Sunday, March 13, 2011

Apple and Onion-Stuffed Pork Chops


As a kid, I really didn't like pork chops much... I always remember them being dry and chewy! As an adult, I have come to really enjoy them! And as a Paleo enthusiast... I love their versatility in a recipe! Tonight's dinner was one I found on the Food Network (and made only minor changes). We completely enjoyed this (even the kiddos)... So, I give this a "highly recommend" rating.
Now, if we could only figure out who gets the (1) leftover chop for lunch tomorrow?!?
... Ro Sham Bo?

Recipe:
4 boneless pork chops, about 1 inch thick
2 slices bacon, roughly chopped
1 large sweet onion
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and thinly diced
olive oil
2 T pineapple juice & 6 oz pineapple juice
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground sage
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
ground black pepper
pinch sea salt
1 T fresh parsley
1 T fresh lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Gently cut a pocket horizontally in the side of the pork chop. Season the outside of the chops with some freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. In a skillet over medium heat, saute the bacon. When it starts to crisp, add the onions, thyme and sage. Cook until onions start to caramelize (about 10 minutes). Pour mixture in a bowl. Add apples and 2 T pineapple juice to the bowl and mix well. Stuff each pork chop with the mixture and secure the opening with toothpicks (there will be leftover filling). In the same skillet, add olive oil to coat pan and heat to medium-high heat. Sear the pork chops on both sides until golden brown. Transfer to a baking dish, and bake for 20-25 minutes. While pork chops are cooking, add pineapple juice to skillet and deglaze pan. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook until it reduces (about 5 minutes). Add leftover apple, onion and bacon mixture to skillet. Add lemon zest and fresh parsley. Pour sauce over the pork chops and serve! YUM! :-)


9 comments:

smithma7 said...

Making this now. Can't wait until it's ready. :)

BTW, you don't mention when to add the cinnamon. I guessed. Hope I guessed right. ;)

Emily said...

I made this yesterday and it was delicious. I made a few modifications (regular onion; lemon juice instead of pineapple juice) and it still tasted good. I added the cinnamon when I mixed everything in the bowl with the apples and it tasted fine to me. I just wish the package of pork chops I bought had 4 instead of 3. I will be making this again soon.

Anonymous said...

SOOOOO GOOD! Thanks Kelly! xoxo

Unknown said...

I made this for dinner last night, but I made a couple of modifications. First, I didn't use any bacon because I don't really like bacon, so instead of using the grease from the bacon to saute the onions, I just used a little butter and coconut oil. Another person mentioned not knowing when to use the cinnamon, and now that I think of it, the recipe never said when to add it so I forgot completely. All in all it was a tasty dish, although I think the pork cooks rather quickly in the pan when searing, so it ended up being slightly overdone with the allotted time in the oven. I'd suggest using a super thick piece of pork if your attempting this recipe, or cutting the baking time down, and using your best judgment when to take it out of the oven.

Kelly Greco said...

Thanks for the feedback! I added the cinnamon when I added the apples and pineapple juice to the onion mixture. And YES... cooking time will definitely depend on the thickness of the pork chop! Thank you everyone for giving this one a GO! :-)

Anonymous said...

Loving this recipe! Thank you so much. ♥

Eddel29 said...

great post, I really like it. Thanks for posting. :)

Anonymous said...

When were we supposed to add the cinnamon? I bought some to do with this recipe and then never saw a place to add it and totally forgot when I was cooking it.

i just love stuff. said...

This was awesome, thanks for the recipe! My mods:

Lemon juice in place of pineapple. The only pineapple I had was frozen in chunks, so I minced up a few pieces and threw it in with the apple-onion-bacon mix.

Added some tarragon to the sage/thyme mix.

Added some balsamic glaze + cinnamon to the apple-onion-bacon topping.

YUMS. :)


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