Guest post written by Alison Althouse, blogger at From the Bottom of a Wine Bottle exclusively for Social Vignerons.
I have been making baked stuffed pork chops with wine for ages. It’s one of my favorite dinners to make for my family!
I used to make this recipe with a dry Gewurztraminer, which worked well, but once I tried it with dry rosé and was hooked.
A dry rosé that is made in the traditional saignée (bleeding) style from Provence has become my favorite wine since it seems to pair extremely well with pork (or turkey, salmon, or anything coming off the grill, in my opinion). I use it in both the stuffing and the sauce, so the flavor of the pork is simply enhanced, rather than overpowered by the wine. I hope you’ll find this to be true in your own cooking of this dish.
Here’s the way I created this delicious dinner.
Ingredients:
Dry Stuffing Mix: I typically use about ½ cup for 3-4 chops
Dry Rosé wine: use your favorite wine, but a Dry Rosé pairs better with pork than most
Margarine/butter: I follow the package directions for this part
Thick Cut Pork Chops: one per person
Oil: for searing chops, I use coconut oil. But olive oil, margarine or butter are all just fine. Use your favorite!
Chicken Stock: you’ll need around 3/4 of a cup, depending on the amount of sauce you want
Salt/pepper/seasoning: here’s where you make this recipe your own. Use your favorite seasonings or simply with salt and pepper. Either way, this dish will be great!
Tips to tie the chops: I used dental floss, but string or toothpicks also works; anything that will keep the chops together while you’re cooking should be good!
Cooking Instructions:
I started with a bit of dry stuffing mix whose cooking instructions called for water and margarine/butter.
But I thought “Why use water when you can use wine”. It has since become the recurring theme in my kitchen.
So I substituted a bit of dry rosé for the water and added some margarine to rehydrate the stuffing mixture. I then made a slit in the center of each thick-cut pork chop and used a thin sharp knife to open the chop, enough to slide in a good amount of stuffing.
For this version, I used dental floss to tie the chops together as the stuffing was starting to leak out. I have used toothpicks or string in the past, so feel free to use whatever you prefer to help keep the stuffing inside the chops during the cooking process.
Once the chops were stuffed and I was close enough to dinner time, I seasoned the outside of each chop with salt and pepper before putting them in a hot skillet to sear them in oil.
It’s *your* meal, so you should feel free to substitute and add as you prefer. Remember… my recipes are simply a guideline from which you can personalize your meal as you see fit.
Once both sides of the chops are nicely browned, I added a nice amount of wine and chicken stock to the pan before popping the entire skillet into a pre-heated oven. If I’m making a side dish that requires a specific temperature, that’s what I’ll use for this step, but I’ve been known to simply turn the oven to 375 degrees and let the chops roast “until dinner is done”. Keep an eye on the liquid and add more wine and stock as needed so you end up with a small amount of sauce.
My favorite way to accompany this dish is with a simple recipe of mashed potatoes and steamed peas as shown on the picture.
I’ve also made twice-baked potatoes with this meal (the recipe for which can be found on my blog: Recipe for Twice-Baked Potatoes). Of course I would suggest adding a touch of dry rosé to your potato mixture, but maybe that’s just me?
However you use this recipe, know that the most important thing is that you’re making food for the ones you love. Perfection, in my opinion, is over-rated. A tasty dish, prepared with love and given from the heart, is more important than anything that is “photo-ready”.
Enjoy the experience… Salude!
Learn more about Alison Althouse on Twitter or on her blog: From the Bottom of a Wine Bottle
Find out more about how Provence Rosé wine is made at Provence rosé-making process.
Read more posts about Wine & Food Matching.
Please let me know your thoughts