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.

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat...

Vinaigrette Erique 2.0

From the archives: Making a really, really good vinaigrette has been a craft in my family, and in my in-law family for generations. My late uncle, Jeannot, and Father-in-law, Bernard, (both best of friends) were each geniuses at the vinaigrette. And they both taught me. I have to say my siblings along with my sisters and brothers in-law do really now carry on the tradition as I strive to as well. In our family cookbook "Cuisine Encore" I published my go-to vinaigrette - a basic version taught to me by my French mother, Monique. It's great, yet I have been looking for something slightly more modern and upbeat. So I merged Asian rice vinegar into the mix along with fresh (not powdered) garlic with the Dijon mustard, and toned down the salt. Make it your own. I now have what I think is an even better basic vinaigrette, today. Talk to you tomorrow! 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar 1 generous tsp Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup ca...

Rosemary Chimichurri

I am making this fresh aromatic condiment more and more often. It can be used as a topping for grilled meats, fish, and for many other flavoring opportunities. I now keep some in the refrigerator almost at all times. 4 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves large palmful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems 3 cloves garlic 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes juice of 1/2 lime (or lemon), and the zest if you like 1/4 tsp salt fresh ground black pepper to taste 1/4 cup olive oil Pulse the rosemary, cilantro and garlic in a small food processor (You could also use a mortar and pestle.) Tip into a small bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook’s Note: If you haven’t noticed, I love chimichurri sauce. It’s zesty, and full of aromatics. It goes on so many dishes and is a great ingredient for so many things. Make some and keep it in the fridge for inspiration. I use fresh rosemary and cilantro as my green herbs, but you could use oregano and parsley, which is also popular. Many peo...

Cuisine Eric

Search This Blog