Stuffed Pork Chops With Apple Cider Reduction
Christy Rost
| Ingredients: | |
|---|---|
| 6 | pork loin chops with bone, 1-inch thickness |
| coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1 | tablespoon olive oil |
| 1/3 | cup diced onion |
| 1/3 | cup peeled, diced apple |
| ¼ | cup snipped, dried apricots |
| 2 | tablespoons golden raisins |
| 3 | large cloves garlic, minced |
| 1 | cup chicken stock or broth |
| 4 | cups herb seasoned stuffing mix |
| 1/3 | cup fresh mixed herbs, chopped, such as thyme, oregano, basil, and rosemary |
| 1 to 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut a pocket for the stuffing in the center of each pork chop, season the chops with salt and freshly ground pepper, and set aside.
Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and swirl the oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Stir in the onion, apple, apricots, raisins, and garlic, and sauté the mixture 3 minutes or until the onion and fruit have softened.
Pour in the chicken stock, cover, and bring it to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the stuffing mix until it is thoroughly moistened. Stuff the pork chops with some of the stuffing mixture and tie the chops loosely with string.
Preheat a large skillet over medium heat until it is hot; add the remaining olive oil and swirl it to coat the bottom of the skillet. Sear the pork chops in the oil until they are brown, about 3 minutes, then turn and sear the other side. Transfer them to a roasting pan, reserving the skillet juices for the sauce, sprinkle each chop with chopped fresh herbs, and cover the roasting pan with foil. Roast the meat 20 to 25 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the chops, until the meat is tender and almost done. Remove the foil and roast 8 to 10 minutes more to brown the edges of the stuffing.
| Sauce: | |
|---|---|
| 2/3 | cup apple cider |
| 2/3 | cup chicken broth |
| coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1 to 2 | tablespoons cold unsalted butter |
| ¼ | cup flour |
Heat the reserved skillet over medium heat until it is hot. Deglaze the pan with the apple cider, and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the pan. Add the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook until the mixture has reduced by half, and strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a small saucepan.
Season the sauce with salt and freshly ground pepper and place it over low heat. Slice the butter into half-inch pieces and dredge them in the flour. Stir the flour-covered pieces, one at a time, into the sauce until it thickens slightly. Transfer the pork chops to a large serving platter and spoon the sauce over them. Serve immediately. If desired, re-warm any leftover stuffing and serve.
Recipe serves 6.
Category: Meat