Lamb chops with sweet and sour pomegranate sauce

Ask the butcher to clean the ‘handles’ of the chops, and to trim fat and fibres.
Prepare the marinade: sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until wilted, then add sugar. Stir until it dissolves for 3-4 minutes over medium heat then add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes until it reduces, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
Keep ½ cup of marinade aside to use as sauce for the chops, and put the rest in a non-metallic bowl. Add the chops and stir well, making sure they are coated in marinade. Cover the bowl and keep in the fridge for 6 hours, turning over once or twice. Remove from the fridge ½ an hour before cooking to allow to reach room temperature.
Before serving, prepare the couscous: sauté the onion in olive oil and add couscous. Stir until it warms through then add the remaining ingredients. As soon as it reaches a boil, cover and remove from heat. Let it soak for 10 minutes without stirring until it has absorbed all the liquid. Just before serving, mix lightly with a fork to fluff up.
While the couscous is soaking, cook the chops under the grill for 20 minutes until well browned.
Prepare the sauce: heat the reserved marinade, bringing to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes until it reduces. Alternatively, you can thicken it by adding ½ tsp cornflour diluted in 1 tablespoon of water.
Place the chops with couscous in a platter, or divide between 4 plates, drizzling with sauce and accompanying with green salad. For a more impressive presentation, you can serve the salad in the hollowed out pomegranates you used to make the juice.

Ingredients:

8 lamb chops
Green salad for serving
Pomegranate seeds
for garnish

Marinade and sauce:

1 medium onion,
finely chopped
½ tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp finely chopped
fresh ginger
1 tbsp olive oil
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cloves
4 tbsps brown sugar
½ tsp chilli powder
1½ cup fresh pomegranate juice or ½ cup pomegranate paste mixed with 1 cup apple juice
½ cup cider vinegar
Salt, pepper

Couscous:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 3/4  vegetable stock
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
3 tbsps finely chopped coriander
1 medium onion,
finely chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 cups couscous
Salt, pepper