Sometimes I try to make Sunday dinner (roasts or pot pies, things that feel sort of homey), but who feels like spending tons of time doing dishes on a Sunday night? Not me. By Sunday night I’m trying to reserve my energy for the busy week ahead. This past weekend, I made a spinach stuffed pork roast, but I did it in parchment paper and it was fantastic! My mom always says that the pork you can buy today is nothing like it used to be. She always says it is too dry. Well, this recipe is not dry at all. The parchment seals all the moisture right in the roast, and the best part is there is no roasting pan to scrub!

Spinach-Stuffed Pork Roast in Parchment Paper

1 boneless pork roast (1.25-1.5 lbs)

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 yellow onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

3 slices whole wheat sandwich bread, ripped into small pieces

1/4 teaspoon dried sage

8 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

2 tablespoons beef broth

Butterfly the pork roast (cut through the center from one of the long edges, but stop before you get to the opposite side). Open it like a book. Season the pork roast with salt and pepper. Mix all other ingredients, with salt and pepper to taste, in a bowl and place 2/3 inside the roast. Close the “book” and place the roast on parchment paper (see Technique tab on this site for instructions about size and folding). Place the additional stuffing on top of the roast. Fold the parchment and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Open the parchment packet (fold the edges down or cut them off) and return to the oven for about 10 minutes. Allow the roast to rest about 5 minutes before carving.

It came out delicious, moist and filled with flavor. I even ate some of the leftovers cold the next day for lunch and they were amazing!

Sometimes I try to make Sunday dinner (roasts or pot pies, things that feel sort of homey), but who feels like spending tons of time doing dishes on a Sunday night? Not me. By Sunday night I’m trying to reserve my energy for the busy week ahead. This past weekend, I made a spinach stuffed … Read more

I was dying to try making my own sauerkraut after seeing Martha’s article on it in October Living. It sounded so easy! My mom remembers her German grandmother making homemade sauerkraut, which she kept in a crock on the kitchen counter. My mom says she just remembers it smelling awful. I wasn’t afraid (and mine actually did not smell at all).

To start you thinly slice up a head of cabbage and mix it with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon caraway seeds. You let it sit for about 5 minutes then you are supposed to squeeze the cabbage to release the juices. This was not easy! I kept squeezing and squeezing, and didn’t get much. Next you’re supposed to put it in a jar and cover it with a cabbage leaf and put a lid on it, opening it each day to let the air out. I decided to follow the method in a book I have, DIY Delicious, and instead covered the jar with a cloth attached with a rubber band. You were supposed to make sure the cabbage was covered in the liquid. It was, but barely. You leave it out on the counter for several days until it reaches the sourness you like. I left mine out for 5 days and it did not get very sour, but that was ok with me. (Next time I will let it sit a little longer, just to experiment with the level of sourness).

The problem I did have was that the liquids evaporated a bit and it grew kind of a white crust on top (which I scooped out) after a few days. I checked with some friends who said that was ok – and also that I probably should have added some water if the liquid went down (I’ll do that next time).

I put my jar in the fridge for a few days, then decided it was time to use it in a dish, so I came up with this hearty supper:

4 bone-in pork chops

1 small shallot, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

4 slices bread

3 corn muffins

salt and pepper

1/2 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon thyme

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cups sauerkraut

4 apples, cored

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

salt and pepper to taste

Spray an 8×12 pan with cooking spray. Cut a deep, wide pocket in each chop. Rip up the bread and muffins and mix with shallot, garlic, sage, thyme, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add water until the stuffing is moist enough that it holds together. Stuff the chops and place them in the pan. Season them with salt and pepper.

Distribute the sauerkraut around and on the chops. Cut each apple into 4 slices and place on top of the chops. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours, or until the chops are completely cooked. Be sure to spoon some of the liquid from the pan onto your chop and stuffing when you serve it.

This was fantastic. First of all, the kraut. It wasn’t very sour at all, but it had a little bite. It tasted so much fresher and sweeter than kraut I’ve purchased in the past. I will definitely be making this again, particularly since you can keep it in the fridge for months. And this time I’ll add a little water.

The chops baked up very moist, which pork chops often do not do when they are baked. The kraut and apples added moisture and lots of flavor. The stuffing had interest because of the corn muffins. The apples were tender and pretty and tasted delicious with the chops and kraut.

This was the perfect fall meal! I want to make it again soon because I just could not get enough of it!

I was dying to try making my own sauerkraut after seeing Martha’s article on it in October Living. It sounded so easy! My mom remembers her German grandmother making homemade sauerkraut, which she kept in a crock on the kitchen counter. My mom says she just remembers it smelling awful. I wasn’t afraid (and mine … Read more

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