Apple Stuffed Pork Chop
I love pork and the other day, I got a huge hankering for it. This came about after talking to my mom,” Try cooking them in apple juice,” she said on the phone. So, my brain started planning the menu and after receiving beautiful apples, red onions, and a nice head of arugula from my CSA (community supported agriculture), the meal was set.
First, I went to Whole Foods and got three thick cut pork chops. These babies were about 1 1/2 inches thick and looked oh so good. At $7.99, it wasn’t too expensive, though three pieces cost me about $17. Once I got them home, I let them sit in a half cup of Red Jacket Orchards apple juice, for about an hour. Next, I stuffed them with a mixture of apple, fresh sage, pine nuts, dried cranberries, a little salt and pepper, a dash of tarragon, and a touch of olive oil. After the saucepan was heated, I poured the apple juice from the pan and put the chops in. Cooking them on medium heat, I rubbed brown sugar on one side of the pork chop and then let them simmer till each side was browned.
While I cooked the meat, I decided to caramelize the other half of the apple and a small red onion. Using about 6 Tbs of butter and 1/4 cup of brown sugar made enough sauce to cook the apple and onion, and left enough to drizzle on the finished pork chop. Taking the head of arugula, I evenly divided it on the plates, thinly sliced some radish and summer squash and put it around the dish, and set the meat right on top. I didn’t think the greens needed any sauce, since the sweet butter and juices from the meat coated it.
Voila! A delicious, though not healthy, local, and seasonal meal.
Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless pork chop
1 large apple sliced (Crispin works well)
1 small onion sliced
2-5 fresh sage leaves chopped
¼-cup pine nuts
¼-cup dried cranberries
Tbs olive oil
Tsp dried tarragon
Dash of salt and pepper
½-cup light brown sugar
6 Tbs butter
Head of Arugula
1 radish sliced
Pork Chop Procedure:
Dice 1/2 the apple and mix with olive oil, pine nuts, cranberry, sage and tarragon. Salt and pepper to taste.
Slice a pocket on the side of the pork chop.
Stuff as much of the mixture as you can into opening.
Place in hot pan.
Rub ¼-cup brown sugar on each pork chop, the side up only.
Cook until one side is browned and then flip.
Cook until browned, then cover with lid and let some of the apple juice steam into the pork chop for about 15 minutes.
Apple and Onion Topping Procedure:
Slice the other half of the apple.
Slice onion.
Melt butter in pan and mix in the remaining brown sugar.
Add onion and apple and coat them in the mixture.
Sautee on low heat about 10 minutes.
Put a heaping pile of apple and onion on finished pork chop and drizzle left over butter sugar sauce.
Serves 3
Time: 1 to 1 1/2 hours
October 6th, 2009 at 9:23 am
[...] other night I made stuffed pork chops. It was a lot of food and I couldn’t finish it! So, today I took the leftover meat, stuck [...]