Cooking in a COVID-19 Crisis: Day Four
This is No. Four of this somewhat unusual recipe series, but we recognize it’s been weeks of #stayhome for many people. It’s time for a break. It’s also likely time for a trip to the grocery store, assuming you haven’t been for a week or more. The good news is your local grocery stores are probably still operating their meat or deli counters, with even more attention to safety and health than ever before.
This is the time to take advantage of the skills of those behind the counter. One of my favorite things to pick up to bake at home is stuffed pork chops. My store has a bountiful selection of stuffings, already bound up inside a nicely butterflied chop. Raisin and apple, mushroom and sage, wild rice, even plain—something for just about any taste buds. Choose yours, take it home and bake it, and you are good to go!
Pork Chops
This is a deli-ready dish that will make you feel like you spent hours in prep. Serve it with a side of pork gravy if desired, and something out of the everyday like canned cranberry sauce.
Step 1: Pick up stuffed pork chops from your grocer’s deli counter.
Step 2: Put the chops in a casserole dish, cover it with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes—taking the foil off for the final 15. You can dress it up by adding canned cherries if you want.
Step 3: Prepare your sides—something like cranberry sauce, applesauce, and a green veggie.
Step 5: Serve, add a drink and dessert, and put up your feet while you watch whatever is in your queue.
Ingredients needed from your pantry (or the grocery store):
- Stuffed porkchops from the deli/butcher counter
- Packaged mix or canned gravy mix if desired
- Canned cherries (usually found with the pie ingredients, but look for the non-jellied kind)
- Side dishes such as vegetable and fruit
The price point on these is cheaper than you’d think, and they know just how to do it without the pork chops falling apart—trust them. Of course, you can always do the alternative of buying butterfly chops and stuffing them with your own creation (or packaged, such as StoveTop).
Be sure to plan ahead so you can limit your trips to the grocery store, and be safe out there!