Eggplant Lasagna

Every year our mother would allow each of us children to request the dinner on their birthday. Most of my brothers and sisters asked for lobster (which was sometimes granted!). My favorite was always lasagna and she always accepted that request. I am a total sucker for lasagna and any dish like it. Here is a version with a bit of roasted eggplant giving earthy flavor notes, and topped with tomato slices giving a fresh brightness to the dish. I like to use fresh mozarella for that oh so comforting melted cheese pull.

1 large eggplant, sliced into 6 slices, lengthwise

9 sheets no-boil lasagna

2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced into a total of about 10-12 slices

1 lb sliced fresh mozzarella log

1/4 lb Monterrey Pepper Jack cheese, finely diced, or grated, (or favorite meltable cheese)

Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Sauce:

1 lb ground lamb (or beef or pork)

1/2 lb bulk hot (or sweet or a mix of the two) Italian sausage

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, minced

Palmful fresh rosemary, minced

1 rounded tsp dried Mediterranean oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 can tomato paste (3 oz)

2 28-oz cans fire roasted chopped tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)

6 oz red wine

Ricotta:

15 oz fresh ricotta cheese

1 egg

Palmful grated Parmesan cheese

6 leaves fresh basil, julienned

5 oz fresh spinach, wilted and coarsely chopped

Make the sauce:

Sauté the lamb (or beef/pork), sausage and sun-dried tomatoes in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat so all the water in the ground meat vaporizes. Add the rosemary, oregano and garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Now add the tomato paste and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring very often, to brown the paste and enrich its flavor. Add the tomatoes and red wine and bring to a gentle boil. Stir and reduce the heat to the slowest simmer you can. Cook another 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

Make the ricotta filling:

In a medium bowl mix together the ricotta with the egg, parmesan cheese, basil and spinach.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Assemble the lasagna: See photo montage

Use a deep lasagna pan (at least 3 inches deep) and at least 10 inches long. The one I used was 7.2x10x3 inches. Otherwise you may need to fill two dishes.

Top

Sauce scattered

Basil

Fresh mozzarella

Fresh tomato slices

Sauce

Lasagna

Pepper Jack cheese

Ricotta mixture

Lasagna

Pepper Jack cheese

Sauce

Eggplant

Lasagna

Sauce

Bottom: start here :-))

Lay a thin layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. Top with three sheets lasagna. Top the lasagna with the eggplant.

Top the eggplant with another layer of sauce and scatter half the Jack cheese on top. Then cover with another layer of 3 lasagna sheets. Evenly smear the lasagna layer with the ricotta mixture using a rubber spatula, and scatter the other half of the Jack cheese on top.

Now add another layer of 3 lasagna sheets and top with another layer of the meat sauce. Top the sauce evenly with the sliced tomatoes. Now scatter the sliced fresh mozzarella over the tomatoes and garnish with basil leaves. Dabble a bit of sauce over the top of the dish. Hopefully you will have a bit of sauce left over - always great for another use!

Place the lasagna pan on a large sheetpan to collect any boil-overs. Bake lasagna covered for about 45 minutes. Uncover and continue baking another 30 minutes or so, until the lasagna is browned and bubbly. Allow the lasagna to rest on the top of a cold stove for at least 20 minutes before attempting to slice it (or it will run all over the place).

Serves 6.

Cook’s Notes: I made this in San Francisco where fresh rosemary grows in HEDGES!

You could skip the eggplant if it’s not your thing, but I and so many who have tasted this preparation really loved it.

You could also substitute the no-boil lasagna for the equivalent number of traditional lasagna noodles (cooked only well before al dente - i.e. not completely). That may produce an even better result, but takes more work.

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