Ingredients
- 8 iowa chops
- 1 eggs (whole)
- 300 gr brandy
- 260 gr packaged seasoned bread stuffing crumbs
- 190 gr broken pecans
- 160 ml water (hot)
- 130 gr butter (unsalted)
- 80 gr apricot jam
- 60 gr onion (minced)
- 60 ml vegetable oil
- 28 gr currants (dried)
- 6 gr fennel seed
- 6 gr orange peel (grated)
- 3 gr pepper (white)
- 2 gr nutmeg
- 1 gr salt
Soak apricots in brandy and water for half hour. Drain, reserving liquid, and= chop apricots finely. Place together in a large bowl.
Saute onions in butter until tender. Add to apricots and reserved liquid;= set aside to cool slightly.
Add remaining stuffing ingredients (except the bread stuffing crumbs) in= order given. Mix well to break up the eggs.
Add bread crumbs and mix well. Refrigerate stuffing while preparing pork.
Make a pocket in the meat by slicing horizontally toward the bone halfway= up the thickness of the chop. Stuff each chop with about one third cup of the= prepared stuffing, then sear both sides of the chop in a skillet with the= vegetable oil in it. Arrange the chops in a baking pan, cover, and bake= for 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. (when pork tests 160 internally, it= is done)=20 There will be about 2 litre of stuffing left, which should be served as a= side dish. Place it in a greased baking dish and bake uncovered in the oven= with the pork.
Heat brandy in a small saucepan until hot but not boiling. Pour hot brandy= into the hot baking pan with the meat, then touch with a lighted match. The= brandy will flame up, and at this point you can carry the meat dish to the= table and place it on a heavy trivet. The flames will subsidde after a= minute or so, but the baking dish will be too hot to pass, so the chops= must be served by the host or hostess.
Recipe by Leanne Jonker of Iowa City, Iowa; as published in the Cedar= Rapids Gazette 19 Nov 1994.