Stuffed Pork Chops With Roasted Vegetables And Soft Polenta Recipes

ROASTED LAMB CHOPS WITH HARISSA

Steps:

• For the lamb: Remove 2 ribs from each rack to make it a 6-rib rack: Do this by starting from either end and removing the second and seventh bone. This creates 6 chops that are thicker than a normal lamb chop -- YUM!! Cut each rack into 6 equal chops, place on a baking sheet, and transfer to the fridge.
• For the harissa: Preheat a grill.
• Place the bell peppers on the grill and cook them on all sides until the skin is black and charred. Transfer the peppers to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let them hang out until cool. HINT, HINT: This can totally be done ahead! YAY!
• Scrape the black charred skin off the peppers and remove the stem and seeds. Coarsely chop the peppers and transfer them to the bowl of a food processor.
• Add the cumin, coriander, fennel, caraway, chiles, garlic, vinegar, and tomato paste to the food processor and season with salt. Puree until smooth.
• Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil to the mixture and pulse, pulse, pulse. Add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and pulse again until thoroughly combined. Taste and season with salt. Taste again and re-season if needed. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
• To make the lamb: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Remove the lamb from the fridge, season generously with salt, and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring the pan to medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, add the lamb chops and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium rare (if you like your meat a little more well done, lower the heat and cook them a minute or 2 longer). If the pan begins to smoke, lower the heat. The chops will be beautifully browned on each side. Stand up the chops to brown the fat edge along each chop. YUM!!! Brown food tastes good! Place the cooked chops on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven to keep them hot while the others cook.
• Top each lamb chop with a spoonful of harissa and serve.

PERFECT SOFT POLENTA

Steps:

• In a 4-quart saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
• Slowly whisk in the polenta. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta is hydrated, about 2 hours.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the mascarpone, Parmesan and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil and more Parmesan, if desired.

OVEN-BAKED STUFFED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Place pork chops in a large bowl and season all sides with adobo seasoning, sazon seasoning, garlic powder, pepper, and salt; add 2 tablespoons Italian dressing and flip to coat.
• Bring 1 1/2 cups water and margarine to a boil in a saucepan; add stuffing mix and cover. Remove saucepan from heat and set aside until stuffing absorbs water, about 5 minutes; fluff with a fork.
• Remove pork chops from bowl, reserving liquid and seasonings. Lay each pork chop flat on cutting board and with a sharp knife held parallel to the board, cut a pocket into the pork, leaving 3 sides intact. Stuff each pork chop with stuffing and close pocket using a toothpick.
• Arrange pork chops on a baking sheet. Mix remaining 1 tablespoon Italian dressing and 1 tablespoon water with reserved juices from pork chops; pour over pork chops.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pork chops are cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

VEGGIE STUFFED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Cut a"pocket" into the pork chop by cutting it horizontally, toward the bone on the thickest side for stuffing.
• Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.
• Cook vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender, remove from heat.
• Stir cheese, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper into the vegetable mixture.
• Fill pocket with the mixture.
• Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.
• Cook pork in oil for approximately 5 minutes, turning once until light brown.
• Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and place in 13x9 baking pan.
• Cover tightly and bake for 30 minutes.
• Uncover and bake another 30 or no longer pink in center.

ROASTED VEGETABLE AND POLENTA SALAD

Steps:

• Place a rimmed baking sheet in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450˚ F. Combine the sweet potatoes, broccoli, red onion and tomatoes in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of pepper; toss well. Spread out on the hot pan and roast, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon vinegar, scraping up any stuck bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Meanwhile, cut the polenta into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 24). Heat 2 more tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sage leaves and cook until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to drain. Add the polenta pieces to the remaining oil in the skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, until the polenta pieces release easily from the pan and are golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Toss the salad greens with the remaining 1 tablespoon each olive oil and vinegar and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Divide among shallow bowls. Top evenly with the warm roasted vegetables and polenta along with any extra olive oil from the skillet. Break the goat cheese into bits and sprinkle over the salad. Tear the fried sage and sprinkle on top.

PORK CHOPS WITH ROASTED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Roast peppers directly over the flame of a gas-stove burner or under a broiler, turning often, until charred on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plastic bag, and let stand 15 minutes. Peel peppers, and discard stems, seeds, and ribs. Tear flesh into thick strips.
• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Generously season chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown chops on both sides, turning once, about 4 minutes total.
• Stir in garlic and capers, and cook 30 seconds, stirring to prevent garlic from burning. Add wine, and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits as wine reduces to a glaze, about 3 minutes. Add roasted peppers.
• With pan still very hot, add vinegar, and cook 2 minutes, swirling skillet as vinegar bubbles. Reduce heat to medium. Cover, and cook until chops are cooked through and internal temperature reaches 138 degrees (they should be slightly pink inside), 4 to 5 minutes. Serve pork chops and peppers over polenta.

SOFT POLENTA WITH PANCETTA AND BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Make the polenta and keep it warm. Unwind the pancetta into a long strip and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch wide pieces. Heat together the pancetta and the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook slowly until well-browned and crisp. Tilt the pan to collect the fat in a little pool against the side and scrape the pancetta into the fat. Cook for another minute to make sure the pancetta is very crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Set the pancetta aside.
• There should be about 2 tablespoons fat remaining in the pan. If not, add a little olive oil. Turn the heat to medium-high and heat until hot. Add the garlic and saute briefly until light brown. Add the thyme, stir, add the stock, and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by about half. Add the broccoli rabe, season with salt and pepper, toss well, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Pour the polenta into a warm serving dish or bowl and pour the vegetables over it. Sprinkle with the reserved pancetta.
• Combine the stock and cream in a heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the polenta and semolina, and cook over very low heat, whisking regularly, until the grains are soft, about 8 minutes. Whisk in the cheeses. Serve immediately or reserve. To encourage polenta to come cleanly out of the pan, put the pan over medium heat. Run a spatula or wooden spoon around the sides of the pan to clean off the polenta. Do not stir, but wait and watch for a few seconds until a large bubble begins to form and push the polenta upward. Pour immediately into a warm dish. The polenta can be made ahead and reheated: add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water or stock, cover the dish, and reheat in the microwave or over low heat. Whisk well before serving.

STUFFED PORK CHOPS WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES AND SOFT POLENTA

Steps:

• For the polenta: Bring the milk and 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Season generously with salt. Slowly whisk in the polenta; when all of the polenta has been incorporated, reduce the heat to medium and immediately switch to stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta begins to pull away from the pan; add water if it becomes too thick.
• When the polenta is thoroughly cooked, it will look creamy and not feel gritty on your tongue. Remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, mascarpone and sage. Cover and keep warm.
• For the roasted vegetables: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
• Combine the Brussels sprouts and cauliflower florets in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and some crushed red pepper salt; stir to coat. Pour the vegetables onto the prepared baking sheet and spread in a single layer. Roast until tender and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with pomegranate seeds.
• For the stuffed pork chops: Adjust the oven to 375 degrees F. Add the bacon to a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until almost crispy. Add the onions and sweat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the apples and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully add the calvados (it may flame) and cook until almost dry. Add the rosemary, raisins and salt to taste. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, along with the breadcrumbs and the beaten egg; stir to combine.
• Sprinkle the pork chops with salt. Insert a paring knife into the curved side of each chop to make a deep pocket, about 2 inches wide. Stuff the pockets with the breadcrumb mixture.
• Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and coat the pan with olive oil. Sear the pork chops until golden brown on all sides. Remove the chops to a baking sheet and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add sherry vinegar and maple syrup to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until reduced by half. (Keep an eye on the saucepan, as the mixture can burn quickly.)
• After 15 minutes in the oven, baste the chops all over with the maple-vinegar reduction. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes, or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.