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Lamb Chops with Roasted Tomato Gravy and Green Olive Couscous

Ingredients

  • 1 pint grape tomatoes

  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 large shallot, finely chopped

  • 2-3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 2 tablespoons flour

  • 1 cup dry white wine

  • 3 cups chicken stock, divided

  • 8 lamb loin chops (about 1 1/2 pounds)

  • 2 cups couscous

  • 3-4 tablespoons mint (a generous handful of leaves), finely chopped

  • A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

  • 1/2 cup Sicilian green olives, chopped

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400ºF. On a baking sheet with an edge, toss the tomatoes with a couple tablespoons of EVOO, salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes for 20 minutes. In a medium skillet or saucepot add two tablespoons of EVOO and heat over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, then sprinkle in flour and cook a minute more. Whisk in wine and reduce by half, a couple of minutes. Whisk in one cup chicken stock and season with salt and pepper; reduce heat to low and simmer.  To a second small to medium size saucepot with a tight-fitting lid, add two cups stock and a drizzle of EVOO and bring to a boil.  While the stock comes up to a boil, add one tablespoon EVOO to a skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Season chops with salt and pepper and cook for four minutes on each side for medium doneness.  Take tomatoes out of the oven and mash with potato masher. Stir roasted crushed tomatoes into gravy.  Add couscous to boiling stock and stir. Add olives and parsley to couscous and turn off heat. Cover and let stand for five minutes.  Stir mint into tomato gravy. Fluff couscous with a fork. Place chops and couscous on a plate and cover with tomato gravy and serve couscous alongside.