Johnny's Stuffed Pork Chops

Some things are better left alone. Things like, a really good steak, a really good scotch, or an idealistic outlook on love are just better if you don’t mess with them. Some things, on the other hand, can be, let us say, augmented to bring about a change for the better. When playing in the kitchen, start off with small, little things to make your dishes a little bit better. I am a firm believer in the Italian food philosophy that if you have great ingredients they should be the star of the show and all you have to do is let them shine. Unless you are making Mole you generally don’t need thirty ingredients. That is not to say that you should not try new things in the kitchen. The kitchen has always been a place in this world that I have felt safe and at peace and I think it should be that for everyone. It is this feeling that allows me to attempt pairings that I think might work and whether they succeed or they fail, the latter happens more often than not, I have learned a little more about food. This is a great thing.

            This recipe came out of that sort of experimental vibe that I like to have in my kitchen and the question: How the hell do I stuff a pork chop? There were many attempts at making this and some worked out better than others. That is the way things go sometimes but the end result turned out fantastic. I messed around with some different techniques to find which one worked best both in the cutting of the chop itself, the balance of the stuffing and what cooking method worked the best. To answer those questions for you:  a butterflied and pounded chop is the cut that worked best for me, the addition of goat’s cheese balanced the stuffing and pan roasting won the day for cooking method. I am sure that there are foodies out there who will say that this is not so much a stuffed chop but rather it is a roulade and a whole bunch of other fancy French terms and I am sure that they are right. To me, because of where the idea came from, it is Johnny’s stuffed pork chop. Now let’s get to it.

Johnny’s Stuffed Pork Chop to the tune of “Sunday Jen” by Slackstring

2 pork chops butterflied and pounded flat. If you don’t know what butterflying is, it is simply slicing your chop almost all the way through so that when you flip it open it looks like a butterfly

2 strips of bacon diced and fried until crispy

1 apple finely diced

¼ cup bread crumbs

A small chunk of mild goat’s cheese, this part is totally up to you I like lots and some will like less.

1 tsp of oregano

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp butter

½ cup dry white wine

Salt and pepper

-Preheat oven to 350. Lay your chops out flat and season with salt and pepper.

-In a bowl mix together the bread crumbs, bacon, apple, cheese and oregano.

-Spread your stuffing onto your chops just like you were buttering bread. Leave about ½ and inch on each end. Gently roll your chop up and tie with butcher’s twine, like a jellyroll. At this stage your chop should look like a mini roast.

-Heat oil in a heat proof sauté pan and sear off the chop. Move the pan to the oven and roast for about 10-15 minutes. It should not take much longer than that.

-Remove from the oven and set the chops aside to rest.

-Return the pan to the stove top and add the wine to deglaze the pan and reduce 3-4 minutes on high heat. Remove from heat add your butter and whisk together.

-Remove the twine and slice your chop. Top with the wine sauce. And there you have Johnny’s Stuffed Pork Chop. Enjoy it.

Keep rocking in the kitchen and I will talk to you all soon.