October 10: Broiled Lamb Chops with Sweet Pea and Spinach Couscous

2 cups chicken stock or broth
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups plain couscous
1 large red onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2-pound rack of lamb cut into 12 chops (3 chops per person)

1 10-ounce box frozen peas

4 cups baby spinach

10 fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn

10 fresh mint leaves, chopped

Preheat the broiler.

Place about 1 1/2 cups of the chicken stock and 1 tablespoon of the EVOO in a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Cover the pot and raise the heat; bring the broth to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the couscous, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes.

While the chicken stock is heating up, preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the EVOO. Add the onions, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onions are tender.

While the onions are cooking, arrange the chops on a slotted broiler pan and season both sides with salt and pepper. Broil the chops for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium rare, 5 to 6 for medium well.

To the onions and garlic, add the frozen peas and the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Heat for 2 minutes, then add the baby spinach and wilt. Add the basil and mint and remove from the heat.

Fluff the cooked couscous with a fork. Add the veggies and herbs to the couscous on a large platter, toss to distribute, and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.

Serve the lamb chops on top of the sweet pea and spinach couscous.

4 SERVINGS

This is a nice quick and easy recipe. I couldn't find a rack of lamb, so I used a T-bone steak. It was a nice change of pace (it was on sale, so I didn't have to spend $20-$30 on the meat.) That's the only thing I did differently (except that I didn't use a platter to mix up the peas and couscous).