Hello darlings, today I am sharing with you a delicious recipe. For those of you who know me...you know how much I dislike cheese. Well...I dislike most cheese. Except for mild varieties, it is pretty much a no-go. That being said, my husband is a cheese lover! He can eat any cheese, no matter how much "funk" is being emitted from it, lol.
Case in point: Taleggio. It is funky, for lack of a better word. I smelled it, I hated it, didn't want to taste it. End of story...except, this time I did taste it. Guess what? It was delicious! I know!
Weird? Yes...for me it is, I am not a funky cheese trier,lol.
So...being that Carlos loves cheese and I loved this, surprisingly mild, cheese...I thought of a way to use it in a recipe. Immediately, pork came to mind. It's delicate flavour would pair beautifully with this cheese's mildness.
Prosciutto naturally became it's chosen pair. And that, my darlings, is how Tuesday night's dinner became an amazing one. Served with white bean rice, it was absolutely exquisite, nutritious and delicious. Simple and elegant, yet fast for a lovely weeknight meal. My little secret of a baking soda brine will ensure these will be the tenderest pork chops you've ever eaten.
Enjoy XOXO
Pork Chops Stuffed with Prosciutto and Taleggio Cheese
Serves 4
Total time: Prep time 45 minutes.
Cook time 15 minutes.
4 Bone in Pork chops, thick cut. About 300 g. each
4 Slices of Proscuitto Crudo, Serrano Ham or Portuguese Presunto. ( same thing, different name)
4 Slices Taleggio Cheese, cut into about 50 g. slices each or to taste
30 ml. Extra virgin olive oil for frying
1 tbsp. Salted butter for frying
1 tbsp. Baking soda, (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
1 tbsp. Course sea salt, to marinate and tenderise
1 tbsp. White wine vinegar
1 tsp. Sweet paprika, (pimetón dulce)
180 ml. Dry white wine
Enough water to completely cover pork chops during tenderising stage
4 Cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 Bay leaves, torn in half
Course sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Parsley to finish, finely chopped
To begin and tenderise:
1. Slit the pork chop in half, but do not cut all the way through to form a pocket. Ask your butcher for help, if you don't feel confident with this step.
For the brine:
2. In a non-metallic bowl, place slit pork chops, baking soda, salt and enough tap water to cover meat completely.
Leave to tenderise 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, drain and discard brine. Rinse pork chops under cold running water to remove all traces of baking soda. Place in another clean bowl.
3. Place pork chops on work surface and place one slice of prosciutto and Taleggio cheese into pre- sliced 'pocket'. Marinate pork chops with sweet paprika, bay leaves, freshly ground black pepper, vinegar and half the white wine. Leave for 30 minutes. Reserve marinade. Do not add more salt at this point as prosciutto is salty enough.
4. Heat a large frying pan on high heat. Add extra virgin olive oil and butter. Once shimmering, add pork chops and fry for 3 minutes on high heat. Flip and fry for 3 more minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add rest of reserved wine along with reserved marinade, cover and let cook for 5 minutes more, until pork chops are cooked through, sauce reduced and cheese is oozing.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately with your choice of side.
