Recipes

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.

Ingredients:

1 pound thin asparagus stalks (Feb, March, April are good months for asparagus)
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
olive oil for brushing and drizzling
2/3 cup white wine vinegar (Actually any vinegar should work... I don't remember which one I used but it was definitely not wine vinegar)
6 eggs
Parmesan shavings, to serve

1. There is no need to peel the asparagus, but if it is thick, snap off any woody stalks at the point where they break easily.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Melt the butter in a pan. Add the breadcrumbs (I used the crumbs of wheat bread which was available at home) and fry, stirring often, until crisp; remove from the heat. Season and stir in lemon zest and parsley.

3. Lay the asparagus on a greased cookie sheet and brush them with oil. Roast for 12 - 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, half fill a saucepan with water. add the vinegar and bring to a boil. Crack in the eggs from a height of about 4 inches (this gives them a good round shape). Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until the white is firm. using a slotted spoon transfer the eggs to a bowl of warm water (I left them in the saucepan in which I boiled them, and that worked out fine)

5. Arrange the asparagus on plates. Drizzle with more oil and scatter the Parmesan shavings over. Spoon the eggs on top and sprinkle with the crumbs. Season with coarse sea salt (I used normal salt) and black pepper.

Ingredients:
For the pastry dough
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons of butter (cut into small pieces)
1 small egg

For the filling
4 ounces thin asparagus stalks
salt and pepper
4 eggs
2 tablespoons light cream
1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan or sharp cheddar cheese
grated nutmg

1. To make the dough, place the flour in a food processor. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the egg and work briefly to form a dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the asparagus into 2 inch pieces. Bring a large pan of salted water to boil. Add the asparagus and cook for 5 minutes, drain and cool quickly in cold water.

3. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each piece and use to line four 4-inch tartlet pans. (You can find tartlet pans anywhere and you can get them for a dollar or something each. In the above photo the pan at the back is tartlet pan). Trim off the excess dough with a sharp knife. set the pans on a cookie sheet. Line each dough shell with a circle of foil and half fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for 3-4 minutes longer, until the pastry is crisp and light golden.

4. Divide the asparagus among the tartlets, then break an egg into each. Drizzle the cream over and sprinkle with the grated cheese, a little nutmeg, and salt and papper. Return to the oven for 5-8 minutes, until the egg is just set and the top lightly browned.

5. Serve warm or cold.