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Fast & Easy Dinner: Pork Chops Stuffed With Sundried Tomatoes and Spinach

YumSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:45:19 -0700

Stuffed pork chops. When I see those three little words, I get weak in the knees. And when the stuffing involves sundried tomatoes and goat cheese, I am pretty much powerless to resist the stuffed pork chop's charms. So when I happened to catch Giada de Laurentiis making this recipe on TV a few Sundays ago, I had my dinner idea for the night.

Despite a fancy-sounding name and a surfeit of decadent ingredients, this pork recipe is incredibly simple to make. It starts with frozen spinach, cooked in a skillet with sundried tomatoes then mixed with goat cheese and cream cheese for the filling. Simply slice a pocket in the pork chops and cook on the stove until golden brown. As a bonus, the leftovers made great next-day sandwiches. To get the recipe, read more.

Pork Chops Stuffed With Sundried Tomatoes and Spinach
Giada de Laurentiis / Food Network

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus 1 Tbsp.
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 sundried tomatoes, diced
1 (10-ounce) bag of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese
1/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese
4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork chops
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 lemon, zested
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Directions

Warm the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sundried tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until combined, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the goat cheese and the cream cheese. Stir to combine and set aside.
Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the thickest portion of the pork chop. Stuff each pocket with 1/4 of the spinach and sundried tomato mixture and close the pork around the stuffing. Season the outside of the pork with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl combine the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mustard.
Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the pork. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a side dish and tent with foil to keep warm. Add the chicken broth mixture to the skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the chicken broth simmers. Reduce the broth by half to make a light sauce, about 8 minutes. Spoon some sauce over the pork before serving.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Moroccan Stuffed Pork Chops

partysugar — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 05:28:11 -0800

It's easy to transport oneself to a foreign place with a savory, scrumptious dinner. Besides, making a meal with new taste flavors adds excitement to the boring workweek. Tonight take a trip to Morocco with these fragrant stuffed pork chops. Filled with bursting dried fruit, toasted pine nuts, and sweet cornbread, these chops are divinely delicious. Sautéed spinach rounds out the meal by adding a splash of green. For the recipe, read more.

Moroccan Stuffed Pork Chops
From Rachael Ray

1/4 cup pine nuts
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cups small pieces prepared cornbread
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dried currants or raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Four 1-inch-thick bone-in pork chops (8 ounces each)
Salt and pepper
Two 6-ounce bags baby spinach

In a medium skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium heat for 3 minutes; transfer to a medium bowl.
Add 1 tablespoon butter and the onion to the pan and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes; add to the pine nuts.
Stir in the cornbread pieces, chicken broth, currants and cinnamon until combined.
Slice each pork chop in half horizontally, up to the bone. Spread the chops open and season with salt and pepper. Form the stuffing into 4 patties. Place 1 patty inside each pork chop and close the meat around the stuffing.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the chops, cover and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and let stand for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in the skillet, cook the baby spinach until just wilted. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and season with salt and pepper.
Divide the spinach among 4 plates and top with the pork chops; drizzle any juices on top.

Serves 4.

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'Wich of the Week: Italian Pork With Goat Cheese

YumSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:00:14 -0700

Though I love making sandwiches from scratch, some of the best sammies are the ones thrown together using the previous night's leftovers, don't you agree? In fact, when I sat down to eat this delicious stuffed pork the other night, I was already thinking about the sandwich I'd make with the leftovers.

So, if you decide to whip up Tuesday's Fast & Easy Dinner, I highly recommend saving at least one pork chop for the next day. That's all you need to make two of these yummy sandwiches; the filling is so decadent and creamy, I didn't even use condiments. To see how I made them, read more.

Here's what you'll need:

One pork chop stuffed with sundried tomatoes and spinach
Four slices of multigrain bread, toasted (I used my fave from Alvarado Street Bakery)
Four leaves of butter lettuce

To make the sandwiches:

Preheat oven to 300°F.
Slice the pork chop horizontally, so the filling is exposed, to produce two thinner slices of pork. Distribute the filling evenly on the two halves of the pork chop.
Place the pork, cheese side up, on a baking sheet and heat until warmed through, for about 10 minutes.
To make each sandwich, place two pieces of butter lettuce on one slice of bread. Top with pork, cheese side up. Top with remaining slice of bread and serve.

Makes 2 sandwiches.

Sunday BBQ: Grilled Pork Chops and Onions

partysugar — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 06:00:31 -0700

Since I saw Yum's spinach stuffed pork chops, I've been craving thick cut chops. However, it's too hot to cook inside, so my pork will be hitting the grill. This recipe sounds succulent and scrumptious.

The pork is coated lightly with flour and served with a grilled lemon and onion mixture. Once grilled, the lemons are caramelized and juicy. To take a look at the recipe, read more.

Grilled Pork Chops and Onions
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

4 lemons, halved crosswise
3 medium red onions, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 large Vidalia onions, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 pork chops (each about 6 ounces, 1 1/2 inches thick), trimmed
All-purpose flour, for dusting

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high.
Grill lemons, cut sides down, until marked, 5 minutes.
Brush onions with oil, and grill, flipping once, until soft, about 5 minutes per side. Grill rosemary until fragrant, 20 seconds.
Remove rosemary leaves from sprigs, and toss with juice from 2 grilled lemons, onions, oil, salt, and pepper.
Season pork chops with salt and pepper, and coat with flour, shaking off excess. Grill chops on the hottest part of the grill, flipping once, until marked, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
Move chops to edge of grill, and cover. Cook, flipping once, until a meat thermometer registers 145 degrees for medium, about 2 minutes per side.
Transfer to a plate. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Serve with remaining lemons and onion mixture.

Serves 4.

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Monday's Leftovers: Thai Pork Roll-Ups

partysugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:44:37 -0700

Use exotic flavors to transform leftover grilled pork chops into an exciting new meal. In this recipe, strips of pork, red onion, ginger, and shredded broccoli fill a wrap. A generous slathering of a simple peanut sauce finishes off the stuffed wrap. It makes for a great on-the-go meal.

To take a look at the recipe, read more.

Thai Pork Roll-Ups
From Better Homes and Garden magazine

Ingredients

6 8- to 10-inch spinach, tomato, and/or plain flour tortillas
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 ounces pork tenderloin, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
1 tablespoon cooking oil
4 cups packaged shredded broccoli (broccoli slaw mix)
1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 recipe Peanut Sauce, see below

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Wrap tortillas in foil. Bake in preheated oven about 10 minutes or until warm.
Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl combine garlic salt and pepper. Add pork strips, tossing to coat evenly.
In a 10-inch skillet cook and stir seasoned pork in hot oil over medium-high heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until no longer pink, turning to brown evenly.
Turn heat down if pork gets too brown. Remove pork from skillet; keep warm.
Add shredded broccoli, onion, and ginger to skillet. Cook and stir for 4 to 6 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from heat.
To assemble, spread one side of each tortilla with Peanut Sauce. Top with pork strips and broccoli mixture.
Roll up each tortilla, securing with a wooden toothpick if necessary. Serve immediately. Makes 6 roll-ups.

Serves 6.

Peanut Sauce: in a 1- to 1-1/2-quart saucepan combine 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter; 3 tablespoons water; 1 tablespoon sugar; 2 teaspoons soy sauce; and 1 clove garlic, minced. Heat over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until peanut butter mixture is smooth and warm. Use immediately or keep warm over very low heat, stirring occasionally.

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