Fontina and Prosciutto stuffed Pork Chops

I love Mario Batoli...I think he is so cool, he is from Seattle but that is not why...I think it is his orange Croc's..and maybe his red hair...Mario and 3 others recently opened a whole 50,000 square foot Italian shopping village in New York (in the Flatiron district) called Eataly....it looks amazing! It has 5 restaurant's...12 other eateries and different shops..a cheese shop, meat shop, fish shop, coffee shop, olive oil shop, produce shop, fresh pasta shop, wine shop, beer garden,...a mozzarella shop where they make the mozzarella right in front of you....everything in eataly is handcrafted.....and it is now on the top of my bucket list....how I want to go there.......http://eatalyny.com/how-to-eataly/manifesto

the owners, Lidia Bastianich, Oscar Farinetti, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich

It is quite the layout...this place is huge! It is like going to an Italian Village, most things are imported straight from Italy.......they also have cooking classes, by Lidia...that look wonderful! So in honor of Mario and his new Eataly..I made a Mario recipe...Stuffed Pork Chops...The wonderful thing about Mario's recipes are they are simple...he just uses a few great ingredients..these pork chops were fantastic! They were moist and very flavorful..... 

Fontina and Prosciutto stuffed Pork Chops

4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 1/2 inches thick

2 quarts water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
4 fresh thyme sprigs
10 cloves
6 allspice berries

8 slices (about 3 ounces) pancetta or prosciutto
1 cup of shredded(about 3 ounces) fontina

Directions
Prepare the pork chops. Make a brine by combining the water, sugar, salt, thyme sprigs, clove and all-spice berries in a re-seal able bag. Add the pork chops, seal up the bag and put in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Drain the pork chops and pat dry. Using a paring knife, make a horizontal cut into the center of each chop to make a pocket. Stuff shredded fontina and pancetta inside each pocket and secure with a toothpick. Set 2 large cast iron skillets over medium-high heat and add a 2-count of extra-virgin olive oil to each skillet. Add 2 chops to each of the skillets and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until golden. Turn chops. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper before putting the pans in the oven. Roast chops for 5 to 7 minutes until cooked through and cheese has melted. 

I didn't have all the ingredients for the brine...so instead of the allspice berries, I used ground allspice..it came out fine...also the brining process can be done earlier in the day...

grate the cheese......

split the pork chops.....

really thick pork chops......maybe 2 inches....

place a layer of prosciutto, a big handful of cheese, kind of squished together...

then another layer of prosciutto...

toothpick snugly together......

and grill in a pan, browning good on both sides.....

then place in a roasting pan, cover and bake in the oven until they are over 165 degree inside...these were 170.....Mario's recipe said 5-7 minutes..but these took 40 minutes....might depend on the thickness...see the juices in the pan?... they would have been great to incorporate in the pasta...wished I would have thought of that earlier...sigh....

Open a bottle of red wine and 'Salute to Mario!!"  Enjoy!!!!

Cheers to Happy  !!!