The Culinary Works

When I make stuffed pork chops, I most often purchase a whole pork loin. I then divide it into 4 1 ½ inch chops and the rest is saved for a pork roast. I do this for two reasons; first, I can cut them from loin to the thickness I want. Second, it is much cheaper.

You can see Mark in the photo saving some of the pork cut offs for sausage and the size of this loin gave us 4 chops PLUS 2 pork roasts. He tied one to roast later and left one untied so we can stuff it. All of this meat, enough to feed 4 people 3 separate meals, was about $20. Big savings when you consider the package of 4 chops in the market is about $12.

Making the filling:

• 1 whole white onion
• 1 large head of fennel
• 4 baking type apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 2-3 Tablespoons dried herbs or fresh Rosemary

NOTE: Remember to keep the apple slices in cool acidulated (with a touch of lemon) water to keep them from turning brown until you are ready to use them.

Slice 1 white onion and 1 large had of fennel into ½ moon shapes and started them sautéing in a generous amount of olive oil over medium heat.  Add 4 sliced apples and herbs, salt and pepper. I used Herbes de Provence, but you could also use Thyme, Rosemary or Sage, or any combination. I prefer to use dry herbs in this recipe because this will cook for a long time in the pan and then inside the chop, the dry herbs hold up better and give a lot of flavor.

Allow the mixture cook, stirring occasionally until it breaks down and caramelizes. This allows the sweetness of the onion and fennel to come out and soften their flavors. Now you have some decisions. You can deglaze the pan with some various things, which just enhance the flavor of the filling. Calvados is my favorite. It is an apple-flavored liquor. Or, you could use whatever white wine you are serving with dinner. Apple juice would also work. Add about 2/3 a cup of your deglazing liquid and let it cook down.

Once the filling becoming jammy, spread out ½ the filling on a plate and put it in the fridge to cool off. The rest you can keep warm to use on the plate.

NOTE: Never stuff meat with hot filing, it causes the center to begin cooking right away, which can cause the finished product to be unevenly cooked.

Stuffing the chop:

Mark has sliced a pocket into the center of each chop, without going all the way through. I simply place a piece of the cheese in, then the filling. You don’t want to overfill it, as this extra filling will just slip out as the meet cooks, but get enough in there to be flavorful.

Cooking:

Season the stuffed chops with salt, pepper and whatever herbs you used in the filling.

Pan roasting is one of my favorite cooking methods. It produces meat with a crusty caramelized exterior and juicy interior. Plus, it’s pretty simple.

Get the pan hot. I chose one that would fit all 4 chops without any of them touching each other or the sides of he pan (use two pans if you don’t have one large enough), there must be no mingling in the pan. Once the pan is hot, add a couple tablespoons of canola oil and let the oil get hot. Once the oil is hot (Just as you see the first wisp of smoke), drop the chops in and then let them be, no messing with them. Once they have caramelized nicely on one side, they easily come up from the pan. Flip them and the slide the pan in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes. They should be somewhat firm to the touch once they cook through.

Plate them with some of the reserved filling and garnish. Cheers!

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