Recipes: Thick-cut pork chops with mojo sauce, and more Milk Street favorites

Makes 4 servings

After searing pork chops, the crusty, browned drippings left behind in the pan are ideal for adding rich flavor to the tangy mojo sauce. The juice of sour oranges is a key ingredient in traditional mojo cubano, but the fruits are difficult to find in the United States, so we

approximate their acidity and flavor with a combination of regular orange juice and lime juice. For brightest, freshest flavor, be sure to use freshly squeezed juices. Rather than serve whole chops, we carve the meat off the bone and slice it thinly. Fried plantains and/or rice and beans would be perfect accompaniments.

Use a neutral oil such as grape seed instead of extra virgin olive oil; it’s the better choice because of its high smoke point. But do use extra virgin olive oil to sauté the aromatics for the sauce. Olive oil’s fruity, peppery notes are an important flavor in Cuban-style mojo.

2 12- to 14-ounce center-cut bone-in pork chops, each 1 to 1½ inches thick, patted dry

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 tablespoon grape-seed or other neutral oil

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

½ small white onion, finely chopped

8 medium garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 sprig oregano

½ cup orange juice

¼ cup lime juice

1/3 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped

Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the neutral oil until barely smoking. Add the chops, reduce to medium and cook until well browned on the bottoms, 7 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chops and cook until well browned on the second sides and the thickest parts not touching bone register 135 degrees, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil.

In the now-empty skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until softened and beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cumin and oregano, then cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the orange and lime juices along with the accumulated pork juice, then bring to a simmer and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the mixture is slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and discard the oregano, then taste and season with salt and pepper; whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Transfer the chops to a cutting board. Cut the meat from the bone and thinly slice it. Return it to the platter, along with the bones (if desired). Pour on the sauce and sprinkle with the cilantro.

Makes 6 servings

Circassian chicken, çerkez tavugu in Turkish, is a popular meze dish and an elevated form of chicken salad. Cooked shredded chicken is dressed with a rich, creamy, bread-thickened garlic and walnut sauce, then served at room temperature. A rust-red oil made by infusing olive oil with Aleppo pepper or paprika is an elegant flourish that also brings earthy aroma and chili heat. This version of Circassian chicken is our adaptation of a recipe from Emine Nese Daglar, a home cook in Istanbul and grandmother of chef Cagla Gurses. To stale the bread for making the sauce, simply leave the slices out for a few hours; they should feel dryish on the surface but not brittle. Serve the salad with warm pita bread. We also like sliced radishes and pickles on the side.

Be careful not to add too much broth when pureeing the walnut sauce. If the sauce is too thin, it will not cling to the chicken. Start with the smaller amount of broth and add only as much as needed. If you find after dressing the chicken that the mixture is too thick, mix in additional broth a little at a time. Also, don’t discard the remaining broth. Save it for use in another recipe that calls for chicken broth.

3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or thighs

1 medium yellow onion, root end intact, peeled and quartered lengthwise

5 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

About 10 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, plus ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

3 slices stale white sandwich bread (see headnote), crusts removed (about 4 ounces)

1 cup walnuts, chopped

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon salted butter, cut into 2 pieces

1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper or 2 teaspoons sweet paprika

In a large pot, combine the chicken, onion, garlic, parsley sprigs, 1½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and 7 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then cover, reduce to low and cook, occasionally turning the chicken, until the thickest part of the largest breast (if using) reaches 160 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes, or the thickest part of the largest thigh (if using) reaches 175 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a large plate; set aside until cool enough to handle.

While the chicken cools, strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Transfer the garlic cloves to a blender jar; discard the remaining solids. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, lower each slice of bread into the broth just until fully moistened; using your hands, gently squeeze to remove excess liquid and add the bread to the blender. Measure 3 tablespoons walnuts and set aside for garnish; add the remainder to the blender. Start the blender, then remove the center cap on the blender lid. With the blender running on high, stream in about ¼ cup broth and puree until the mixture is smooth and has the consistency of pourable yogurt; leave the sauce in the blender and set aside.

Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding the skin and bones. Add the meat to a large bowl. Measure 1 cup of the sauce and add to the chicken along with the lemon juice; toss. If the mixture is too thick, stir in additional broth a few teaspoons at a time to thin. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.

Onto a serving platter, spoon the remaining sauce and spread in an even layer. Spoon the chicken mixture on top and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and reserved walnuts.

In an 8-inch skillet over medium, heat the oil and butter until the butter melts. Add the Aleppo pepper and cook, swirling the pan, until the mixture is fragrant and the fat takes on a reddish hue, about 1 minute. Drizzle the mixture over the chicken and serve.

Makes 4 servings

José Andrés taught us this “end of month” recipe — the sort of meal to make quickly with whatever is on hand. His approach: garlic cooked in copious amounts of olive oil with thinly sliced stale bread and several tablespoons of smoked paprika. Add some water and simmer, then off heat whisk in four or five eggs. For our version, we realized the bread, garlic, and smoked paprika we had in our cupboards weren’t up to Andrés’ standards. So we boosted the flavor by using chicken broth instead of water, and we sautéed both sweet and smoked paprika with garlic and scallions. And instead of using stale bread, we turned a loaf of rustic sourdough (a baguette or any crusty loaf will do) into delicious croutons.

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more to serve

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens reserved separately

6 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

4 teaspoons sweet paprika

1½ teaspoons smoked paprika

6 ounces sourdough or other rustic bread, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 4 cups), divided

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

4 large egg yolks

In a medium saucepan over medium-low, combine 3 tablespoons oil, the scallion whites, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to color, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add both paprikas and cook, stirring, until fragrant and darkened, 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of the bread cubes and stir well. Stir in the broth, then bring to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce to medium-low and cook, whisking occasionally to break up the bread, for 15 minutes. Whisk vigorously to ensure the bread has fully broken down.

While the broth mixture cooks, in a 12-inch skillet over medium, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the remaining bread, the scallion greens, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread is browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

When the broth mixture is done, in a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Remove the pan from the heat. Gradually whisk 1 cup of the hot broth mixture into the yolks to temper them. With the pan still off the heat, vigorously whisk the egg yolk mixture into the soup. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Divide the toasted bread among individual bowls. Ladle the soup into the bowls and drizzle with additional oil.

Christopher Kimball is the founder of Milk Street, home to a magazine, school, and radio and television shows. Globe readers get 12 weeks of complete digital access, plus two issues of Milk Street print magazine, for just $1. Go to 177milkstreet.com/globe. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.