balsamic glazed pork and lentils

sorry we've been bad about pictures lately. the jury is out on the lentils. maybe because i cooked the lentils the day before. but the pork was to die for. says it serves 4. that's a lot of pork per person though.

1 c green lentils rinsed
salt and pepper
1 red apple, cut into 1/2" pieces (i used 1/2 apple)
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1/4 c fresh parsley chopped
2 T fresh lemon juice
3 T olive oil
1 T balsmic vinegar
1 T brown sugar (i used white, brown might have even been better)
1 1/4 lb pork tenderloin (we used the thick cut pork chops from costco which were great)

heat oven to 400. bring 4 cups of water to a boil. add lentils and 1 t salt and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender about 20 minutes. drain and rinse under cold water to cool. in a medium bowl, toss with the apple, celery, parsley, lemon juice 2 T of oil and 1/4 t each of salt and pepper.

in a small bowl (or ramekin) mix the vinegar and sugar

heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. season the pork ith 1/4 t each of salt and pepper and cook, turning half way through for 6 minutes (do not disturb while cooking to ensure a good crust on outside) transfer to oven and roast until the pork is cooked though 10-12 minutes. Baste 2ce with the balsamic glaze during the last 5 minutes of cooking. let rest before slicing and pour pan drippings over the sliced pork. serve with the lentils.

asparagus lasagna

I have been making a ton of stuff lately. This came up in a recipe book and I was intrigued but a little leery about the texture and taste. Let me say, this came out so beautifully, and because it can be made ahead and then pieced together later it makes for a great weeknight dinner too!

9 lasagna sheets cooked al dente
large can crushed tomatoes
1 1/4 cups parmesan cheese grated
1/4 lb pancetta diced
1 medium onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
4 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese (don't buy skim, this makes 8 servings and impacts the dish tremendously)
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese

in a large skillet, brown the pancetta until crisp. remove using a slotted spoon. add oil if necessary andc ook onion and garlic for about 4 min (do not brown the garlic). Add the asparagus and cook until tender, 4 minutes and transfer to a large bowl. (this is the point you can stop and store this mixture until you're ready to assemble the casserole) add the ricotta, salt and pepper and stir to combine well.

preheat oven to 350, sprinkle some of the crushed tomatoes on bottomo of a 9x13 dish. place a layer of lasagna sheets on top of tomatoes, spread noodles with 1/2 asparagus mixture. sprinkle with 1/3 mozzarella and 1/3 or parmesan. make another layer. top 3rd layer of lasagna sheets with tomato and remaining cheeses. bake 25 minutes if nothing assembled ahead of time. if starting with cold asparagus, leave off top layer of cheeses and cook for 55 minutes, adding cheese the last 5 minutes. check center to ensure heated through. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

(adapted from giada de laurentiis)

hummus and pita

sorry for the lack of a picture. this was super quick and very delicious, with the added benefit of being clean ingredients (no preservatives)


2 (15.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 roasted red pepper
1/4 t paprika
1/8 t cayenne

1. Place beans and garlic in a food processor; pulse 5 times or until chopped. Add 1/2 cup water and remaining ingredients; pulse until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.


pita chips

whole wheat pita rounds
spray evoo
fresh or dried herbs
paprika

separate the pita into 2 rounds, spray with evoo, top with fresh or dried herbs and paprika. cut into triangles. bake at 400 for 3-5 min or until very light brown and crispy.

pasta bake

this was good, took little effort, and while looked complex wasn't actually difficult. 4 servings, 444 cals a serving

2 T evoo
1 small onion finely chopped
14 oz can chopped italian plum tomatoes
1 T sun-dried or regular tomato paste
1 t dried mixed herbs
1 t dried oregano or basil
1 t sugar
1 1/2 cups dried conchiglie or rigatoni
2 T fresh grated parmesan cheese
2 T dried breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

for the white sauce
2 T butter
1/4 cup plain flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 egg

heat evoo in a large frying pan and cook the onion gently for about 5 minutes, stirring until softened. stir in tomatoes. fill empty can with water and add to the pan with the tomato paste, herbs and sugar

add salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil, stirring. cover, lower heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.

preheat oven to 375. cook pasta until al dente and drain

make white sauce, melt butter in a pan add the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute (it turns into a ball of paste, so i didn't bother stirring). whisk in the mild gradually. bring to a boil (very important, i didn't until later and was wondering why this didn't thicken) and cook stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth and thick. season with salt and pepper and remove pan from the heat.

place drained pasta in a baking dish, pour the tomato sauce on top and stir to mix well.

beat the egg into the white sauce, then pour the sauce over the paste mixture. with a fork, separate the pasta in several places so that the white sauce fills the gaps. sprinkle with the paremesan and breadcrumbs and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. stand for 10 minutes before serving. even after served, allow to stand 3 more minutes on plates, this thickens up the sauce.

spinach and ricotta gnocchi

You have to really love someone to make this for them. Its a huge undertaking, and while it doesn't look like much, its VERY good for you and low in calories (566 without the modifications I listed) and is so rich tasting. 4 hands definitely make a difference with this one.

serves 2, double recipe for 4 people

1 lb fresh spinach
3/4 cups ricotta
2 T fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 egg beaten
1/8 t grated nutmeg
all purpose flour (quantity will depend on moisture)
1/4 cup butter melted
salt pepper and fresh grated parmesan to top

clean spinach thoroughly, discarding the woody stems. place spinach in a large pan and cook for 5 min until wilted. leave to cool and squeeze the spinach as dry as possible (i used a cheese cloth). process in a blender or food processor and then transfer to bowl.

add ricotta, parmesan, eggg and grated nutmeg. season with salt and pepper and mix together. ad enough flour to make the mixture into a soft dough. (it may be sticky, which was my problem. if i kept adding flour, i'd have starchy gnocchi, but i never got it to dough consistency, which lead us to dropping teaspoons of the "dough" into boiling water. If yours turns into a dough that you can roll into long sausages, then try that and cut them then drop into water)

boil until float, approx 2-3 min. remove with a slotted spoon. either stop here by drizzling the butter and topping with the cheese. or, heat an over to 350, put into a dish, add butter and cheese and bake 5 min until cheese is melted.

this entire process took over an hour, with 2 people doing everything. very labor intense, and I kept hoping we'd hate it because it was such a pain. but no, it was delicious and we want more.

polpettes

What is a polpette you might say? I describe it as something between a burger patty and a meatball. It is a pretty dish, has an abundance of flavor, isn't entirely difficult and with some changes can be VERY healthy. As it is, the recipe makes 6 servings at 443 cals a piece with beef.

1/2 slice white or wheat bread, crust removed
3 tbs mild
1 1/2 lb ground beef (i plan on using chicken or turkey next time for a healthier option that i think will taste even better!)
1 egg beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs
evoo for frying
2 large tomatoes sliced
1 T chopped fresh oregano (i used dried)
1 mozzarella cheese (in water) cut into 6 slices
6 drained canned anchovies cut in half lengthwise (i omitted this one)
salt and pepper

preheat oven to 400 degrees. put the bread and milk into a small pan and heat very gently, until the bread absorbs all the milk. mash it to a pulp and leave to cool. (i didn't do this hot, i just did it in a bowl on the side.)

put the meat into a bowl with the bread mixture and the egg and season with salt and pepper. mix together well with wet hands then shape the mixture into six patties. spread the breadcrumbs out on to a plate and press the patties in them to coat thoroughly.

heat about 1/4" oil in a large frying pan. add the patties in batches and fry for 2 min on each side, until browned all over. transfer the patties ot a greased oven proof dish, arranging in a single layer.

lay a slice of tomato on top of each patty, sprinkle with oregano and season with salt and pepper. place the mozzarella slices on top. arrange the anchovies on top.

bake for 10-15 min until the cheese has melted. serve hot.

uber yummy tart

this was a huge pain to make, but if you know how to make a tart, this might be easier for you. i'm just not a good baker. but MAN it was delic!

• 1/2 cup butter, chilled
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 apples - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1 pear - peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup apricot jam, warmed
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (i used almonds)
  

1. Cut the cold butter and cream cheese into the flour with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (This can also be done in a food processor: pulse the cold butter into the flour until the mixture resembles cornmeal; add the cream cheese and pulse until it's the size of small peas.) When you squeeze a handful of the mixture, it should form a ball. Shape the dough into a round disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Toss the sliced apples and pear with the orange juice. Whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and cornstarch. Toss the fruit with the sugar-spice mixture and set aside.
3. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Set out an 8-inch tart pan, or, if you'll be making a free-form tart (galette), lightly grease a baking sheet.
4. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to form a 10-inch circle. Transfer the dough to the tart pan or baking sheet. Lay the nuts as a base on the bottom, Arrange the fruit decoratively in the tart pastry (drain liquid first). If you're baking the tart on a baking sheet, leave a 2-inch rim of dough and fold it up over the edge of the fruit (the pastry folds will overlap). Also, bake the tart on something that has a rim on it, thus avoiding cleaning the bottom of your stove like i had to!
   
5. Bake the tart in the preheated oven until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and brush it with the apricot jam.

I didn't use the cardamom (its $10 a jar!!) and it was still delic.