Seafood Stuffed Pork Chops

I make these when I really want to impress my guests. Someone actually told me this was the best dish they'd ever tasted outside of a fancy Restaurant. It takes a bit of time, but it'll all be worth it.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8  center-cut pork chops (1/2 inch thick)
• 1⁄2 lb raw shrimp
• 1  cup lump crabmeat
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 3  tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1⁄4 cup zucchini, chopped (small not fine)
• 1⁄4 cup  summer squash, chopped (small not fine)
• 1⁄4 cup  finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1⁄4 cup  finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1  small onion, finely chopped
• 1  bunch green onion
• 2  large garlic cloves, minced
• 2  teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1  bunch fresh thyme leave
• 1  teaspoon fresh rosemary
• 1  teaspoon fresh oregano
• 4  cups  day old  French bread
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons  creole seasoning
• 1 1⁄2 cups chicken broth
• 4  tablespoons  french  garlic and herb goat cheese
• 4  slices prosciutto ham
• 1 1⁄2 cups heavy cream
• 1⁄4 cup white wine
•  kosher salt
•  fresh ground black pepper

Directions

1. Peel your shrimp. In a small sauce pan add your chicken stock, the shrimp peels and the small bunch of thyme stems with leaves still on. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Then strain broth into bowl. Set aside.
2. In a sauté pan add your tablespoon of olive oil and turn heat to med-high. Add your zucchini, summer squash, red and green bell pepper, onion, chopped green onion tops (set bottoms aside for later), and half your minced garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until onions start to turn translucent. Add a tablespoon of the butter and remaining herbs. Let cook for another 2 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon creole seasoning and ground black pepper to taste. Add French bread torn into small pieces. Stir in broth until it resembles a stuffing.
3. In small sauté pan add 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the shrimp and sauté until shrimp is pink on both sides. Remove shrimp from pan leaving the buttery sauce in the pan. Set pan aside for later.
4. Add half of the cooked shrimp lightly chopped with half of the lump crab meat to the stuffing. Gently fold in seafood. Set aside.
5. Heat oven to 350°F.
6. Lay out 4 pork chops in a 12x 8x baking dish. Sprinkle each chop with salt and pepper to taste. Spread a tablespoon of goat cheese on each of the four chops. Spoon about 1/2 of a cup stuffing on top of chop and then cover each chop with another chop. Sprinkle top of chop with salt and black pepper to taste. Wrap each stuffed chop with Prosciutto and bake covered in tin foil for 45 minutes.
7. Meanwhile.
8. In your buttery pan add the green onion bottoms finely chopped, and the rest of the minced garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes and then add the white wine. Simmer for 2 more minutes and then add the 1/2 teaspoon creole seasoning and the heavy cream. Reduce on med heat until sauce coats the back of a spoon. Add the other half of cooked shrimp and the other half of the lump crab meat. Add more creole seasoning and fresh black pepper to taste (optional).
9. Once the pork chops are out of the oven, let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
10. Pour the seafood cream sauce over each individual stuffed pork chop when plating.
11. It's great over basmati rice with some steamed green beans or asparagus. Don't forget the fresh baked french bread.
12. I always have left over stuffing. I just put it in a baking dish and cover it with Romano cheese. It can store it in the fridge to bake and serve another day or bake it off then and there. Bake at 350°F just until it browns on top.