Located in Southern Europe, nestled between Albania and Turkey and bordering the Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean Seas, sits Greece, a beautiful peninsular country with an archipelago of about 2,000 islands.
Greece is home to an array of inspiring cultural experiences, and while I haven’t yet traveled there myself, I’m fairly certain my favorite cultural experience would be the food. I’ve always been a fan of Greek food because it typically combines many of my favorite flavors and ingredients: lemon, oregano, spinach, feta cheese, olive oil … oh my.
Last night, Chuck and I rounded up some Greek ingredients, mixed them together, and stuffed them into one of our favorite meats: center-cut pork loin chops. The result? Divine.
The stuffing of garlic, spinach, prosciutto, feta cheese, cream cheese, and lemon zest was bright, with a slightly creamy texture that held up well to the meatiness of the pork. And while the stuffed pork would have been amazing without it, the lemon, oregano, and Dijon mustard sauce added a tangy creaminess that complimented the salty flavors of the prosciutto and feta perfectly.
Pork Chops Stuffed with Feta and Spinach
[Adapted from Cooking Light]
Ingredients:
- Cooking spray
- 4 garlic cloves, minced and divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 ounce prosciutto, finely chopped
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese
- 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
- 4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Directions:
1. Preheat broiler.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 2 garlic cloves; sauté 1 minute. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, prosciutto, and spinach; sauté until moisture evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in cheeses and lemon rind.
3. Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each pork chop to form a pocket. Stuff about 1/4 cup spinach mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper over pork. Arrange pork on the rack of a broiler pan or roasting pan coated with cooking spray; place rack in pan.
4. Combine remaining 2 garlic cloves, juice, mustard, and oregano in a bowl; stir well. Brush half of mustard mixture over pork. Broil 6 minutes; turn pork. Brush remaining mixture over pork; broil 2 minutes or until done.
Makes 4 servings; serving size = 1 pork chop: calories, 232; fat, 8.6g; protein, 32.1g; carbohydrates, 7.2g; fiber, 2.8g; Weight Watchers points = 7.
Opa!
[This recipe is linked to Full Plate Thursday.]
