What a great fall meal this is! Apples are in season and this stuffing is a great compliment to a thick cut chop - in this case an Iowa chop. As with most of my recipes, this one is flexible in terms of what you put into your stuffing. Also, you can obviously double or triple the amounts for more servings. Just be careful to check the final cooked temperature of the pork with a meat thermometer. According to this article from the USDA, pork is safely cooked at 160 degrees.To Start:
2 thick-cut pork chops - ask to have the pocket cut for you at your grocery store if you are unsure about how to do it. I used a good pair of kitchen shears to cut the pocket.
Stuffing:1 whole apple, cored and chopped with skin on
1/2 C bread crumbs - I had seasoned croutons on hand and crushed those up
1/2 C chopped pecans
1/2 C crumbled blue cheese - feel free to substitute another cheese
1/4 C snipped fresh chives - or 2 tsp dried - or substitute finely chopped onion
1 slightly beaten egg
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all together and stuff tightly into pork chops. You can use skewers to secure the stuffing in the pocket if you need to.
Place stuffed chops into a greased baking dish which is big enough to hold them without being crowded, pour a little apple juice (and a splash of sherry?) in the bottom for moisture if you wish, cover and bake at 350 for 45 min. Then remove the cover (foil) and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned and at the safe temperature of 160 degrees.
This made the whole house smell like Thanksgiving!
