New Year's Eve Lunch

As we did last year, Marshal Mike and I had his sister and brother-in-law over for lunch on New Year's Eve.

This year, we started with Roasted Fennel and White Bean dip on crostini.

The recipe is from Food52 and was superb. Since the fennel is roasted, the flavor mellows and sweetens and the resulting dip is creamy with a crunchy, slightly salty crust on top. It will delight fennel-lovers and haters alike.

For lunch I made Giada's Butternut Squash Lasagna, which is in her cookbook, Giada's Family Dinners. It was phenomenal. We couldn't stop eating it. MM's sister took some home and ate it for breakfast and lunch the following day!

And for dessert, I made Giada's Cornmeal and Rosemary Cake with Balsamic Syrup, which is in her cookbook, Giada's Kitchen.

This is a great cake: light in texture and it straddles the delicate line between sweet and savory. The balsamic syrup was the perfect foil; it added just the right amount of tang. I wanted to lick my plate, but restrained myself. We did have guests afterall!

Sausage and Fennel Ragu

I am not going to lie - my first trip to the grocery store after my CSA had ended was pretty exciting. I was craving fennel like it was my job; into the cart! The cauliflower looked great; join the fennel in the cart! Sweet potatoes are on sale; excellent, into the cart! I also haven't been eating much meat, and was kind of craving it, so I picked up a half a pound of sweet Italian sausage. This ragu from The Kitchn was the perfect thing to make with the fennel and sausage. My adaptation is below.

Sausage and Fennel Ragu
Adapted from The Kitchn
Makes 10+ cups

Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 sweet onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced (I am still using CSA garlic and the cloves are gigantic!)
1 fennel bulb, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juice (I used Muir Glen organic because I had a coupon)
1 26.46 oz box Pomi strained tomatoes (I have seen these popping up at my local grocery stores and was immediately intrigued because they are Italian; after using them I am infatuated as well!)
Generous pinch of Giada's Tuscan Herb Mix
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
cooked pasta, to serve (I used cavatappi)
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to serve

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Crumble in the sausage and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until browned, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot frequently (use a wooden spoon to break the sausage into bite-sized crumbles). Add the onion, garlic, fennel and carrot. Mix thoroughly and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are beginning to be tender.

2. Add the diced tomatoes and the box of strained tomatoes. Stir to combine, raise the heat back to medium and bring to a simmer. Add the dried herbs, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, lower the heat to a bare simmer and partially cover the pot with the lid. Cook for at least an hour, stirring occasionally and scrapping the bottom of the pot.

3. After an hour, the ragu should be thick and rich. Taste for seasoning and serve over hot pasta.

Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes

Anyone who has ever been to an Indian restaurant with me knows that I always order aloo mutter (peas and potatoes). Even if it isn't on the menu, I order it and, luckily, the kitchen has never refused to make it. The other dish that always interests me is aloo gobi (cauliflower and potatoes). When I saw a recipe for Indian spiced cauliflower and potatoes on the Smitten Kitchen blog, I knew I had to try it.

The recipe is originally from Gourmet magazine and is really a keeper (oh, Gourmet, why did you have to fold!). I didn't cut my cauliflower small enough, so they didn't roast properly, but the potatoes were creamy and delicious. I didn't have any cumin seeds, so I used half fennel seeds and half caraway seeds. The caraway flavor didn't really work (it was a little too discordant), but the fennel! Oh, the fennel! It turned into candy! I might just roast fennel seeds for fun now that I know what a treat that they turn out to be! I also left out the jalapeno because I am mortally terrified of hot peppers. I did mean to throw some chopped parsley on top for color and a little bit of freshness, but I forgot. (Cilantro is the classic accompaniment to Indian food (the seed of the cilantro plant is called coriander), but I don't keep cilantro on hand.)

One final note, if you have never worked with turmeric, it turns everything yellow (as you can see from the photo), so be careful what you stir it with, what kind of container you put the leftovers in, etc.

Lentils with Roasted Vegetables and Crispy Prosciutto

Kind of a moody looking dish!

Hey, look, more roasted vegetables! And honestly, this wasn't one of my successes. I think the ingredients weren't quite right.

First, I still don't like turnips. I bought baby white turnips this time, hoping that they might be better than last time. Well, they're not. Slightly more edible than the turnip root, but still not pleasurable. (A friendly reader told me to try Tokyo turnips, but I haven't seen them at any of my grocery stores.)

Second, on a good note, I cooked the lentils in vegetable broth and I loved the flavor it gave them. I will be doing that from now on.

Third, and this may be hard to believe, but I didn't like the crisp prosciutto as much as crisp cooked bacon. It certainly wasn't bad, and it still contributed that crisp, saltiness I love, but I found myself wishing it was bacon. I realize this is practically sacrilegious for an Italian to say, but at least I am being honest with you, folks!

I won't bother writing out the recipe, since I wouldn't really recommend giving it a try.

Fusilli with Fennel and Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage

Apologies for the dark photo....

This recipe has a secret ingredient.

An ingredient I don't use very often in savory cooking.

In fact, if I am making up a recipe as I go, I usually neglect to think about this ingredient at all.

But not this weekend! Butter made its proud presence known! That's right, butter. And this dish was all the better for it.

This story starts the way most of my stories have been starting lately. X grocery store had Y product on sale, so I just had to buy Y product and now I am trying to figure out what to do with it. The product today is Al Fresco's Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage. (To sweeten the deal, I also had a coupon for an Al Fresco product! Lucky day!) I think that apples work well with fennel and onion, so I figured chicken sausage with apples should work well too. I usually have fennel and onion on hand - it is a sad sad day in the BlB kitchen if there is no fennel or onion around!

This dish turned out wonderfully. The fennel and the onions practically melted into the sauce, which got body and richness from a small amount of butter and pasta cooking water. The sausage was delicious: sweet and maple-kissed. I would certainly recommend picking up a package of Al Fresco's sweet apple chicken sausage if you see it at the store!

Fusilli with Fennel and Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage
Serves 4

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil
1 sweet onion, sliced
1 fennel bulb, cored and sliced, some fronds reserved
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2/3 lb dried fusilli
1 lb fully cooked sweet apple chicken sausage, cut into rounds
1/2 cup dry white wine
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 - 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan/skillet/braiser over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel; season with salt and pepper. Cook vegetables, stirring frequently, until meltingly soft, 20-30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil; salt generously. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving at least a cup of pasta water.

3. When vegetables are about done, move them to the sides of the pan and add the chicken sausage to the center of the pan. Cook for a couple minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Cook for a couple minutes. Mix in a tablespoon or two of the butter and a splash or two of the pasta water. 

4. Add the drained pasta to the pan and combine. Remove from the heat, stir in an additional tablespoon or two of the butter, the cheese and more pasta water if it is too dry. Taste for seasoning. Transfer to a serving dish and top with the reserved fronds.

Ravioli with Caramelized Fennel and Onions

We all know the fennel lover in me can't stay away for long!

This is a super simple, make on a weeknight recipe from Real Simple.  The fennel fronds add a lot of great fresh fennel flavor, so don't throw them away!

Roasted Veggie Couscous with Ricotta Salata

I have a new obsession: beets! Some of you who have known me for a long time are probably shocked to hear that come out of my mouth (er, fingers). But it's true. And I blame this experience and this dish as the start of the obsession.

Just this past weekend I found myself randomly thinking about beets and how I would have to go to the grocery to get some. (Of course when I was at the store, I managed to buy some fennel, too, because that is another obsession that just won't die!) I also had some ricotta salata in the fridge that was just begging to be used, so I decided to make roasted vegetables with Israeli couscous and ricotta salata. It was delicious! (If you have never had ricotta salata, it is worth trying. The best way I can describe it, is that it is like feta, but not as salty and not as creamy. It doesn't really melt, so you get always get a bite of cheese that has integrity!)

Roasted Veggie Couscous with Ricotta Salata
Serves 2-3

Ingredients

3 medium sized golden beets, peeled and diced (a regular vegetable peeler makes quick work of the beets' skin - much easier than peeling after it is roasted whole)
1 large fennel bulb, diced
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup uncooked Israeli couscous
Handful flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
Couple ounces ricotta salata

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, toss the beets and fennel with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Roast in the oven until tender, about 30-40 minutes, depending on how large you chopped the veggies.

3. Meanwhile, cook the couscous according to package directions. Mix in the parsley and taste for seasoning.

4. Transfer the couscous and the vegetables to a serving dish and combine. Top with crumbled ricotta salata.

Baked Fennel, Potato and Tomatoes

Hello, gorgeous

Big thanks to MM who asked the Valentine's Day fairy to deliver the gorgeous Le Creuset braiser in the above photo!

My good friend, Lilly, inspired me to pull some frozen meat out the freezer this weekend, and the 1/2 pound of leftover ground turkey from this dish won! (Good thing to know: if you wrap ground turkey in plastic wrap and stick it in a freezer ziplock bag, it will be totally edible and have no freezer burn after 7 months! Shocked? I was!) I also had fennel, a bag of potatoes and an onion that were just screaming to be used. After a little bit of internet searching, I found this recipe for Baked Sausages, Fennel and Potatoes with Fontina from Food & Wine. I figured with a couple alterations, this could work for me.

The resulting dish was good. I cut the potatoes too big, so they didn't cook all the way through. I didn't have any meltable cheese on hand, so cheese was omitted, but I think it would have elevated the final dish.

Baked Fennel, Potato and Tomatoes
Adapted from Food & Wine
Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound 7-month old frozen ground turkey (thawed)
1 onion, cut into thin slices
1 fennel bulb, cored and cut into thin slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 small bag of yellow potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dry white wine
28 oz. can whole tomatoes, liquid reserved, tomatoes chopped (or you can empty the contents of the can into a big bowl and smash them with a potato masher (my preferred method of smashing))
1/2 to 3/4 cup orzo
(The original recipe called for 6 ounces of grated fontina cheese to be melted on top of this dish at the end; I didn't have any fontina, but if I did, I certainly would have included it.)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a large oven-safe pan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and saute until it is cooked through and white. Remove turkey to a plate.

2. Heat remaining one tablespoon of olive oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, garlic and fennel seeds and cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and salt and cook, covered for 5-8 minutes.

3. Stir in the wine and simmer until evaporated. Add the tomatoes, their liquid and about 1/3 can of water (swish the water around in the can to get all the tomato juice). Stir in the turkey and orzo and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. (If using cheese, bake for 10 minutes, then sprinkle the cheese on top and bake for another 10 minutes.)

Whole Wheat Pasta with Fennel, Chicken Sausage, Tomato and Olives

Obviously, this pasta dish appealed to me because of the fennel. I will print just about any recipe that I come across that has fennel in the title.

I found this one on a blog called The Perfect Pantry, which happens to be written by a Rhode Islander, so of course I was immediately enamored.

The dish turned out ok. I liked that the tomato juice and the pasta water created a sauce, so it certainly was not dry. I didn't think the olives were necessary, and would probably replace them with a leafy green, such as swiss chard, escarole or spinach in the future. I also discovered that I am not a huge fan of chicken sausage. (Unless we are talking about this lovely specimen right here: Al Fresco wild blueberry breakfast sausage with maple syrup. OMG, I could eat the whole package in one sitting.) Since chicken doesn't have much inherent flavor, I feel like all you taste is the seasoning the manufacturer (in this instance, Harris Teeter) adds to the meat. I would much prefer pork or turkey sausage for the flavor.

The other problem I encountered with this dish was that I didn't cut the fennel thinly enough, so some of it did not cook as well other pieces. That usually does not present a problem the first night, but for some reason, I find that after it has been refrigerated and then reheated, the fennel that isn't cooked all the way through becomes hard as rock. (Ok, maybe not that hard, but definitely harder than anything you would like to find in your lunch-time pasta.)

So with a couple changes, I think this could be a great weeknight go-to meal!

New Year's Eve Lunch

MM's sister and brother-in-law (and 2 of Patton's canine cousins) came over for lunch on New Year's Eve. Erin, my sister-in-law, is a vegetarian, and DC was having unseasonably warm weather (50 degrees!), so I was more than happy to make a meatless menu that would taste fresh and wouldn't weigh us down.

Our menu follows:

Arugula Salad with Clementines and Caramelized Fennel

I found this salad in the January 2010 issue of Bon Appetit. The recipe (which I halved) calls for oranges, but I had a box of clementines in the fridge, so I figured they would work just as well (if not better). I used 4 clementines. I would absolutely make this again and I think everyone would agree it was excellent!

Rigatoni with Vegetable Bolognese

This is one of Giada's recipes, from her cookbook, Giada's Kitchen. The vegetable bolognese came together quickly and was super flavorful. The mushrooms gave it a hearty, meaty goodness and the small amount of mascarpone was just enough to make the sauce slightly creamy. We had tons of leftovers, so MM and I will be eating this today too!

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

My mom has been telling me to try this cake for years. She got the recipe from my grandmother and makes it all the time. I had extra cans of pumpkin puree and evaporated milk from Thanksgiving, so I decided it was high time I tried this recipe.

And... it was pretty good. I wouldn't say it was the best dessert I have ever had, but it was enjoyable. It is like a pumpkin pie on the bottom and crunchy cake on the top.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

2 cups pumpkin puree (I used a 15 oz can, which is just less than 2 cups, but it works fine)
12 oz. can evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I don't have pumpkin pie spice, so I used 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ginger, and 1/4 tsp. cloves)
1 tsp. salt
1 (18.25 oz) box yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans (my mom swears that 2 cups is better, but I am not a huge fan of nuts)
1 cup butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 13x9 inch baking dish.

Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, spices and salt. Mix well and spread into dish.

Sprinkle cake mix over top of pumpkin mixture and pat down. Sprinkle pecans over top and drizzle melted butter all over the top.

Bake for 1 hour or when a cake tester comes out clean (no longer than 1 hour 20 minutes - mine took 1 hour, 10 minutes).

Herbed Chicken with Roasted Root Vegetables

With this dish I discovered that I do not like turnip root. It is bitter! Even roasted, which usually makes veggies so sweet. Although, after a quick search on the good ole internet, I realize that I chose at least one turnip that was too large (you should pick smaller ones that feel heavy for their size) and I should have tried the turnips with their greens still attached, instead of the turnip root by itself. Ok, so maybe I will give them a second chance. (Although, I have given brussels sprouts somewhere close to 10 chances and I still don't like them!)

Regardless of my current hate relationship with turnips, this dish is a great fall/winter standby. Tasty, satisfying and easy. And you can throw in whatever vegetables you like (or hope to like). Additionally, you can pair the roasted vegetables with any protein you'd like. This particular technique (it isn't really a recipe) is one of my go-to ways to cook chicken.

Roasted Root Vegetables
Serves 3

A couple pounds of assorted vegetables (in this particular dish I used 2 medium sweet potatoes, 1 large fennel bulb, and 3 turnip roots), chopped. You can chop the vegetables in whatever size you'd like, just keep them all the same size. And remember, the smaller the dice, the faster it will cook.
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons Italian dried herb mixture (I used Giada's Tuscan Herb Mix)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss all the ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer to a large baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes - 1 hour (depending on the size of your vegetables and desired crispiness of the vegetables), stirring 2 or 3 times during cooking.

Herbed Chicken Breasts
Serves 3

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used the thinly sliced breasts)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian dried herb mixture
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix the olive oil and herbs together in a small bowl. Using a brush (I really like the silicon ones because they are easier to clean), spread the mixture on both sides of the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken over medium heat (you can get away with medium high heat if you have thinly sliced breasts, or if you pound regular breasts so they are thin) in a saute pan for a couple minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through.

Fusilli with Sweet Sausage and Fennel Repeat

MM's cousin stayed with us last night and I made Fusilli with Sweet Sausage and Fennel again. It got rave reviews all around. MM even said it was better than the last time!

And on another fennel note, my dear friend Molly sent me a tube of Tom's of Maine fennel flavored toothpaste! I cannot wait to try it! Thanks again, Molly!

Sicilian Spaghetti with Fennel and Onion

Beige, beige, beige, beige!

My dear readers,

I know I have been absent for awhile and for that I am sorry. I just haven't been cooking much. Blame it on travel, being uninspired and way too hot. DC is trying to kill its residents this summer. I am also sorry that my first dish is this boring, not very good, monochromatic disaster. 

I have never made a Rachael Ray recipe that I liked. (Maybe that should have been my first sign.) This one is from her cookbook, Express Lane Meals, which I received as a gift a couple years ago. I am trying one more recipe from it this week and if it is unsuccessful too, then I will be giving away a cookbook! Leave a comment if you want it!

I really felt like this recipe had potential. It has fennel (yum, fennel!), toasted bread crumbs with parsley and pine nuts (I love parsley!), and there is (usually) nothing wrong with onion. The resulting dish was just boring. Nothing special. Poor MM straight out said he did not like it, would never eat it again and did not want it leftover for lunch. (To be perfectly honest, it was slightly better leftover for lunch than as dinner.) I am not even going to bother typing out the recipe; believe me, you don't want to try it!

So, dear readers, let's hope for better food the rest of the week!

Fusilli with Sweet Sausage and Fennel

"Absolutely delicious!" That is what I exclaimed as I tasted this dish. "Wow, that's really fabulous!" I exclaimed after the second bite. I looked over at MM shoveling pasta into his mouth with one hand and trying to keep Patton from crawling into his lap to get closer to the bowl with the other hand, and I knew we had a winner. The salty, slightly sweet sausage mixed with the sweet, tender fennel and leeks was perfect. The only down side to this dish is that it needs two large pots and a fry pan, so clean up is less than a breeze. The recipe is from The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook, which my thoughtful mother-in-law got me for Christmas a year ago. I halved the recipe, but have included the full-size original recipe below.

Fusilli with Sweet Sausage and Fennel
From The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook
Makes 4 main-course servings or 6 first-course servings (although a half-recipe made enough for 2 dinner servings and 2 lunch portions)

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 leeks, white part only, rinsed and thinly sliced (although I used some of the light green parts too, because I couldn't stand wasting it)
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground in a mortar (alas, I do not have a mortal and pestle, so was forced to grind the seeds on a cutting board with the bottom of the jar - classy, I know)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 lb sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed
Splash of sherry vinegar (I didn't have this, so omitted it)
1 lb dried fusilli
Leaves from 6 large fresh tarragon sprigs, coarsely chopped
Handful of fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1 cup freshly grated pecorino toscano or pecorino romano cheese

In a Dutch oven or large, heavy flameproof casserole dish over medium heat, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil. Add the leeks, fennel and fennel seeds, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a heavy frying pan over high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon. Cook until well browned, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour off most of the fat (keep a little to add flavor) and add a splash of sherry vinegar.

Generously salt the boiling water, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, add the sausage to the pot with the vegetables and simmer for 1-2 minutes to blend the flavors. You should have some liquid left in the pot to form a sauce. If not, add a little warm water or more chicken stock. (I would recommend reserving some of the pasta water for this purpose. I found that at this point my sauce looked ok, but once it all came together, I wished I had had some pasta water to moisten it.) Taste and adjust the seasoning and add a drizzle of olive oil (I did not do this; I felt that it looked oily enough from the sausage).

Drain the pasta and put it in a warmed large, shallow bowl (I threw it in with the veggies and sausage). Add the tarragon, parsley and about 3 tablespoons of the cheese. Toss. Add more cheese on each individual bowl.

Al Karl's Smoked Pork

Marshal Mike and I were in lovely Cape May, NJ this past weekend for my friend Amy's wedding. (You can see the cupcakes I made for her shower here.) We had a fabulous time and stopped at my friend Nicole's family home in Wildwood Crest, NJ on the way out of town on Sunday. Nicole's parents, Nancy and Al, sent us home with a piece of smoked pork that Al had recently cooked. It was delicious! You can see from the above picture that I cubed it and added it to a tortilla with melted cheese, caramelized onion and fennel, black beans and cherry tomatoes. The perfect dinner to use up the vegetables that were lingering in the kitchen. Thanks again, Scoot and Moose!

And because this is a pet-friendly blog, below are pictures of the Karl family pets:

Hutchie ("Marshal Mike, I don't want to sit on your lap!")

Hank the Tank

Nezzie (aka Edith)

Sausage and Summer Vegetable Sauté

 Don't you worry, there is fennel in there!

I pulled out last summer's issues of Gourmet magazine to find some recipes to make this week and this is the first one we tried. (This recipe can also be found on Epicurious.) It was really fantastic. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention when I was prepping the vegetables, so the corn went into the sauté at the same time as the other vegetables, but it ended up being fine. They were certainly not overcooked. (On a separate note, this is the first time I have ever cut corn off the cob - whoa, what a mess! Corn was flying around the kitchen! I remembered hearing on a cooking show to cut the corn into a bowl to prevent getting corn all over the place, so I did that with the second cob and it worked pretty well. On another separate note, at the Ft. Myer Commissary, corn was 16 cents per cob. 16 cents! What? I didn't think you could get anything for that cheap. Now, it wasn't the best quality - nothing like the corn we get right from the farm in RI - but it worked just fine in this dish.)

As you can see from the picture, I added carrots to the sauté. (If you are a loyal reader you will know I have had carrots living in my crisper drawer for probably a month now, if not longer. Well, not any more! I have finally used them up. And they were still crisp!) I also didn't realize the dill I had in the fridge had gone bad, so my finished dish did not get any dill. I think it would have made it even better. When MM and I were eating it, we noticed that something was missing. And I think a fresh herb was that something.

Pork Chops with Fennel and Caper Sauce

My love affair with fennel continues.

This is another recipe from Giada's Kitchen (and can be found on the Food Network website). It was delicious. I halved the recipe and omitted the lemon at the end (because I was lazy). I also managed to overcook the pork slightly, but there was enough sauce that I could mop it up with the pork to make it moist. I have never made a recipe of Giada's that did not turn out well. (Patton enjoyed the leftover pork fat, too!)