Stuffed Italian Pork Chops

Aroostook's Note:

This blue ribbon winner came from the American Meat Council. Try it and you'll see why!!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 8 thick pork chops
• 1 1/2 lbs hot Italian sausage
• 10 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small onion
• 1 (14 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
• 8 leaves basil
• 1/2 tablespoon red pepper
• 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup mushroom (any mushroom can be used)
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Remove sausage meat from casing.
2. Fry meat, garlic, chopped onion in olive oil until meat is cooked and garlic and onion are brown.
3. Lower heat on frying pan and add the stewed tomatoes.
4. Slowly cook mixture for about 15 minutes, stirring so contents do not stick to pan.
5. Empty contents into a separate dish and add bread crumbs, basil and red pepper.
6. Stir until mixture is moldable.
7. Cut thick pork chops down the side to make a pocket.
8. Stuff each pork chop with stuffing mixture until full.
9. Use toothpicks to hold chops together.
10. In frying pan, add chicken broth, mushrooms and some chopped garlic.
11. Cook until garlic is brown.
12. Add pork chops.
13. Cook pork chops on low heat until meat is white (about one hour).
14. Baste chops with juices from pan.
15. Serve with mushrooms on top of each pork chop.
16. Serves eight.

Reviews

[stubbiesfur]

Great tasting and quite easy recipe to put together. The cooking time allows the great variety of fragrances to permiate not only your house but your neighbors as well. My kitty kats Couldn't and wouldn't leave me or my wife alone until they had their share. Great tasting Chops!

[kcdelong]

I tagged this recipe in Zaar Tag. I used butterfly porkchops because that is what I had on hand. Split them in two, sliced down the outside and stuffed them. I also used diced tomatoes (by mistake) but still very good. Alot of flavor mingling go on in this recipe. Pork, mushrooms, chicken, sausage and spices flowed together wonderfully. Good recipe. I will make it again.

[Engelbee]

We made this for our family Christmas get together. It was fabulous, even the picky eaters in the bunch absolutely raved about the flavor. The only down-side is that there were no leftovers.