Pork Chops With Rye-Bread Stuffing

In 1959, The New York Times published a recipe using pork chops. Because pork chops are an inexpensive cut of meat, it was then “dinner on the cheap.” Everything is expensive nowadays but three thick chops are still affordable at $9 from Dom’s in SoHo and a knob of rye-bread from Balthazar only cost me $3. I didn’t have caraway seeds for the stuffing so I grounded some fennel and cumin seeds to substitute. It was also a good time to use the parsley I planted last year because it’s been growing like crazy on my window sill. I didn’t seal the pork pockets with toothpicks after stuffing them but they held together nicely and didn’t fall apart. I boiled some pasta during the last few minutes of cooking, tossed it with the pork chops fat and served it with these delicious chops.

Ingredients:
3 bone-in 1-inch-thick pork chops, sliced to form a pocket
a small knob of rye-bread, thrown in a blender or food processor to crumb
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fennel seeds, grounded
1 tsp cumin seeds, grounded
a small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tbsps butter
3/4 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350º. In the meantime, make stuffing. In an ovenproof pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat and sauté onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Add to a large bowl with the bread crumbs, fennel and cumin, parsley and egg. Season with salt and pepper. Mix with a fork until well combined.
2. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper. Fill the chops with the stuffing. Arrange in the same ovenproof pan and bake, covered, for 45 minutes, turning them over gently after 25 minutes.
3. Switch the oven to broil, move up the oven rack and brown the chops for 3 minutes per side, uncovered. Transfer to a serving platter and keep warm.
4. Set the pan on the stove over medium heat and add remaining butter and broth. Reduce the pan juices to a thick glaze. Simmer, scraping up the pan drippings, until thick enough. Season to taste. Strain over the pork chops.

Related post/s:
Where to get pork chops and rye bread