Moroccan-Spiced Pork Chops

When I studied abroad in Madrid, I had the opportunity to go to Morocco but unfortunately I didn’t take it. The price was too high, the timing wasn’t right and I ended up going to Barcelona instead. While Barcelona was amazing, a part of me is still kicking myself for not going to Morocco.

So instead, I’ll travel there via the cuisine. We’ve recently created a number of Moroccan Food videos at my day job, and though I’ve learned about mechoui, couscous, tagines and more, my favorite video of the bunch was the one on Moroccan spices. Many of the spices — turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, fenugreek — are common in Indian cooking. But Moroccan cooking also involves olives and olive oil, fresh herbs, lemons — hallmarks of Mediterranean food. It’s kind of the best of both worlds.

So when Mili proposed this Moroccan-spiced pork chops recipe for a night of cooking and Arrested, I jumped (I was in a crowded Fairway and almost knocked over an orange display, but let’s not talk about that … ). Added bonus: the recipe involved only one dish and less than 10 minutes of cooking, which means there was plenty of time for watching this.

Moroccan-Spiced Pork Chops
From It’s Paleo

– 1 pound lean pork chops (we used bone-in, but you could also do boneless)

– 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

– 2 teaspoons ground cumin

– 2 teaspoons ground coriander

1) Salt and pepper the pork chops. In a Ziploc bag, combine the spices. Place the pork chops in the bag, seal and shake until the pork chops are coated in the spice mixture. Let this sit for 20 minutes.

2) Heat a touch of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook them for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway. Allow them to rest an additional 5 minutes before digging in.