I’ve easily gone entire years without eating pork chops. On the scale of tastes and textures from nose to tail, chops surely occupy the insipid bottom rung. Pigs are bred to be so lean these days that cuts like chops may as well be used to make shoes.
The slogan “the other white meat” was fashioned as a selling point to put pork on par with chicken breast, as if that were a mark of distinction - anything to dissociate it from the demon “red meat” (although recent studies are questioning that longstanding stigma). But barring becoming a cobbler, how can you make good use of this inexpensive cut?
I turned to cajun cuisine to counter the tastelessness, then combine that with some Tiberian techniques and flavors. I created a stuffing that starts with a soffritto inspired by the cajun trinity of celery, peppers, and onion, and bulked it out with sourdough bread, (I am always looking for tasty ways to use my leftover home-baked bread). The final touch of green olives gives a nod to the Mediterranean and pays homage to the season. A cajun spice rub compliments the stuffing and encourages the classic “blackened” effect. So as not to waste the crusty bits, we deglaze the skillet with a splash of Worcestershire sauce - and then you are good to go.
cajun pork chops with green olive stuffing
Serves 3
Ingredients:
3 large butterflied pork chops
3 slices old sourdough bread
1 stalk celery
1/2 red bell pepper
1 - 2 scallions
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 bunch fresh savoury (optional)
75 g pitted green olives
1 tbsp cajun spice mix (recipe for mine below)
4 tbsp olive oil
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Get chops that are at least a cm high.
Iffy knife skills? Get your butcher to butterfly the meat. Definitely not for beginners.
Instructions:
Pre-prep: soak the bread in water.
Soffritto vegetables
minced soffritto and olives
Either with a knife or the chopping machine of your choice, finely chop the celery, pepper, and scallion. Chop the olives separately to about the same size.
For best flavour, pound the herbs in a mortar. Otherwise mince.
cooked soffritto
soffritto with bread and olives
Heat 2tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté the soffritto and herbs on medium high until soft and the volume reduced; allow it to start browning.
Squeeze the water out of the bread and the cook on high until it starts to dry out. Add the olives, mix well and continue cooking until well combined.
Rub the outside of the chops with cajun spice (either commercial or my blend below) and salt.
Stuff them with as much of the filling as possible and close with a toothpick.
In the large skillet used for the filling, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil.
Fry the filled pork chops on medium-high heat. Once the meat starts to tighten, flip them over so that it doesn't buckle too much on the uncooked side. Continue cooking until both sides are dark brown.
Remove the chops and deglaze the pan with a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce and a couple tablespoons of water. Reduce and pour over the meat. Serve.
The stuffed chops with jus. Buon appetito!
my no-longer secret cajun spice mix:
Seeds - 1 tbsp each: coriander, cumin, fennel, brown mustard
1 tbsp: onion flakes, dried oregano
2 tsp: garlic powder, hot smoked paprika
Toast the seeds in a small skillet until they release their aromatics. Leave to cool on a plate. When cooled, grind to a powder in a spice mill with the rest of the ingredients.
Watching other people pick olives while I relax. Blera, Viterbo.