It’s “not really stuffed” because we put the stuffing under the chop when we cook it rather than in it. This is a great recipe if you have time to prep it ahead, then just pop it in the oven for 30 minutes when you are ready to eat. Great for dinner parties, and it looks great on the plate when you are done.
We make the stuffing from scratch in this and that does make this recipe very special, but in a pinch you can use boxed stuffing (like Stove Top). Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 6 Pork Chops, about 1 inch thick
- 2 Granny Smith Apples peeled and sliced
- 6 Teaspoons apricot preserves
- S&P to taste
- Vegetable oil for cooking
For the Stuffing:
- 1 Pound leftover or stale bread cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 3/4 Cups melted butter
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 4 Stalks celery, chopped
- 1 Red pepper, chopped
- 2 Teaspoons Bells Seasoning
- 1-2 Cups chicken stock
- S&P
Directions: Preheat oven to 350º F
Make the stuffing first. In a large pan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the onion, celery, and red pepper and cook until softened. Add the seasoning and some salt and pepper. Stir in the bread until evenly coated. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock and mix well. You may need more stock depending on how “stale” your bread is. Stuffing should be slightly moist. Add more stock if any of the bread is still dry.
In a heavy frying pan, or on your outdoor grill, brown the pork chops with a little oil until they are just browned on both sides.
Assembly:
Spray a large baking pan with a little cooking spray. Place six baseball size scoops of stuffing on the pan.
You have a decision to make here. If your stuffing is very wet, then cook it for 20 minutes in a 350º F oven. The pork chops only need to cook for 30 minutes and that is not always long enough to cook the stuffing. You do not need to do this pre-cooking if you use boxed stuffing.
Remove from oven and top each stuffing mound with 2-3 slices of apple. Place the chop on top of each and press down so stuffing is about 1 inch thick. Add a couple more slices of apple and a teaspoon of preserves to each. Salt and pepper each. Cover with foil.
Cook for 20-30 minutes until pork is done.
Variations:
- As mentioned earlier, you can substitute boxed stuffing, but it’s not nearly as good as the home made.
- Use any kind of apples, or you could use pears or mangoes.
- Spicy pepper relish is great instead of the apricot preserves.
