Apple Almond and Sage Stuffed Pork Chops

Apple Almond and Sage Stuffed Pork Chops

Spring has been a reluctant visitor here in Newfoundland this year. Even here in the far North East it has been colder than usual and now the seasonal rain, drizzle and fog seems to have settled in to keep company with the frigid temperatures...sigh. These butterflied pork chops were originally destined for the back yard grill but the cold and rain forced me to make other plans.

Embracing the make lemonade from lemons philosophy, I set out to make a comfort food meal to make myself feel a bit better about our hesitant spring which I hope we now bypass in favor of a straight jump into summer.

Unwilling to set out for a supermarket run in the rain, I took stock of what was on hand to work with. Some leftover toasted almonds that were sprinkled on a recent salad, some leftover fresh sage that I'd used in a recent roast chicken and a big bag of apples provided the inspiration for the stuffing in these chops. The combination of sweet apples, crunchy nuts and fragrant, earthy sage was fantastic and all complimented the pork beautifully.

To keep the pork from drying out, I used the pan rushing method where the chops are seared in a hot pan and then roasted in a hot oven to finish off the cooking. It worked perfectly and to complete the meal, we served the chops with some steamed, buttered asparagus and just to remind me that there was still still hope for a BBQ season, these Barbeque Spiced Roasted Potato Nuggets rounded out a perfect family dinner.

Apple Almond and Sage Stuffed Pork Chops

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

An old fashioned baked cornbread stuffing, with the added deliciousness of thyme, pecans and apples.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: About 1 hour including baking time for the cornbread.
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: About 8-10 servings
Ingredients

• 4 large butterfly cut pork loin chops 
• 2 cups crusty bread cubes
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 egg
• 2 small diced apples
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 small onion, diced small
• 1 stalk celery, diced small (optional)
• 1/3 cup chopped toasted almonds
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• pinch salt

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and add the garlic, onions and celery. Cook just until the onions have softened but not browned.
3. Toss the cooked onion mixture with the bread cubes, apples, sage, salt, pepper and melted butter.
4. Whisk together the eggs and chicken or vegetable stock well and pour evenly over the stuffing mixture.
5. Add the toasted almonds and toss well to combine.
6. Season the inside and outside of the butterflied chops with salt and pepper. Divide the stuffing between the 4 chops and press tightly into the butterfly cut.
7. Add a little oil to a large, oven safe cast iron or heavy bottom frying pan and heat over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, sear the chops for a couple of minutes on each side to brown them.
8. Place the frying pan directly into the hot oven for about 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees at the center of the meat and stuffing. 
9. Let the chops rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

Rosemary Dijon Grilled Pork Chops or Chicken

Rosemary Dijon Grilled Pork Chops or Chicken

Well, it may be a raining, drizzly miserable day right now in St. John's but we did manage to get some sun earlier in the week to have our first meal of the season off the back yard grill. We enjoyed these delicious pork chops which use a very simple marinade suitable for either chicken or pork. The Dijon and fragrant rosemary go very well together and I think are very complimentary to the pork chops. The touch of honey is meant to balance the tart mustard but it also helps create great grill marks and add caramelized flavor to the chops as well. It is a quick marinade and really doesn't need much more than 20 or 30 minutes before grilling.

Makes enough marinade for 4 to 6, 3/4 inch thick pork loin chops.

Marinade

• 3 tbsp whole grain Dijon Mustard
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 clove finely minced garlic

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together and pour over the pork chops in a glass dish or Ziploc bag. Turn the chops occasionally in the marinade.

Marinate for 20-30 minutes, covered at room temperature. You don't want cold chops to hit a hot grill or they are more likely to dry out.

Grill on a medium high temperature grill until fully cooked. I like the brush any remaining marinade over the pork chops as they grill. The internal temperature of the cooked pork chops should be 150 to 160 degrees F on a meat thermometer. (or 165-175 degrees F for chicken pieces)

Rosemary Dijon Grilled Pork Chops or Chicken

Curry Pork Chops with Easy Plum Chutney

Curry Pork Chops with Easy Plum Chutney

There's still plenty of great grilling days left in the season but even if there weren't these juicy chops would be easy to accomplish under the broiler as well. The chops need only be marinated for an hour or so but if you want to let them sit overnight to pick up maximum flavor that's perfectly fine too and will give you a head start on this beautifully seasoned pork recipe that's made even better with a sweet and sour, easy plum chutney. I've used yellow plums here while they were in season but the recipe can use any plums you like.

Serves 4

• 4 boneless center loin pork chops

Marinade

Mix together:

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp yellow curry powder
• 2 tbsp peanut oil

Rub the marinade all over the pork chops and place in a Ziploc bag in the fridge for an hour or two or overnight. Grill the pork chops until fully cooked. I use a meat thermometer to cook them to an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees F. Let the chops rest for 5 minutes before serving with the plum chutney.

Plum Chutney

Begin by sautéing together in a small pot for a few minutes until softened

• 1 small red onion chopped
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Add:

• 4 cups diced ripe plums
• 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger root 
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes (optional) or red curry paste/powder to taste

Simmer together gently for about a half hour until the mixture thickens and resembles a thick chunky jam. Serve over or along side the grilled pork chops.

Mango Rum Barbeque Sauce

Mango Rum Barbeque Sauce

I've been wanting to try this idea for a grilling sauce for a while now so when we planned some simple juicy grilled pork chops for dinner last week and with some ripe mangoes on the counter top at the ready I decided to give it a shot. Boy was it ever good! The sweet and tangy sauce with fragrant rum and spices was perfect with the thick juicy grilled pork chops that were simply marinated for just a half hour in garlic, lime juice and a pinch of cumin. If you'd rather not use the rum, some orange juice would make a good substitute. I can't wait to try it on chicken and maybe some grilled shrimp too.

In a medium saucepan heat over medium heat

• 3 tbsp olive oil

Add:

• 1 chopped white onion
• 3 cloves chopped garlic

Sauté together until the onions have softened but not browned. Add this to a food processor along with 

• 2 very ripe mangoes, diced

Puree together until very smooth. Add the puree back to the pot and add:

• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 cup rum
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (Optional or use more or less to taste)

Simmer together very slowly over low heat stirring every few minutes until the sauce thickens naturally into a consistency that is easy able to be brushed on whatever you are grilling. As you get nearer the end of the cooking time stir the sauce constantly to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Store in mason jars or airtight containers.

Spicy Barbeque Pork Chop Tacos with Chunky Avocado Salsa

Spicy Barbeque Pork Chop Tacos with Chunky Avocado Salsa

Last night I planned to make simple grilled pork chops using my Maple Chipotle Barbeque Sauce but number one son, Noah, had a yen for tacos. No problem, we combined the two into a very delicious dinner; compromise is what brings family harmony after all.

As the expression goes here in Newfoundland, we all went "face and eyes into it"! We had both hard and soft shell tacos on hand and they were both fantastic. We added some simple homemade chunky avocado salsa to the tacos too which made them even better. I'm always up for a quick, easy dinner idea and this was a particularly good one that I know we will be making again soon.

Spicy Barbeque Pork Chop Tacos with Chunky Avocado Salsa

Serves 4-6

Grill 

8 center loin pork chops

In the last minutes of grilling brush on a good spicy barbeque sauce. You can find my recipe for the Maple Chipotle Barbeque Sauce that I used here.

Let the chops rest covered in aluminum foil for 5 minutes before thinly slicing them across the grain.

Add the sliced pork to either warm soft or hard shell taco shells and top with the salsa.

Chunky  Avocado Salsa

Coarsely chop

2 small tomatoes

1 small red pepper

1 avocado

1/2 small red onion

Add

1 clove minced garlic

finely grated zest of one lime

juice of one lime

1 tbsp chipotle powder

1/2 finely minced jalapeño pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

season with salt and pepper

Toss together well.

Blueberry Plum Chutney on Pan Seared Pork Chops

Shown with pan seared pork loin chops and cinnamon baked sweet potatoes and apples.

In a medium sized pot sauté

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

1 medium sized red onion chopped

Add

1 large apple, peeled, cored and cut in chunks

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup brown sugar

¾ cup chopped dried plums

¾ cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 ½ tsp fresh grated ginger root

1 ½ cups apple juice

1 ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

½ tsp salt

½ tsp crushed or ground fennel seed

Simmer over low heat for about 30-45 minutes until almost all of the liquid has been boiled off and the mixture begins to resemble a thick jam. Great served with grilled meats.