Saturday, September 10, 2011

Stuffed Pork Chops

I am stuffing everything at the moment and having such a great time doing it. I don't know what it is about eating something that has been stuffed, it's so fulfilling!  Pardon the pun! Anytime I see something stuffed offered on a menu I know I'm usually in for a hearty meal.
There are so many different stuffings you can make depending on what you like to eat.  If you've been following me for a while you know that my family loves sausage. Let's get stuffing!
I started off with a rack of pork. Looks great, doesn't it? I cut the rack into individual chops.
In a pan I cooked the sausage, taken out of the casing with some garlic. After the sausage was cooked thoroughly it was pulsed in the food processor about 5 times.
I let the sausage cool and then added a pound of fresh chopped baby spinach leaves, and a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese. If you would like more cheese, go ahead and add it. I have big hands! LOL!
I added the stuffing to each of the chops and then seasoned the pork chops with salt and pepper.
I made an egg wash by beating a whole egg in a dish. I dipped the pork chops into the egg and then lightly dragged them through the flour, giving them a light dusting on each side. These went into a large frying pan that had a few tablespoons of olive oil and butter in it.  On high heat I seared each side of the pork chop to give it a lovely color.
After searing on both sides they went onto a parchment lined cookie sheet to finish in the oven.
They were baked in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15- 20 minutes on each side, for a total of 30 - 40 minutes. Don't over cook.
They were finished with a demi glaze porcini and mushroom sauce, and served! You can find my recipe for the sauce here.  Enjoy!  We did!
Buon Appetito
xoxoxo
Lorraine

2 comments:

  1. I have never had luck making these, as either the stuffing falls out while cooking or the stuffing isn't evenly distributed in the chop. It's hard to tell in the photo...
    ...is it a double chop (with 2 bones)
    ...how big a pocket did you carve out
    ...did you use toothpicks to keep the side closed?
    Finishing in the oven probably helps keep the stuffing in. That's what good restaurants do. I will have to try it again with your stuffing combo. The traditional plain bread stuffing does nothing for me. Sausage is one life's perfect foods. Instead of chops, I might buy just the whole boneless loin of pork and make as thick a slice as needed.

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  2. Some of the chops I cut into a double chop, but there were also single chops in the mix. I did not use toothpicks to keep them closed. When I make a pocket in the chop I don't slit open the side. I make a small slit in the middle of the chop and then using my knife I make the slit bigger on the inside of the chop, but the outside only shows a small opening. This helps the stuffing stay in, you do loose a little bit of the stuffing but nothing significant.
    My family loves sausage. I just stuffed some artichokes! YUM!

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