Let's take a step back to the pesto recipe which I posted last week. I already went on and on about why I decided to make homemade pesto and how delicious it turned out. Here is a recipe that you can use in conjunction with the pesto - and its just about one of the most awesome pork chop recipes ever!
This is one of those recipes that takes quite a bit of time to put together, so save it for a weekend. While it's not hard to create a pocket in the pork chop for the filling, you want to go slowly to ensure that you don't pierce through any part of the meat. It also needs to bake for quite a while so overall, its not a super simple and quick meal. But, once your hard work is finished, you're left with quite a beautiful presentation and a delicious dinner!
I served this with potato and onion casserole and it was simply divine!
Pesto-Stuffed Pork Chops
3 TBS crumbled feta cheese
3 TBS basil pesto (store bought, or see recipe below)
4 boneless thick pork chops (buy the thickest chops that you can find)
salt, pepper
drizzle of balsamic vinegar
1. Trim fat from meat. With a sharp paring knife, make a pocket in each pork chop by cutting horizontally into one side of the meat. Make an incision as deep as possible, without piercing the other side of the meat.
2. Stuff each pork chop with feta and pesto. You can secure if necessary with a toothpick. *Note: I found it easiest to lay the pork chops in a row, with each pocket opening tilted upwards on the next pork chop, so the filling wouldn't fall out. For the pork chop on the end, I simply rolled up a piece of foil and place it beneath the pocket opening. See picture below.
3. Sprinkle each pork chop with salt and pepper. Place chops in a shallow pan and bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until juices run clear. Brush each chop with balsamic vinegar before serving.
Yesterday morning while planning out meals for the next week, I began looking through the 12th Edition of Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I already had a meal with chicken written on my weekly list, so I was looking for something with either pork or beef. I happened to see one recipe called "Pesto-Stuffed Pork Chops." I did a quick read-through to see if this recipe was something I wanted to try out...and it sounded amazing!
Conveniently, one of the items on my to-do list this weekend was to freeze some basil from my overgrown basil plant. Since pesto's main ingredient is basil, and I have wayyyy too much on hand, the thought of making homemade pesto -and then using it for my pork chops - sounded ideal.
I found this pesto recipe online. I wasn't sure how to compare pesto recipes, but I found one reviewer on Allrecipes who had tested several pesto recipes, and this was her favorite. This recipe also called for almonds rather than pine-nuts, so I thought "what the heck?"
Turns out, this pesto is super yummy!!! Very garlic-y (that's a good thing) with a great texture. I will post the pesto-stuffed pork chops in the next week or so but for now, this pesto deserves its own post. And, pesto can be used on all kinds of things - bruschetta, pasta, pizza, etc. I wouldn't recommend that you try this recipe unless you have a basil plant, or can borrow from someone else's basil plant. My reason for saying that is, it took nearly 2 full cups of basil leaves to yield about 1/3 C of pesto. While that was great for my purposes, it is a lot to spend if you're buying basil leaves at the store, which run about $3-$4 for a tiny bit.
Have fun!
Easy Pesto
1/4 C slivered almonds
3 cloves garlic
1.5-2 C fresh basil leaves, washed
1/3 to 1/2 C olive oil
1 pinch ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
1. Lightly toast almonds in skillet over medium heat (put into a dry skillet.) Watch carefully - nuts burn easily.
2. In a food processor*, blend almonds, garlic, basil, olive oil, nutmeg and salt and pepper until it reaches a pasty consistency.
*I do not have a large 9- or 12-cup food processor, I only have a mini food processor so I made my pesto in two batches (you better believe I am putting a large processor on my wedding registry :) )
Note: The original recipe calls for 1/2 C oil, but I didn't want my pesto super oily since it would simply run off the pork, so I used less. Depending on your recipe, you may want the full amount of oil.
Another note: feel free to subsitute pine nuts for a more traditional pesto, or add sundried tomatoes, other herbs, parmesan, etc.
You see, I have these two friends named Aimee and Heather. They're both a little crazy, just like me, so we get along great :) Whether its building a home for Habitat for Humanity, sipping wine while gossiping, or trying to find the perfect outfit for a date/event, we seem to have a simply wonderful time whenever we're together.
For my 23rd birthday, Aimee and Heather got me a gift that they just knew I would love - and the second I opened it, I knew it would someday end up on my blog :-) They chose a cookbook by Giada De Laurentiis, one of the most beautiful italian cooks ever featured on the Food Network. And what could fit more perfectly with a cookbook, than a gorgeous glass and stainless steel cookbook holder from William Sonoma? 
While Giada's cookbook is full of yummy pasta recipes, one recipe caught my eye because I've always wanted to make it - fried zucchini. According to the book, fried zucchini is served on the streets of Naples...which really makes me want to take a trip to Naples!! You can also make this recipe using sweet potato slices, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, etc.
Aimee and Heather, thanks for the awesome birthday gift!! Here's to many scrumptious Italian dishes in the near future <3
Fried Zucchini
1 3/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 C panko (Japanese bread crumbs - right next to bread crumbs at the store)
salt + pepper
2 large eggs
3 medium zucchini, cut into strips
olive oil, for frying
1. Mix the parmesan cheese, panko, salt and pepper in a low dish. In a separate dish, whisk eggs. Working in batches, dip the zucchini sticks in the egg mixture so that they are coated completely. Then dip the zucchini in the panko mixture, patting them to ensure the breading has adhered to the zucchini.
2. Heat 1-2 inches of olive oil in large pan. Working in batches, fry the zucchini sticks until they are golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to paper towels and drain.
3. Arrange on platter and sprinke with addtional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
I know, I know, its been too long since I made a blog post! Things have been pretty crazy with Labor Day weekend, etc. So, today I will post two :-)
This recipe is called Fierro Chicken. I pulled it off of All Recipes, and I was intrigued because it looked very simple, and had good ratings (4.5 stars.) I generally only pull recipes off of All Recipes if they have ratings at or above 4 stars, because then I can be sure that many people have made the recipe and "tweaked" it to be more flavorful or more healthy. This recipe is a great example - while the original recipe calls for heavy cream, many reviewers had perfect success with fat free half and half. So, that's what I used and yup, tasted delicious :-)
I'm sorry the picture below isn't more appetizing. With something covered in so much delicious sauce, well, its hard to take a good photo! Brett loved the extra sauce mixed into the mexican rice which I served on the side.
Enjoy!
Fierro Chicken
5 oz cream cheese, softened
1.5 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 4-oz can chopped green chiles
1 TBS chili powder (I used more + added cayenne)
3/4 C enchilada sauce
3/4 C fat free half and half
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
[the original recipe also called for 6 sliced button mushrooms but I omitted]
salt, pepper, cooking spray
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a small casserole dish with cooking spray. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
2. Mix all ingredients well, except the chicken.
3. Place chicken in the casserole pan, and cover with sauce. Bake in preheated oven until juices run clear, about 40 minutes.
