Comfort Food - Stuffed Porkchops

Lots of storms moving through my area lately have really increased my craving for "comfort food": warm, hearty meals that will stick to my bones. Not particularly healthy, and Scooter is trying to get me back on a "healthy" eating regimen after last weekend's trip away and all the yummy food we indulged in. It was a weekend of freshly-made cracked crab (we cooked the crabs ourselves), lamb, biscuits and gravy, and pineapple upside-down cake. Not exactly nutritional.

Yesterday were the last remains from the weekend: stuffed pork chops. They are surprisingly easy to make. So for today's (short) post, I'll be sharing the recipe we used to make them.

What you'll need:
3 large boneless pork chops
1 Tbs. butter or margarine
1/3 of a purple onion
1 portabello mushroom
1/4 c. mild or medium cheddar cheese, cubed
1/4 c. sharp-flavored cheese (like a bleu cheese), cubed
1 Tbs. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Wash the pork chops and dry with a paper towel. Use a sharp knife to cut a slit into the fatty side of the pork chops starting from 1/4" from one end to 1/4" from the other end. Do not cut all the way through the chops; you want to create a "pocket."
3. Dice the onion into medium pieces, about the size of your thumbnail. Chop the portabello mushroom into pieces about the same size.
4. Over medium heat, add the butter into a medium frying pan. After it melts, add the onions, salt and pepper, and garlic powder and saute for 5 min or until soft. Lower heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the onions are caramelized and brown, another 7-10 minutes. Add the mushroom and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool.
5. Add the cubed cheese and stir everything together until it is mixed well. Divide the mixture into three portions and stuff each into one of the pork chops. Use toothpicks to help hold them closed.
6. Place pork chops onto a rack inside a baking pan. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

This is a good dish to serve with rice (or roasted potatoes if you prefer) and fresh pineapple for dessert. A nice red wine would go well with this, I think--the strong flavors of the stuffing are too much for a white wine.

Enjoy!