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| Chorizo & Mushroom stuffed Pork Chops |
Full disclosure here. I am a pork-a-holic. I do admit it. I openly embrace it. I love the swine. From the rooter to the tooter, I'm mo eats me some of that sweet, sweet pork meat. No shame. No judgement here. It is what it is.
Now, I always knew that I loved pork but it was a question posed to me by my god brother Michael (the original Miz) Woods that crystallized for me where pork sits for me in what we proudly describe as "The Hierarchy of Meats." Michael, in his near infinite meat wisdom, hoped to get for our brotherly fellowship of manly men, a clear consensus of the occupier of the King of the Pantheon of Meats. The highest meat. The most important of meats. The meat Potentiator. Like Descartes, he used a standard that was as close to absolute as possible that had to be met in order for the answer to be valid. Descartes did this in his pursuit to prove the existence of God with the question of what can be known with absolute certainty but Michael's standard was simply irreplaceability. Here's the question that I also pose to you.
"If you could only eat one kind of meat for the rest of your life, what would it be?"
Now, this seems easy to answer at first but don't rush your choice. Consider that the question posits "the rest of your life." And, the metric isn't what particular meat dish, it's what KIND of meat. Period.
For me, the thought of NEVER tasting another piece of smokey, salty bacon again was like some kind of nightmare. Imagine NEVER eating that sweet lingusa from Texas De Brazil or never eating another Schmidt's Bahamma Mamma. How about no more tender, baby back ribs that have been rubbed and smoked for hours until that pink smoke ring just glistens in the sun as you pull the meat from the bone. Oh children...I shuddered at the thought of never again going to the fair and getting Italian sausage with peppers and onions or making my own. No more jowl meat in my lima or pinto beans..or my greens or my green beans? Saying goodbye to neckbones and forsaking ham to go along with my potato salad? My point? Pork's versatility is simply unmatched in the world of meats, and at every stop along the road of recipes, pork packs the biggest flavor punch. Think about it. Chicharon, Lechon, The list goes on and on.
But, it was when I considered NEVER eating another pork chop that I felt the tears begin to well up and I had to fight to hold them back. I did not win that fight. Pork is the Meat King, may the other, lesser meats humbly bow themselves before it's throne.
If pork is indeed the king of meats, then I submit to you that Pork Chops are like...rainbows.
Bear with me here. The very concept of Soul Food stems from a system of denial, class and oppression. In America and other countries that participated in the global slave trade, the victims of this holocaust that actually did survive the middle passage and land in their destined countries became chattel slaves having no rights and occupying the lowest rung on the ladder of society. As a result of their condition they were denied owning things like property and livestock and as such relied on the unwanted scraps given to them by their masters that they transformed into dishes that are now revered throughout the country, and beyond.
I think that this is where the question of country cooking vs southern cooking vs comfort food diverges from soul food is answered. Slaves transformed and elevated what was considered offal into what are now irreplaceable classics. Absent that particular mechanism of being forced to make something more than just sustainable from something considered lowly by others enforcing the oppression and in fact, in spite of the oppression from others is in my opinion a sacrosanct element in Soul Food. Pork chops, in all of their porky glory would not have been something that was given to slaves. A big hunk of loin or shoulder would have been something reserved for the master's table. It would have been something a slave might see off in the distance but never actually have a chance to experience beyond that. Like a rainbow. That is why in and of itself I don't consider chops to be a Soul Food staple. They were the King's meat.
Bear with me here. The very concept of Soul Food stems from a system of denial, class and oppression. In America and other countries that participated in the global slave trade, the victims of this holocaust that actually did survive the middle passage and land in their destined countries became chattel slaves having no rights and occupying the lowest rung on the ladder of society. As a result of their condition they were denied owning things like property and livestock and as such relied on the unwanted scraps given to them by their masters that they transformed into dishes that are now revered throughout the country, and beyond.
I think that this is where the question of country cooking vs southern cooking vs comfort food diverges from soul food is answered. Slaves transformed and elevated what was considered offal into what are now irreplaceable classics. Absent that particular mechanism of being forced to make something more than just sustainable from something considered lowly by others enforcing the oppression and in fact, in spite of the oppression from others is in my opinion a sacrosanct element in Soul Food. Pork chops, in all of their porky glory would not have been something that was given to slaves. A big hunk of loin or shoulder would have been something reserved for the master's table. It would have been something a slave might see off in the distance but never actually have a chance to experience beyond that. Like a rainbow. That is why in and of itself I don't consider chops to be a Soul Food staple. They were the King's meat.
So, because I can drive my nice new car to the grocery, pick up a three inch thick chop or two and do with them as I please... I am grateful. And I do it like a king.
Let's get to my Chorizo & Mushroom Stuffed Chops. This one is a favorite of my youngest daughter. The kid's got good taste.
Ingredients
Two center cut pork chops (at least two to three inches thick)
1/2 cup of ground Chorizo sausage (I use the uncooked kind that comes in a tube.
1 1/2 cups of unseasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (whatever kind you like will do. I used button mushrooms)
1/2 cup of water
Olive Oil
Seasoning
Basic savory (season salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper)
Dried Rosemary
Smoked Paprika (or whatever kind you have)
Dried parsley
Combine Rosemary, Paprika and parsley with the savory seasoning mix and set aside. With a sharp knife, make an incision in each of the chops creating a pocket for the stuffing. Here's a good video that shows you how.
After cutting the pocket into the chops, season them with the spice blend and drizzle some olive oil onto them, patting the oil into the spices. Just use a few drizzles to set the spices in, don't drown the chops in oil then set them aside to dry brine. Remember, don't add your salt to your seasoning blend, salt the meat separately first then add your blend on top of that. Go ahead and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Add a little olive oil (a couple of table spoons should work) then add your onions, celery, mushrooms to a hot pan. Saute them for a few minutes until they start to soften then add your chorizo to the pan. Let them cook together until the chorizo is cooked (it comes raw in the tube so you have to cook it)
Once the chorizo is cooked and has released it's juices stir in the bread crumbs, folding them softly. If the stuffing starts to get too tight, add some water. Remove the stuffing from the pan and let it cool.
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| Chorizo & Mushroom Stuffing |
Once the mixture has cooled, stuff the chops with the stuffing. Get it in there! Next, heat a pan with a few table spoons of olive oil and sear the chops on both sides. Take your time with this and get a good crust by not touching or moving the chops once you put them in for a couple of minutes. These should go a total of about three minutes per side. To finish, place the pan into the oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the doneness you're looking for. After they've roasted, remove the chops and let them rest for at least ten minutes, and you're done.
Enjoy!
Kev
