How To Make Lasagna

Lasagna is the most famous and savory of all baked Italian pasta dishes. It's a classic. Whether it's bolognese, eggplant, spinach or wild mushroom lasagna, that first mouthful will inevitably bring back memories of your mom's lasagna and family dinners.



Like any traditional recipe, one of the first ingredients on the list is time. It takes a few hours to make but its rewards are many. The aromas fill the house as it bakes, the rich flavours of pasta, sauce and cheese are immensely satisfying, and a large pan of it will feed many.

I had the most amazing lasagna bolognese at the Brentwood Seagrille & Pub a few weeks ago- which reminded me just how long its been since I made this dish at home. Too long. So after browsing through all my cookbooks and favorite websites I settled on a combination of two recipes- Martha Stewart's wild mushroom and spinach lasagna with Deborah Madison's mushroom lasagna.


Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna (serves 6)

Ingredients
2 bunches of spinach
1 pound of mixed mushrooms (button, portobello, shiitake)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of butter
1 splash of sherry or Madeira wine
1/2 cup basil, torn
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 box of oven ready lasagna noodles

Tomato Sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 28 ounce can tomatoes, pureed
pinch of crushed chili peppers
salt and pepper to taste

Garlic Bechamel
2 1/2 cups milk
3 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat side of a knife, then peeled
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cream or half-and-half
salt and pepper

Directions
To make the tomato sauce, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and saute for about 10 minutes until golden and beginning to caramelize. Add one minced garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds being careful not to burn.

Add one tablespoon and tomato paste and cook for another 30 seconds, then add the can of pureed tomatoes, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer and stir occasionally, for 20 minutes or longer until the flavours develop and sauce thickens, adjusting the seasoning to taste. Set aside.

Mushroom filling. While the tomato sauce is simmering, slice mushrooms. In a large fry pan, melt one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil. Saute mushrooms until they begin to colour around the edges and soften, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add a splash of sherry and cook the mushrooms until the sherry has almost evaporated. Put the mushrooms in a bowl and set aside.

Garlic Bechamel. Heat milk with the smashed garlic in a saucepan. When it come to a boil, cover the pan, turn off the heat, and set aside to steep for 10 minutes. Melt the butter in another saucepan over medium heat, stir in the flour, and cook for 2 minutes. Pour the milk all at once through a strainer and stir until the sauce thickens. Cook over a very low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce is still a little lumpy, strainer again.

Spinach. Take a large pot, fill it half full with water and bring to a boil. Fill it with two cleaned bunches of spinach and simmer for just a few minutes to soften and wilt the spinach. Drain, cool, chop the spinach and set aside.

Boil the lasagna noodles for about 7 minutes until softened and mostly cooked.

Putting the lasagna together. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread half to one cup tomato sauce over the bottom of 9-by-13-inch baking pan, until the bottom is thinly covered in sauce.

Place one layer of lasagna sheets in pan, trimming to fit; spread one third cup spinach mixture, one third mushroom mixture, third of the bechamel sauce, and two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese on top of lasagna sheets. Repeat these layers three times times.

For the fourth layer and last layer, place a layer of lasagna sheets on top; spread half to one cup tomato sauce over lasagna sheets. Sprinkle with remaining grated Parmesan cheese. Cover with tin foil and bake lasagna until top is golden brown, about 40 minutes to 1 hour. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.


MORE ITALIAN RECIPES-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marinated Eggplant Antipasto
Bite-sized slices of eggplant, roasted and marinated in good quality olive oil, lemon juice, red chili, garlic and herbs.

Polpettone
Italian meat loaf or meat balls seared in olive oil and finished in a sauce of caramelized red onions, reduced balsamic vinegar and tomatoes. You won't beleive how good this is until you try it!

Panna Cotta
Panna cotta in Italian means "cooked cream" and comes from the Northern region of Piedmont in Italy. The version uses buttermilk in place of cream which adds a nice tangy flavour to the custard.

Angel Hair Nicoise

The first cookbook I ever bought was 10 years ago, nearly to the day. I almost wish I kept the receipt, tucked behind the back jacket flap of the book just for times like this- when I'd like to know exactly the day my life changed. Donna Hay's New Food Fast patiently taught me to cook and it's still my go to cookbook.

Donna Hay is one of the better-known names in the food biz. She's a best-selling cookbook author, food magazine editor and food stylist renowned for her fresh style, easy-to-follow recipes and amazing photography. Whenever I don't know what to make for dinner, and am feeling a little low on inspiration, I take this book off the shelf, open it to any page, and I'm taken care of.



My friend Jamie came over for dinner last night. We wanted a home-cooked meal but didn't know what. After a quick scan, I settled on a recipe I hadn't made yet. It feels good to think that this isn't a risky choice anymore. Ten years ago, maybe. We made the angel hair nicoise and it was (predictably) fresh, fast and amazingly tasty food.


Angel Hair Nicoise (serves 4)
adapted from Donna Hay's recipe

Ingredients
400 grams (13 ounces) capellini pasta
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
16 large spot prawns, peeled
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
6 anchovies, chopped
1 1/2 cups of green or yellow beans
3/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped

Directions
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta according to package until it's tender.

Meanwhile, steam the green or yellow beans until tender, about 4 minutes.

While the pasta and beans are cooking, heat a frying pan over medium high heat, add grape seed oil and saute prawns for just a few minutes until they are no longer translucent and are white and pink in colour. Remove the prawns from the pan and place in a bowl.

Reduce the heat to low, add lime juice and anchovies and stir for about one minute. Drain pasta from the pot and place in the bowl with the prawns. Add beans, olives, parsley and two tablespoons of olive oil. Pour the warm dressing from the pan over the pasta and stir to combine.

Some of my other favorite Donna Hay recipes are her parmesan-crusted chicken and seared salmon on coconut spinach.

Macaroni Salad

A few months ago, I had the good fortune of dining at the Montage in Portland Oregon. If you ever find yourself in Portland, you must seek out this restaurant. It's an amazing little restaurant that specializes in Louisiana dishes- and after only one meal, this amazing little restaurant has left me with an almost a daily craving for macaroni. I had the Spold Mac, which is a combination of creamy, old style macaroni and spicy, Louisiana style. And, now that I know that there's a partial list of ingredients on their website, I'm going to perfect this dish.



In the meantime, I tried Simply Recipes Mom's Macaroni Salad. It's good and by adding a few additional ingredients, I ramped it up with another dimension of flavour. It's a great summer side dish or light lunch with leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. It's also a great potluck dish.


Macaroni Salad (serves 4-6)
This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled, making it perfect for summer potlucks.

Ingredients
2 cups (about 1/2 lb) dry macaroni pasta
salt
1 hard boiled egg, chopped
1 roasted red bell pepper*, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1 bunch green onion, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
1 teaspoon chipolte pepper, pureed
A generous amount of mayonnaise (1/3 to 1/2 cup)
Several pinches of paprika
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup smoked salmon, chopped

Directions
Cut the red pepper in half, remove the seeds and stem and place cut side down under the broil until blackened. Remove from oven, and place in a pot with a lid for 5 minutes. Once it's cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and dice.

Cook macaroni, as directed on its package, in big pot of salted water. Once done, remove from heat, drain and rinse with cool water until room temperature.

While macaroni is cooking, put chopped green and red onions into a medium bowl and sprinkle the lemon juice or vinegar over them. This will take the edge off the onions. Add red pepper, chipotle pepper, paprika, smoked salmon, mayonnaise, macaroni and black pepper. Stir to combine and and adjust seasoning.

RELATED RECIPES----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Classic Red Potato Salad
Need I say more? This is a classic potato salad, perfect for potlucks.

Bacon Chipotle Potato Salad
A delicious twist on a backyard bbq classic. Potato salad with crispy back bacon and pureed chipotle peppers.

Farfalle with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Fennel

The second greatest thing about leaving the BC Liquor Stores is picking up a copy of Taste, the free food and drink magazine that you can find at the check-out counter. And what's the first greatest thing you ask? Well, it's that bottle of wine or case of beer under your arm. Over the years, Taste has become a bigger magazine with more recipes - good recipes that turn out well and that are accompanied with appealing photographs. And it's free. (I mentioned that right?)

The summer issue is now out and the recipes that instantly captured my attention are the trio of pesto recipes (sun-dried tomato, spinach and cilantro pesto) and the farfalle with sun-dried tomato pesto and fennel. The sun-dried pesto is tasty and versatile. You can turn it into a pasta sauce, salad vinaigrette, sandwich spread or make Kalyn's Kitchen's recipe for baked chicken stuffed with sun-dried tomato pesto, basil and goat cheese. mmmm

The farfalle with sun-dried tomato pesto and fennel recipe is good but is missing something. So in this version below I've added chopped spicy turkey sausage- grilled chicken would work well too.



Farfalle with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Fennel (serves 4)
adapted from the Summer issue of Taste magazine

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 fennel bulb, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup low sodium vegetable stock
1/2 cup sun-dried tomato pesto (recipe below)
1/2 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
1 pound (500 g) dried farfalle or bow tie pasta
3 turkey sausage links or 1 chicken breast grilled
Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Directions
Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a large sauce pan. Add the fennel and cook until it softens and starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and give it a quick stir. Add the vegetable stock and sun-dried tomato pesto. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and sir in cream.

Meanwhile, heat a cast iron pan or skillet over a medium high heat. Add sausage links or chicken breast and grill until done. Slice into bite sized pieces and add to sauce.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and add to the sauce. Using tongs, mix the sauce and pasta together. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.



Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (makes 2 1/2 cups)

Ingredients
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup parsley
2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 tablespoons onion, chopped
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
Using a food processor, add basil, parsley, garlic, pine nuts, onion and olives and process until blended. Add vinegar, tomato paste and tomatoes and again process until blended. Add olive oil and cheese and pulse a few times. Season to taste with salt and pepper and spoon into an air-tight container. This recipe can be refrigerated for up to a month.

Orzo, Green Bean and Fennel Salad with Basil Pesto

Today is daylight savings. The days are finally feeling longer and spring is so close I can taste it. It feels good, right? So in the spirit of the day, I made a light lunch of pasta salad. Inspired by Bon Appetit's orzo, green bean and fennel salad with dill pesto, I substituted basil in place of the dill. I really like orzo pasta and always have it on hand. And because of its small shape, it's great to use for a lighter pasta dish.



Orzo, Green Bean and Fennel Salad with Basil Pesto (Serves 4)

Ingredients
1 cup green beans, trimmed
1 cup orzo
1 1/4 cup cucumber, cubed
1 cup fresh fennel, diced
3 tbsp basil pesto to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the green beans into a colander. Add orzo to the same boiling water and cook for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut beans crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add orzo, cubed cucumber, diced fennel. Mix in pesto, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.


For this recipe, I used pesto I already had on hand. If you don't have any already made, then here's a recipe:

Basil Pesto

Ingredients
1 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup mint
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic
dash of salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil

Directions
Add all the ingredients, except the olive oil into a food processor. Using the pulse function, pulse until well chopped. Continue pulsing and slowly pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil, stopping when you've gotten a good pesto consistency.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Summer is finally here, and it's time for pasta salads galore. I've really taken to salads lately, and I just love the heartier varieties- chickpea salads, potato salads, soba noodle salads and pasta salads. They are good potluck staples because they feed a crowd and are cheap to make. I also like salads because any leftovers make for a great lunch the following day.

Pasta salads are easy and flexible to make in that you can use ingredients depending on your preferences or already have on hand. Personally, I will always substitute out red peppers because my beau Jeremy just can't stand them. Some common ingredients include beans, cheeses, nuts, herbs, chicken, broccoli, carrots, baby corn, cucumbers, olives, onions, chick peas, peppers, and tomatoes.



This is one of my favorite recipes, thanks to a little inspiration from the bag of baby spinach in my fridge. Another one of my favorites is orzo, green bean and fennel salad with basil pesto. If you have a favorite pasta salad recipe, leave me a comment because I'd love to hear about it.




Mediterranean Pasta Salad (serves 4-6)

Ingredients
1 can corn
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups spinach
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1.5 cups pasta (penne, bowtie or fusilli)
juice of one lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds or pine nuts, toasted
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and pasta and cook until tender. Drain.

In the meantime, spread the corn kernels on a baking sheet and dry-roast in a 250 degree oven, for about 20 minutes.

Add drained pasta to a large bowl and add spinach, tomatoes, garlic, corn, toasted pumpkin seeds or pine nuts, feta cheese. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy.

Stir-Frying Vegetables

Making a stir-fry is the perfect answer to a busy weekday. It's an easy, healthy and quick one-pan dinner. And, it's a great way to use up what's in the fridge at the end of a week.

There are three main components to making a satisfying vegetarian stir-fry: the vegetables (and tofu), the flavour, and the side (such as rice or pasta).

Vegetable Ideas
asparagus
broccoli
carrots
green beans
mushrooms
Napa cabbage
onion
peppers (red, yellow, orange and green)
tomatoes
snow peas
zucchini

Sauce
2.5 T soy sauce
.5 T hoisin sauce
.5 light brown or palm sugar
Stir together and set aside

Tofu
Using a medium tofu, cut into half inch cubes. Drizzle with salt, pepper and toasted sesame oil. Bake in a 375 F oven for about 20 minutes, until golden and slightly crispy.

Nuts
Try adding roasted unsalted almonds or cashews

Instruction
Prepare all your vegetables. In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over a high heat until almost smoking. Add the onion and saute for a minute and then add remaining vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and stir for 2 minutes.

Then, cover for 2 minutes to let all the vegetables cook in their own juices. Uncover and stir in the sauce and baked tofu cubes. Fry until everything is crisp tender and the sauce has caramelized slightly.

Serve with pasta or rice and enjoy.

Penne & Aubergine in Tomato Sauce

Monday Night Dinner

Tonight I made a recipe posted on Chez Pim...
Penne & Aubergine in Tomato Sauce, Greek Style
with crusty bread

This is a very simple to make and delicious pasta dish. Absolutely recommended! And, my boyfriend who really doesn't like eggplant asked, "what is the vegetable in this?" as he went for second helpings.
The only change I made to the recipe is that I added 3 cloves of minced garlic. mmmm!