Stuffed Pork Chops and Roasted Onions

This particular recipe was cooked by A….

Proof that teens can cook….

It is another one from the book I mentioned in a previous post – BBQ Food For Friends.

When we ordered our pig from Sprags Meat Shop, I requested that the pork chops be packed in packages of 6. And this seemed like a good recipe to use them, especially as I had managed to buy some wonderful HUGE green onions at the Calgary Farmers Market a couple of days before.

Like most of our recipes, we tweaked it – I didn’t use the sherry the original recipe called for, and I didn’t have a fresh apple so I used dried and soaked them in a little water. I also left the green part on the onions whereas the original recipe calls for them to be removed (I didn’t want to waste them!) and I only used 6 onions because that was all I had.

This recipe is 100% AIP compliant.

Stuffed Pork Chops with Roasted Onions

serves 6

(Based on a recipe on page 33 of BBQ food for friends by Jane Lawson and Vanessa Broadfoot)

4 tbsp hot water (the original recipe called for 2 tbsp sherry)

4 dried figs

8 slices of dried apple

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion – finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic – crushed

1 tbsp finely chopped sage leaves

6 large, bone in pork chops

Salt to taste

6 very large green onions – trimmed but with the green parts still on (the original recipe calls for 16 large green onions, green parts trimmed off and the bulbs cut in half).

Instructions

Put the figs and dried apple in a small bowl and pour the hot water over them. Leave them to soak for 20 minutes to rehydrate them. Drain, keeping the soaking liquid.

Chop roughly in a food processor. Heat the coconut oil and add the onion and garlic – cook over a low heat for 5 minutes until softened. Add the figs and apples and the soaking liquid and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat, add the sage and mix well. Allow to cool.

Take the pork chops and make a cut into the middle of the pork chop from the side. You are basically making a pocket in which you can stuff the filling you have just made. Don’t cut right through – you don’t want a hole. Fill the pocket with the stuffing packing it in well. Brush the chops with 1 tbsp olive oil and season well with salt.

Use the remaining tbsp of oil to toss with the onions.

The original recipe calls for the onions and chops to be cooked on a chargrill plate, either flat or ridged. But I don’t have one so I pulled out the faithful roasting pan again….

Heat the pan to medium and place the chops and onions on it. Cook the chops for 10 minutes per side until the outside is charred and the meat is cooked through. The onions will take about 10 minutes and will need turning halfway. Cook them until they are a little caremelized and softened.