Moroccan-Spiced Pork Chops and Fruity Couscous

Submitted by justcallmetoni

"When I first found this recipe on the Weight Watchers website, I was amused by the idea of a Moroccan dish featuring pork as most of the natives I know from this country are Muslim. Though I will never serve this dish to them, I love the flavors of the marinade and have made some changes that make this truly delicious."

 

• Ready In: 58mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon harissa
• 4 lb lean pork loin, sliced into four pieces (4 oz each) or (4 ounce) boneless pork chops
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1⁄4 cups couscous
• 2 1⁄2 cups fat-free chicken broth
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon turmeric
• 8 fresh apricot halves
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, fresh, chopped

directions

1. Combine harissa, cumin, coriander and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a resealable plastic bag. (Use a non-metal container if you prefer.) Add chops to bag, seal and shake until well-coated. Marinate the meat for 30 minutes in the fridge.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chops until cooked through, about eight minutes per side.
3. Bring broth to boil in a medium saucepan. Add 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, turmeric and couscous. Turn heat down to lowest possible setting, cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Fluff couscous and mix in the apricots and cilantro.
4. Serve chops on top of the couscous.
5. Cooking time includes the time to marinade the meat.

Reviews

[Sally S]

I'm a big fan of cous cous so this one was easy. The spices really complimented the pork chops and the cous cous was not dry. Very delicious!

 

[KLHquilts]

Very, very good. I cut my pork tenderloin into 2"-3" pieces, rather than leave it in 4-oz. chunks. Marinated for about 5 hours. I didn't like the look of our local fresh apricots, so I used dried. I've fallen in love with harissa -- great flavor, not too much heat! So this recipe was a real find (and a real keeper) for me. Thanks!

 

[COOKGIRl]

I wish I could give this lovely recipe one hundred stars! Used pork chops and marinated them for a good four hours. The harissa used was <a href="/184003">Harissa (Hot Pepper Sauce)</a>. For fresh apricots I substituted dried unsulphured apricots. Everthing came together beautfully and I felt the extended marinating time really enhanced the flavors. Spicy for us, but not incendiary! Don't forget the fresh cilantro for garnish! Served alongside of <a href="/185754">Arabian Cauliflower With Tahini</a>. Husband and I have agreed next time to substitute lamb for the pork to test what that would taste like. Thanks for sharing a fabulous recipe! cg ;)

 

[lauralie41]

This was so good! The flavor of the marinade on the pork along with the apricots in the couscous, very nice! I did not use the harissa but made a bit of a paste of ground red pepper flakes, cumin, garlic and olive oil.