Stuffed Heritage Pork Chops with Creamy Grits

The inspiration for this dish is a Creole classic, grillades and grits. Look for Berkshire, Duroc, and other heritage pork at specialty markets.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup grits, 1 pork chop, and 1/3 cup sauce)

Ingredients

• Pork:
• 4  cups  water
• 4  cups  fresh orange juice
• 1/2  cup  coarsely chopped jalapeño pepper (about 2 peppers)
• 1/4  cup  packed brown sugar
• 2 1/2  tablespoons  fine sea salt
• 4  (8-ounce) bone-in center-cut heritage pork chops (such as Berkshire)
• 2  slices bacon
• 1/2  cup  finely diced onion
• 1/4  cup  finely diced apple
• 1/4  cup  thinly sliced mushrooms
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped peeled butternut squash
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped Swiss chard
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 
  Sauce:
• 1 1/2  cups  finely chopped onion
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped celery
• 1  teaspoon  minced jalapeño pepper
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1/2  cup  fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 1/2  cup  water
• 1/2  cup  no-salt-added canned whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 
  Grits:
• 2 1/2  cups  water
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  stone-ground grits
• 1  tablespoon  butter
• 2  tablespoons  fat-free, less-sodium beef broth

Preparation

1. To prepare pork, combine first 5 ingredients in an airtight container, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add pork; seal and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Remove pork from brine; pat dry. Discard brine.

2. Cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add 1/2 cup onion and next 5 ingredients (through 1 minced garlic clove) to drippings in pan; cook 8 minutes or until squash is tender and liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. Stir in bacon.

3. Cut 1 (1-inch) horizontal slit through thickest portion of each pork chop to form a pocket. Stuff about 3 tablespoons vegetable mixture into each chop. Sprinkle both sides of chops evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove pork from pan; reduce heat to medium-low.

4. To prepare sauce, add 1 1/2 cups onion to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Add celery, jalapeño, and 1 garlic clove to pan; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup broth and 1/2 cup water, stirring until flour dissolves. Add tomatoes; increase heat to medium-high. Return pork to pan; simmer 10 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

5. To prepare grits, bring 2 1/2 cups water and 1/8 teaspoon salt to boil in a saucepan. Slowly add grits, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in butter and 2 tablespoons broth. Serve with pork and sauce.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

475 (35% from fat)

Fat:

18.5g (sat 6.8g,mono 8.7g,poly 1.6g)

Protein:

40.6g

Carbohydrate:

35.5g

Fiber:

3.2g

Cholesterol:

111mg

Iron:

2.9mg

Sodium:

954mg

Calcium:

73mg