So, have you eaten any pork chops lately?
If you are like me, I buy them, try different preparations, and then promise myself never to buy them again. At least until I forget how dry and tasteless they can be.
What I have learned is that pigs are now bred to be very lean. Yes, lean pigs. I guess Americans’ search to eliminate fat from their diet has now extended to the lowly pork chop. I seem to always overcook mine and then try to remedy the situation with lots and lots of barbecue sauce.
But, as I have written in this space many times before, Italians know how to fix things—by stuffing!
For example, take the often-bland zucchini. It turns into a wonder when filled with spicy sausage, onion, fresh herbs and sprinkled with cheese.
In a lovely cookbook called “Biba’s Italy,” chef and restaurant owner Biba Caggiano offers a wonderful spin on ordinary pan-fried pork chops that she calls “Bologna’s Stuffed Pork Chops.” Biba is from Bologna in northern Italy, which she calls “a food lover’s paradise.” She says these chops are frequent menu items in many of the small bistros there and are often served with crispy fried polenta.
I have yet to find the thick pork chops marbled with fat that Biba suggests using (let me know if you can locate any outside of a large urban Italian grocery store). But the stuffing helps and not overcooking does too. The recipe calls for prosciutto and Parmesan cheese, but I substitute a soft cheese that melts easily like fontina or bel paese and Serano ham, which is less salty. They are not hard to make and are nice for a weekday dinner served with baked or mashed potatoes and a green salad.
Biba’s Stuffed Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in center-cut pork chops, cut about 1½ inches thick
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 thin slices of prosciutto or your favorite ham (thin is key)
- 1/3 to ½ cup shredded soft cheese: fontina, bel paese or even Muenster.
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 3 fresh sage leaves (don’t substitute here, sage has a wonderful affinity for pork)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Directions
- Make a pocket in each chop by cutting the meat horizontally on one side only until you reach the bone.
- Open the chop as you would a book and season lightly with salt and pepper, inside and out.
- Fill each chop with 1 slice of prosciutto or ham and a “pinch” of the shredded cheese, securing the filling well inside the chop. Seal the opening with a natural wooden toothpick or two.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet until hot but not smoking (medium heat is best).
- Brown the chops on both sides, making sure not to crowd them in the pan. This will take about 4 or 5 minutes. When done, transfer them to a platter.
- Discard some of the fat in the skillet and return it to medium high heat. Add the wine, broth, sage and butter.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Return the chops to the skillet, cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook gently until the chops are cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes. Add a little more wine if needed.
- When cooked, remove the toothpicks, platter the chops, and pour the pan juices over them. A little extra fresh sage as a garnish is very nice.
Remember, the key here is to not overcook the pork. A little pink near the bone is OK.
When I was a little girl, my parents took me to visit my maternal grandmother every Sunday morning after church. She was an Italian immigrant who spoke no English and was very poor. But on every one of those Sundays, she cooked pork chops and fried potatoes for us. They were so good, not dry. She likely used lots of olive oil. I remember so clearly her cast iron skillet and her stove, which she fed with coal. I was still little when she passed away, but I am thinking of her as I write this column today.
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