S is for Sage Pork Chops and Saffron Couscous (Jessica)

Salutations!

The recipes I made this week fulfilled a craving I had. Dear readers, this may be the first time I craved making something in the kitchen that wasn't some form of dessert! What?!as;lkdj;al?! I know. I agree. What's going on? Blame it on the heat, I must be losing my mind.

OR maybe I wanted a new challenge and decided a full-on meal was the way to go. I don't want you to think the only thing I can make is cookies! Either way, I was excited to use two scintillating spices this week (and some good alliteration).  :)

Sage Pork Chops:
from allrecipes.com 

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon dried sage (or more)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 bone-in pork chops (thick, if possible)
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup of beef broth
cornstarch to thicken sauce

Directions:
1. Combine sage and pepper in a small bowl and rub onto both sides of chops.

2. Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the chops for 2-3 minutes per side (depending on thickness).

3. Heat beef broth (in separate saucepan) and add to chops. Reduce heat to simmer, cover. Cook for 20-30 minutes.
4. When chops are done, remove. Thicken sauce into gravy by adding 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water (or more, in equal ratios). 


Saffron Couscous
recipe based on this marthastewart.com recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup couscous
1 cup chicken stock
Large pinch of saffron
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds (chopped)
Salt
Butter

Here's what saffron looks like! Great color.

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, bring stock and saffron to a boil. Add salt to taste.
2. Remove from heat and then pour couscous into saucepan. Cover tightly and let sit for 6-8 minutes. Fluff with a fork. If couscous is too dry, add water.
3. Add butter, currants, and almonds and mix well.

Review: 
As you can probably tell, both of these recipes were pretty easy. Not a lot of ingredients and not a lot of directions. I have always found meat challenging to cook because you never know exactly when it's done. I actually cooked mine longer than I wrote here and I felt that it was overdone, so I've shortened the times in the recipe. Of course, it all depends on how thick the chops are, so good luck!
The sage flavor was absolutely delicious. I intend to use sage much more in the future.

As for the couscous, the currants and almonds made it perfect. I loved the slight sweetness and the crunch. The saffron...well, let me just say, I couldn't really taste the saffron. After I tasted the finished dish, I went online to look up what saffron tastes like. There is a lot of material available about the taste, the cost (it's the world's most expensive spice! $500-$5000/pound), and the impressively labor-intensive cultivation process. For the summary, check out wikipedia's article.  The thing is, I just didn't notice any flavor from the saffron. I don't know, maybe my taste buds are not refined enough? Maybe the saffron contributed an undetected flavor that enhanced the overall dish without me noticing...?
Regardless, both of these recipes were quite tasty and easy!

So long for now,

-Jessica