Pesto Stuffed Pork Chops
Time for truth or
consequences. Do you like pork
chops? How about pesto? How about you don’t care one way or another?
It’s my pleasure, in the
spirit of the Christmas season, to bless all three groups equally. For the third group, I implore you to refrain
from drinking all the wine, beer, and brandy while the others of us are cooking
a remarkable dish that will please every one of your guests and even your very
iffy family.
As in all my dishes, as both
my faithful readers know, this one is simple.
I don’t do difficult dishes.
But, before we put knife to
the chopping board and heat to the oven, let’s take a look at pesto’s
origins. This won’t take long: Pesto started in Genoa around the 16th
Century. Simple and simply elegant. Fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan
cheese, and olive oil. But, really, any
combination of greens, garlic, nuts , cheese and olive oil will do. And, as in everything else we cook, tinker
with the ingredients to get the taste that fits your palate. Start with only
one clove of garlic if you must.
How about the pork chops? Need to mention those. I get my butcher to cut my chops about an
inch to an inch and a half thick. This
time they were about an inch and a quarter.
I also use only pork that comes from animals whose bodies were not enhanced
with growth hormones, unnecessary antibiotics, and other medicines and
chemicals.
Let’s
Get to It!
Prep time: About 20 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
First, heat the oven to 375ºF
(190ºC)
Have 4 big (bone in) pork chops
at room temperature.
Have a large baking dish
handy. You’ll put all 4 chops in it.
Now
make this version of pesto:
½ Cup fresh basil, chopped fine
before measuring
1 Cup, spinach chopped fine
before measuring (pack it down!) You may also use frozen spinach.
½ Cup Parmesan cheese
2 Cloves fresh garlic, chopped
¼ Teaspoon salt or to taste
1/3 Cup shelled pistachios
1/8 to ¼ Cup olive oil (Note:
You want this to be a thick paste, so be judicious and start small with the olive oil.)
Put all of the ingredients in
a food processor to make a smooth paste.
Give it a taste and add more of anything you want.
Prepare
the 4 Pork Chops
Make a pocket in each chop.
Rub them with olive oil and dust with salt and pepper, then stuff pesto in the
pockets, as much as you can.
Put the stuffed chops in the
baking dish, cover and slide it in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes. Take the dish out, uncover and slide it
back in the oven for another 25 minutes.
Caution: If you’ve cheaped out and are using thin pork
chops, you’re on your own to decrease
the cooking time and to explain to your hungry guests why you didn’t make more
of the most delicious pork chops they’ve ever tasted.
I served the chops over a
small bed of buttered pasta, accompanied by a side salad and a bottle of a nice
Pinot Grigio.
Famous names from Genoa,
Italy: Christopher Columbus, the
composer Paganini, John Cabot (English Italian) discovered Newfoundland.
Love pork chops, not crazy about pesto, though, but my wife makes it anyway and I eat it. I like the look on the chops in the photo; brownish on the outside. Will give Vilma the recipe. Salute.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pedro!
ReplyDelete