Recipes

4 cups penne or rigatoni
salt and pepper
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 red chile, seeded and minced
1 pound ripe tomatoes, chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces fresh buffalo mozzarella, chopped (I used cows'-milk substitute mozzarella)
handful fresh basil or mint leaves
1/2 cup black olives

1. Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until just al dente, stirring from time to time.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the onion, chile and tomatoes. Season with plenty of salt and pepper, then stir in the oil.

3. Drain the pasta and add it to the tomato mixture, together with the mozzarella, basil and olives. Stir well and serve immediately.

Ingredients
Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna:

• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 (10-ounce) chopped spinach
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 2 ounces thinly sliced carrots, chopped
• 2 ounces thinly sliced broccoli
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 15 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Directions

1.To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.

2.Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

3.Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, carrots, broccoli, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

4.Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

5.Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 5 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle.

6.Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. (In layers)

7.Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna. Cover tightly with foil.

8.Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer.

9.Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.

This recipe may look long and complicated, but it isn't. This is one of those curious dishes that are much more difficult to explain than they are actually to make.

Ingredients:
a. 1 eggplant
b. 3 zucchini
c. salt and papper
d. 3 tablespoons olive oil
e. 3 red or yellow bell peppers
f. 1/2 pound cooked lasagna noodles (cooking time is specified on the packets, special pasta cooker makes it easier to cook noodles, pasta and even vegetables)
g. 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
h. 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
i. 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:
You can use readymade pesto sauce, or:

a. 2 tablespoons olive oil
b. 1 onion minced
c. 2 garlic cloves, crushed
d. 1 carrot, grated
e. 2 (14 ounces) cans crushed tomatoes
f. salt and pepper
g. handful fresh basil leaves

FOR THE BECHAMEL SAUCE:

a. 4 tablespoons butter
b. 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
c. 2.5 cups 2% milk
d. Pinch grated nutmeg

1. First make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3 minutes, until soft. Stir in the carrot and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the tomatoes and season to taste. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the sauce is thick and reduced. Stir in the basil; set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the eggplant and zucchini lengthwise into one-fourth inch slices. Brush with some olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until brown and soft. At the same time, bake the peppers whole for 15 to 20 minutes, until the skins are lightly charred and wrinkled. After removing them from the oven, place the peppers in a paper bag until completely cool. Halve them, remove skin and seeds, and cut the flesh into wide strips.

3. To make the bechamel sauce, first melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Then stir in the flour and cook, stirring, over low heat. Remove from the heat and gradually pour in the milk, stirring constantly with a balloon whisk or wooden spoon. Return to the heat and continue stirring for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir in the nutmeg and season well. Remove from the heat; set aside.

4.To assemble the lasagna, spoon about half of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 8 X 10 inch lasagna dish. Arrange about one-third of the lasagna noodles in a single layer on top.

5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cover the lasagna with half of the eggplant and sprinkle with a little parsley. Add half the peppers and zucchini. Spoon one-third of the bechamel sauce on top and sprinkle with one-third of the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

6. Repeat with another third of the pasta, the remaining tomato sauce and vegetables, and another third of the bechamel sauce and cheeses. Finally, top with the remaining pasta, bechamel sauce, and cheeses.

7. Cover with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes longer until golden brown and bubbling.