Stuffed Pork Chops

Pork chops are a perennial favorite among many families, in large part due to how easy it is to cook them. Since they are so easy to make, pork chops can also get to be a bit boring after a while. If you are looking for a nice twist, then why not try some stuffed pork chops? All you need to do is follow this recipe for some apple stuffed pork chops, and you will have a dish your family begs to have again and again.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 2-2/3 cups chopped apples
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1-3 cup chopped celery
• 1-1/2 tablespoon chopped onion
• 1-1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2-3/4 teaspoons chopped parsley (fresh)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 8 pork chops (at least 1-1/4 inch thick)

Recipe:

1. Preheat. Unlike most pork chop recipes, you will end up doing a bit of baking with this one. This means that you will need to preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. By the time that you are finished with all the prep work, your oven should be ready to go.
2. Butterfly the pork chops. Before you can stuff the pork chops, you have to have a place that can get stuffed. This is done by slicing the chops in half in the side of the chop. This is called butterflying the chops, and in effect what you are doing is creating a large pocket that you can then place the stuffing into. Do not cut the pork chops all the way through, just mostly. Leave at least 1/2 inch of meat connecting the two sides together to act as a hinge. Place the chops off to the side.
3. Saute onions. Use a large skillet, and place your butter into it. Heat up the butter until it has melted, and then place the onions into the melted butter. Saute the onions until they are tender and remove the skillet from the heat.
4. Make the stuffing. Before the skillet has a chance to cool completely, begin adding your other stuffing ingredients. This means that you need to add the breadcrumbs, celery, parsley, salt, and apples. Mix everything together until it has made a fairly moist stuffing mixture.
5. Stuff and tie. Pick up one of the pork chops, and begin spooning the stuffing into the pocket you made earlier. When you are finished with spooning the mixture in, you may want to use some cooking twine and tie the pork chop closed. Repeat the process for each and every other pork chop. Lightly sprinkle each side of the chops with salt and pepper.
6. Sear the chops. In a skillet (preferably a different one than you used earlier) begin heating your oil on a medium high heat. Once the oil is heated, place the pork chops in. Brown, or sear, each side of the pork chops and then remove them. You are not going to be cooking the pork chops all the way through at this time.
7. Bake. As you remove the pork chops from the skillet, place each one into an ungreased baking dish. You will want to use a 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish if possible. When you have all the pork chops in the dish, cover it with some aluminum foil and place the dish into the preheated oven. Allow the pork chops to bake for 30 minutes. After that time has passed remove the foil covering, and allow the pork chops to bake for another 30 minutes.

Another way to tell when the pork chops are finished is when the juices start to flow clear. After that happens, you can go ahead and remove the baking dish from the oven, and serve up the meal. You may want to allow the pork chops to cool (and settle) for about five or ten minutes before you begin eating, but for all intents and purposes, you are finished. Enjoy!