Zesty Stuffed Mediterranean Pork Chops

It sounds primitive, but I just love meat with the bone in! Slow roasted, grilled or BBQ’d, the additional flavour that you get from a bone more than justifies the additional cooking time or additional care needed.   I am the diner that nibbles on a rib (a beef one if possible) with wild abandon, and ends with food on my face.

That said, bone-in food can still be classy and elegant, last night I dressed up a couple of humble pork chops into something rather special and Mediterranean.  After making little pockets in the chops, I stuffed them with a fragrant and citrusy butter, it bastes the meat from the inside, leaving them juicy and well flavoured.  Pan roasting, also helps creates nicely cooked chops, details are below.

I served these with crispy topped Melanzane Parmigiana (recipe here) and leaves, it was the perfect combination. A bit of raw green, a bit of red and purple and some lean protein made this beautiful and balanced.

Chops need no filter….

Ingredients

2 pork chops

50g of butter or dairy free alternative such as Pure

Zest of small unwaxed lemon

1 clove of garlic

Big pinch of oregano

Good grind of pepper

Method

Heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius, if you have a frying pan that will go into the oven that’s great, if not, then be ready with a baking tray.

I used a mini chopper to blend the garlic, butter, pepper, lemon zest and oregano, until it was very finely chopped, and mixed well, if you don’t have a blender, just grate the zest, and nice the garlic before adding to the butter with the pepper and herbs, mixing well.

Make pockets in the chops by using a sharp small knife to carefully pierce the side if the chop, then wiggle the knife inside being careful not to stick it through the top of bottom of the meat.  When you have a nice little pocket in each chop, then using your fingers, stuff each chop with half the butter.

It’s messy but worthwhile

When you are ready to cook, heat a frying pan with a couple tablespoons of oil (avocado is good) on a medium heat, and when the oil is hot, fry the chops, for 5-7 minutes on each side until they are lightly browned.  Then transfer the chops to the oven, either in the same pan or a baking dish.  My chops are usually just under an inch thick, and take an additional 12-15 minutes in the oven.  Just make sure they are cooked through, and that the juices run clear.

I challenge you not to pick up the bone and nibble on it after you have finished!