Baked Stuffed Pork Chops

Having a savory smell wafting through the house on a non-descript cold winter day in February is a welcome treat.  With the smell of apples and pork you just know that there's going to be something great for dinner. What is it about that combination of flavors? Haven't been able to figure it out, but it's magical good and this recipe is great as is . I wouldn't change a thing except maybe to prepare this stuffing for our next Thanksgiving turkey. It's already passed the test with pork and I honestly think it could go famously with chicken or turkey too. My only suggestion is not to use a heavily pre-seasoned stuffing mix like Stove Top. It's just a little too rich for this dish.

Baked Stuffed Pork Chops

1/2 pound Italian sausage (remove if in casing)

3 cups Pepperidge Farm dry cornbread stuffing

1 can chicken broth

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced

1 small onion, diced

1 rib celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoon butter

Pepper

8 thin sliced boneless pork chops

Preheat oven to 350F.

Brown Italian sausage over medium heat until cooked and crumbly. Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat in the pan. Using slotted spoon, mix sausage with dry stuffing and can of chicken broth in large bowl.

Pepper both sides of pork chops and place in heated pan used to cook sausage. Cook on each side approximately 3-4 minutes until brown.

While chops are cooking, melt butter in separate pan and saute apple, onion, celery, and garlic. Combine with sausage, stuffing and broth mixture.

When chops are cooked, place in buttered 9x13 baking dish and use ice cream scoop to place scoops of stuffing mixture on top of chops in baking dish. 

Bake 30-40 minutes or until chops are fully cooked (160 degrees on meat thermometer).

Ravioli Soup

It is so beautiful when a week comes together--good meals, good memories, and when all the leftovers are used up.  Our fridge was literally jammed with stuff that we really needed to get rid of, but I am loathe to pour anything down the drain or throw it out. I just hate wasting anything!

With that in mind, I found a recipe in Grandma's archives that literally could be considered "toss-it all-in-soup."  She would have been proud.

• Lean ground beef (how about using up that ground turkey?)
• Onions & garlic (what about all the extra onions and garlic we prepped yesterday?)
• Beef broth (what about the leftover French Onion soup we had the other night? It is mostly beef broth.)
• Ravioli (what about that big bag of them in the freezer we've been meaning to use up?)
• Bread (what about that French loaf that will be brick hard by tomorrow?)

Yes, my friends, I threw it ALL in there...and it was quite simply amazing! Only problem? I may have to make it exactly the same, French onion soup and all!

Ravioli Soup

1/2 lb lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)

1/2 lb ground pork

1 cup onion, chopped

2 tsp garlic, minced

1 28 oz can Italian tomatoes, undrained

1 12 oz can tomato paste

2 (14.5 oz) cans beef broth (3 cups of French Onion soup here, onions and all)

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp Italian seasoning

¼ cup dry bread crumbs (I processed a couple slices of a French baguette)

½ cup Parmesan cheese (fresh), shredded

1 (12 oz) pkg frozen ravioli (14 raviolis)

Brown beef and pork with onion and garlic in non-reactive pan or a Dutch Oven. Combine tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, sugar, Italian seasoning and dry bread crumbs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Meanwhile, cook ravioli according to package directions and drain.  Top bowls of soup with ravioli and additional Parmesan cheese and serve with salad and bread.

Creamy Turkey (or Chicken) Noodle Soup

After all the hard work of planning and preparing the Thanksgiving feast, the "gift" that keeps on giving is the leftover turkey. Depending on the size of the turkey you cooked and the leftovers you have, you can create some great meals.

Grandma usually started the morning after Thanksgiving by making turkey broth using the leftover carcass. She would pull out her biggest stockpot, throw in the carcass, cover it with water and add onion, garlic, and whatever other vegetables she had on hand. She didn't peel or chop anything, she just washed it and threw it in.  Today we might add in some of our own rosemary and thyme growing outside our kitchen door (if it has survived the chill winter air), otherwise we use the dried variety. These wonderful herbs add flavor and depth to the broth. Here's the process (which can be used for either leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken):

Chicken or Turkey Broth

Turkey carcass with enough water to cover it in the pot

Vegetables (like onion, garlic, celery and carrots)
Herbs (like rosemary, thyme or sage)

Salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything in the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for several hours (2-3 hours is best). After it has simmered, remove the carcass, strain the liquid through cheesecloth or a sieve so you end up with plain broth. Remove whatever meat is left on the carcass Store broth and meat in a separate containers in the fridge or freezer until use.

*  *  *

After all the hearty eating on Thanksgiving, Grandma would prepare something "light" and usually a turkey noodle soup with a green salad and some leftover bread or rolls satisfied what little hunger remained the day after the big meal. This recipe even uses the leftover mashed potatoes, if desired!  The recipe can also use leftover chicken any time of year, plus it's a healthier alternative to the ubiquitous canned cream of chicken soup.

Keep in mind, if you're "turkeyed out," the broth and meat will be safe in your fridge for a couple days until you're ready, otherwise try this creamy turkey noodle soup. It's delicious!

Creamy Turkey (or Chicken) Noodle Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ dried thyme
¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
5-6 cups turkey (or chicken) broth
1 cup leftover mashed potatoes* (or whisk in 1/4 cup flour)
2-3 cups cooked turkey (or chicken) cut into chunks
1 cup half & half (or heavy cream)
salt and pepper to taste

*If you do not use the mashed potatoes, whisk in about 1/4 cup flour to the broth to thicken things up.

Heat up the oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot. Add in onion, carrots and celery and sauté 3-4 minutes until softened and golden brown. Stir in garlic and cook about 1 minute. Stir in oregano, thyme and poultry seasoning for about 1 minute until blended.

Slowly pour in the turkey (or chicken) broth then add in mashed potatoes (or whisk in 1/4 cup flour) and heat mixture slowly to boiling.

Reduce heat and add in the turkey (or chicken) and half & half (or cream) until heated through, then season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. 6 servings.

Amazing Turkey Gravy

Grandma's gravy was unsurpassed.  It was never lumpy or fatty and it was even more delicious the day after. 

Getting the gravy perfect is a relatively simple process using heat, a whisk, and flour. The trick is to get the flour mixture or "roux" as smooth as possible (hence no lumps) and get as much of the fat out of the pan juices as possible. This can be tricky since the turkey Grandma used to make was similar to Martha's...doused hourly with a butter and white wine mixture. The butter would always wreak havoc with the fat content, but there are all sorts of fat separators and other tricks to remedy this. Namely pouring the pan juices in a big Pyrex bowl or measuring cup, putting it in the fridge until the fat comes to the surface, and skimming it off with a spoon. This usually did the trick and made the gravy flawless! Bet it will work for you too! 

Amazing Turkey Gravy

Pan juices (with fat removed)
1 cup dry white wine
6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cups turkey giblet stock, including reserved cooked neck and giblets

Pour pan juices into heat safe container and put in fridge to quickly separate the fat. While this is chilling, pour white wine into pan and deglaze over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.

Pour one cup of liquid from simmered giblets plus reserved pan juices (with fat removed) into saucepan with the flour and whisk until smooth over medium high heat about 3 minutes. Slowly add wine mixture and whisk continuously until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.