January 09, 2005

"Stuffed" Pork Chops Recipe

Recipe Concept Courtesy of Rachael Ray

I love Rachael Ray's show "30 Minute Meals." I have found a number of recipes that are now "regulars" with my family. There are times, however, that some of the ingredients she uses don't really "fit" with the food combinations my family enjoys. The following recipe for stuffed pork chops is no exception. I love the recipe idea - pork chops that you can make quickly on the stove with a stuffing you place between 2 thin chops. You can see the original recipe here. I don't care for celery, though, and I've never been fond of apples in my stuffing, so here is my version of "stuffed" pork chops:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil, plus some for drizzling
2 slices bacon, chopped
10-12 small mushrooms, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly chopped sage leaves, or 1 teaspoon ground dried sage
2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried leaves
Freshly ground black pepper & kosher salt
2 store bought corn muffins
8 thin boneless center cut pork loin chops

Instructions

Preheat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and bacon to the skillet and cook 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and onion and season the mixture with herbs, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium. Cook vegetables 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Crumble the corn muffins into the pan and combine stuffing. If you find the stuffing a little dry, you can drizzle some chicken broth, skim milk or even water into the pan until it is moist to your liking. I like mine on the moist side, so I've found a need to have some chicken broth on hand as well (but I've used milk and water and both are equally good).

Preheat a large skillet or grill pan over medium high heat. Drizzle chops with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook chops 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Do not over cook. The chops should be firm but still giving off juices.

To assemble stuffed chops, set a thin chop on dinner plate or serving plate. Mound the pork chop with stuffing, allowing some to spill onto the plate, then top with a second chop. Repeat with 3 remaining servings.

What I serve this with: The meat and the stuffing are pretty filling. I will usually pair this with a salad, or a nice veggie dish such as asparagus or green beans. On Rachael's show, she makes some smashed potatoes, and at times I will include those as well, along with a nice pan gravy made from the pork chop drippings (yum!).