How to Make Stuffed Pork Chops
The beginning of another year is a good time to think about trying new things and expanding existing skills. Even though we spend a lot of time cooking, it's always fun to learn new techniques or observe someone else as they combine ingredients in a way that may be completely different from our version of a particular dish. Cooking classes are a great means of gathering ideas and meeting new people. There are a number of options available in the area and most of them are well worth the time. Check with your favorite kitchen stores and restaurants - many of them offer classes at this time of year. Continuing education programs and local technical schools are also a good source of food-related classes.
A long-standing story told by a good friend prompted the topic of classes for this column. Just out of college and beginning their first jobs, she and three friends rented a house together. None of them knew much about cooking, but felt they had to have one "special" dish to serve for guests. They started a tradition of fixing dinner together every Sunday for themselves and their "dates-of-the-moment". Fortunately, the dates rotated fairly often, because the four roommates only knew how to prepare one dish, stuffed pork chops. While she started from this limited repertoire, our friend went on to become an excellent cook (we don't know about the other three).
In case you don't have the time (or inclination) to attend a class, but need one "special dish", we will provide you with three options for the pork chops. If the meat case in your favorite store does not have loin chops with pockets, one of the butchers can quickly remedy the problem.
