Italian Sausage Stuffed Pork Chop Recipes

ITALIAN-STYLE PORK SAUSAGE

Steps:

• In a small skillet, toast fennel seeds over high heat, shaking the pan to keep seeds from burning, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer seeds to a bowl. Add ground fennel, salt, black pepper, sugar, and nutmeg or anise. If making hot sausages, add red-pepper flakes and cayenne pepper as well. Stir to combine. Set seasoning blend aside.
• If you are grinding your own sausage, fit meat grinder with a 1/2-inch die (or the larger of the two dies, if using a grinder with only two sizes). Pass meat through grinder into a large bowl. Meanwhile, mix seasoning blend with 1 1/2 ounces water. Sprinkle seasoning blend over meat and toss gently with hands to distribute evenly. Pass meat through grinder a second time, using the same die. (If using preground meat, gently toss with seasoning.) Cover bowl and refrigerate until ready to stuff sausages.
• Transfer meat to a sausage stuffer or stand mixer fitted with a sausage stuffing attachment and plastic stuffing tube. Put a baking sheet or bowl below stuffing tube to catch sausages as they are stuffed.
• Carefully slide the casing onto stuffing tube. Leave about 3 inches of casing hanging off end of tube. Begin cranking sausage meat into casing, guiding stuffed sausage with one hand to keep meat moving consistently through casing so sausages are neither overstuffed nor understuffed. As casing is stuffed, curl sausage into a coil.
• When all sausage has been stuffed, slide remaining casing off tube and tie a knot at both ends as close to the meat as possible. Twist sausages several times to create links every 4 inches, alternating the direction you twist. Store in a resealable bag and cook within 1 week of making, or freeze up to 3 months.

STUFFED ITALIAN PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Remove sausage meat from casing.
• Fry meat, garlic, chopped onion in olive oil until meat is cooked and garlic and onion are brown.
• Lower heat on frying pan and add the stewed tomatoes.
• Slowly cook mixture for about 15 minutes, stirring so contents do not stick to pan.
• Empty contents into a separate dish and add bread crumbs, basil and red pepper.
• Stir until mixture is moldable.
• Cut thick pork chops down the side to make a pocket.
• Stuff each pork chop with stuffing mixture until full.
• Use toothpicks to hold chops together.
• In frying pan, add chicken broth, mushrooms and some chopped garlic.
• Cook until garlic is brown.
• Add pork chops.
• Cook pork chops on low heat until meat is white (about one hour).
• Baste chops with juices from pan.
• Serve with mushrooms on top of each pork chop.
• Serves eight.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook shells in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet; place drained pasta on baking sheet to cool.
• Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a heavy skillet. Cook and crumble sausage until it has lost its pink color and begins to brown. Remove from heat; drain off grease.
• Stir half of the shredded cheese and the Italian seasoning into the browned sausage. Spoon mixture into the pasta shells (1 to 2 tablespoons per shell). Arrange stuffed shells in prepared baking dish. Pour marinara sauce evenly over the shells. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven until heated through and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake until browned, 5 to 10 more minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of Italian seasoning, if desired.

NENNI'S ITALIAN PORK SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Combine the pork cubes with the garlic powder, fennel seed, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and parsley; grind through a coarse plate. Mix in the white wine and grind again. Stuff into the rinsed hog casings, twisting into 4-inch lengths. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the seasonings to infuse into the meat before cooking or freezing.