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)