a paper towel.  Add just a dash of olive oil to each pork chop and massage in.  Rub each pork chop with a generous amount of rub on all sides. Set aside

Slice onion into rounds 1/2″ thick each.

Take one pork chop coated in rub, place onion on top.  Using toothpicks to secure, wrap Bacon around the chop to secure the onion on.  It may take more than one piece of bacon to wrap entire chop in a spiral.  Repeat with all chops.

While preheating, set your pork chops in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to rest.  Pre-heat oven to 375.  Place pork chops in a glass dish or foil lined pan and place in the oven for bake in oven for 25-30 min.  If using the BBQ Pork chops should be cooked using foil on a grill with medium to medium low heat for 45 min- 1hour or until cooked though. Pork should be at an internal temp of 160 or until pork is the palest white/pink and moist.  Remove toothpicks before serving (bacon will stay put) and allow meat to rest at least 5 minutes before serving to redistribute juices.

Black Bean Soup with Chipotle Crema and Tomato SalsaServes 8

- 4 ounce chopped bacon

- 1 onion chopped

- 1 rib of celery chopped

- 4 cloves of chopped garlic

- 3 or 4 cans black beans

- 8 ounces chicken stock

- 1 teaspoon Ezpazote muddled into dust

- 1 teaspoon cumin

- salt and pepper to taste

Render bacon, add celery, onions, and garlic and carmalize. Add black beans, chicken stock, Epazote, and cumin- cook until beans are tender. Puree until smooth and season to taste with pepper and salt. garnish with drizzled Chipotle Crema and a dollop of fresh tomato salsa.

Chipotle Crema

- one 7 ounce can chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

- 1 cup sour cream

Blend chipotle peppers and sour cream in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Tomato Salsa

- 2 vine ripened red tomatoes, seeded and diced to 1/4″

- 1 shallot diced

- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, pith removed, diced

- 1/2 clove garlic minced

- 1/2 bunch cilantro chopped

- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 oz dijon/spicy brown mustard
2 Tbs. teriyaki sauce
4 Tbs. cooked bacon
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Place chicken in a 9×13″ baking dish.  Slather each breast with mustard.  Poor teriyaki sauce evenly over all.  Add bacon bits then cover with cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes

- Also good if you use a strip of bacon then cheese.

For two years while still in college I used to work for a restaurant that rhymes with Shmearl’s (ok the name of the restaurant was earl’s – and yes the name is not capitalized.) Anyways, over two years of late night bartending, double shifts and having family come in to visit while I was working there were a lot of days when all I had time to eat was a bowl of soup. The soup of choice was Clam Chowder. I never got the recipe; I asked, but it was not given up despite knowing all the chefs and having them over to my house for parties quite often. So finally after I left the restaurant and after I had officially eaten my 1,000th bowl I decided to try and make the recipe up myself. So here it is, and it’s pretty damn close. Not to mention delicious!

Shmearl’s New England Clam Chowder
2-4 slices of center cut bacon diced
1 large onion cut diced
1/2 tsp. thyme (powdered or leaves)
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup of instant potato flakes or left over mashed potatoes
2 bottles of clam juice
2 cans minced clams (save clam juice for use in chowder)
6-9 new potatoes cubed (about 1/4″)
2 Carrots; sliced
3 roma tomatoes; diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
water
parsley
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, fry diced bacon over medium heat until half cooked (should be pink not red). There should be about 2 tbs. bacon fat in the pot now, but if there isn’t add a dash of olive oil to the pot. Add onion, carrots and potatoes and saute, stirring constantly, with bacon until fragrant and almost soft (about 5 minutes.) Add thyme and bay leaves and continue to stir for 30-45 seconds. Stir in clam juice from the bottles and clam juice taken from the cans. Add some water (about a cup if there isn’t enough liquid.) Bring liquid to a simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes soften. Starch from potatoes should thicken the liquid, but add the potato flakes or mashed potatoes to thicken it up if necessary. Stir in clams, heavy cream, tomatoes and parsley. Then use salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low and heat though. Serve.

Follow the Recipe Extra:
It will save you a lot of stress if you cut up and dice everything before even starting the chowder. Also, If you don’t trust yourself not to burn the bacon, pull it out before putting the potatoes, onion and carrots in. Throw it back in when you add the clam juice. I love the taste of clams, but hate the texture. With a food processor or sharp knife go back through the canned clams and finely mince. If you’re the opposite, feel free to use more clams and substitute the clam juice from them for the extra water.