Stuffed Pork with Lemon Asparagus Couscous

Cooking this and writing it up in mid-March, Summer seemed to actually be on the way. For once my cooking thoughts weren’t 100% set on comfort food, comfort food and more comfort food and I stumbled across this recipe for stuffed pork chops. They seemed perfect for the spring days we’ve been enjoying for the last week or so. With a little tinkering I resolved to have them very soon.

The couscous is, I think a pretty good companion to them: nice and light with an equally light and summery feel.

I’ll almost certainly cook this combination again and perhaps try a few different things next time: not because I think changes are needed per se but I think it will be interesting to see what works. Black olives and / or lightly toasted pine nuts may make a fine addition to the chops: perhaps griddling the asparagus and other veg for the couscous.


Feta & Spinach Stuffed Pork Chops
serves 2

olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
120g frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
30g feta cheese, crumbled
1½ tbsp cream cheese
¼ tsp lemon zest
2 boneless loin pork chops, trimmed
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp dried oregano

Preheat the grill.

Heat a large frying or sauté pan over a medium-high heat and add a small splash of olive oil, swirling around so it covers most of the surface.

Add half of the crushed garlic and fry gently for about a minute. Sprinkle in half of the salt and pepper plus the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Continue to sauté until the moisture evaporates.

Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses and lemon zest.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each pork chop to form a pocket and stuff each with the spinach mixture.

Sprinkle the remaining salt and pepper over the chops and put them on the rack of a grill pan or a lightly greased roasting pan.

Combine the remaining garlic, lemon juice, mustard, and oregano in a bowl and stir well.

Brush half over the pork and grill for 6 minutes. Turn the chops over, brush over the remaining sauce and grill for a further 5 minutes or until done.

Lemony Asparagus & Tomato Couscous
serves 2

120g couscous
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
75-100g asparagus
2 tomatoes, seeded & diced
zest & juice of ½ lemon

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Prepare the couscous according to the package directions, making sure to fluff and separate the grains when the couscous is done.

Meanwhile cook the asparagus in a shallow pan of lightly salted boiling water for around 3 minutes, until just tender. Plunge into cold water to cool and stop cooking.

Drain and carefully dry the spears and cut into small lengths.

Add the asparagus, tomatoes, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, parsley and salt and pepper to taste to the couscous. Toss carefully to combine.

Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed and add a little extra oil if the couscous seems dry.

Serve immediately alongside the chops.

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Greek Lamb & Pasta Stew

I absolutely love this recipe- which I have cooked variations of before - the lamb gets really tender, the pasta soaks up the rich sauce and the salty feta sprinkled over is a perfect counterpoint. And, as is always marvellous, it gets chucked in the oven to transform into a delicious one-pot dish.

What I actually did here was freeze, at the point where it had cooled overnight, half of the stew and then used half of the amount of pasta, feta etc quoted to finish off (just in case you wondered from the photos). Be aware that you don’t have to cool it and eat the next day - it will just taste a bit (even) better if you do. Feel free to just carry on with the next stage at that point though if you don't want to wait.

And speaking of feta, Nigella throws some parsley or oregano along with the feta over the finished dish but I felt that even though this is supposed to have a Greek rather than Italian feel it would suit a sprinkling of gremolata perfectly so i made some and mixed that in with the feta before sprinkling over


Greek Lamb & Pasta Stew
serves 4

2-3 tbsp olive oil, plus more if needed
800g boned shoulder of lamb, trimmed of excess fat and cut into cubes about 1½ by 2½ in
1-2 medium onions (or half a massive one), sliced finely
salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
½ tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 carrot, peeled, halved lengthways, and then cut into 3 across
400g tin chopped tomatoes
200ml lamb stock
250ml dry white wine
freshly ground black pepper
150g macaroni pasta
100g feta cheese
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped 

zest of 1 lemon

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 165C.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large cast iron casserole and brown the lamb in batches over a medium-high heat, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon to a plate or bowl as you go.

Turn the heat down to low, adding a little more oil if necessary. Add the onions, with a pinch of salt, and cook for 10-15 minutes until soft and translucent.

Add the garlic, celery, thyme, and oregano and cook for a couple of minutes more.

Add the meat to the vegetable mixture along with the bay leaves, carrots, tomatoes, stock and wine. The liquid needs to at the least completely cover the meat and vegetable - remember you will also be adding pasta later so if necessary add some water too.

Bring to a boil, removing any scum that rises to the surface, and let it bubble for a few minutes.

Cover and transfer to the oven for about 2 to 2½ hours until lovely and tender. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Let the stew cool and when it is, transfer, covered to the fridge. Make sure you do take it out of the fridge again about 2 hours before you’ll be cooking and skim any fat that has solidified off the top.

Add 200ml lamb stock to the stew and reheat on the hob until it is piping hot. Add the pasta about 10-20 mins before you want to eat - making sure there is enough liquid & juices to cover all the pasta: remember that the pasta will absorb some of that liquid.

At the point that you add the pasta to the stew, mix the feta, parsley, lemon zest, garlic and olive oil together so the flavours can meld and set aside.

When the pasta is cooked, ladle the stew into shallow bowls and serve with the feta-gremolata in a bowl in the middle of the table so people can sprinkle over as they wish.

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