Stovetop Mushroom Lasagna from ba

  • 5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 12 oz. mixed mushrooms (such as maitake, oyster, shiitake, and/or crimini), trimmed, torn into 1″ pieces
  • 1½ tsp. tsp. kosher salt, plus more
  • 2 Tbsp. thyme leaves
  • 1 large shallot, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 2¾ cups whole milk
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lemon
  • ⅓ cup crème fraîche or thinned sour cream
  • 8 oz. regular lasagna noodles, broken in half
  • 4 oz. mozzarella, thinly sliced
  • Finely grated Parmesan (for serving)
  • Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large high-sided ovenproof skillet or small Dutch oven over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, until starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; mix in thyme.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in skillet. Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, until starting to soften, about 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over and cook, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute.
  • Add milk, pepper, 1½ tsp. salt, and 1¾ cups water, then finely grate zest of ¼ lemon into pan. Stir to dissolve flour, increase heat to medium, and cook until gently bubbling. Reduce heat to low, whisk in crème fraîche, and stir to combine. Add about one third of noodles, pushing down into sauce to submerge, followed by a third of  mushrooms. Repeat with half of remaining noodles and mushrooms. Top with another layer of noodles. Set remaining mushrooms aside. Cover with a lid or foil and cook 15 minutes. (If lasagna threatens to boil over, use very lowest heat and/or prop open the cover.) Uncover; cook, gently lifting and separating noodles occasionally with tongs or a spatula to let sauce flow around, until sauce is thickened and noodles are cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Mixture should be bubbling gently; adjust heat as necessary. Remove from heat.
  • Heat broiler. Top lasagna with mozzarella and reserved mushrooms. Broil until cheese is bubbling and browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Finely grate more lemon zest over. Sprinkle with Parmesan; season with pepper. Let sit 5–10 minutes. Cut lemon into wedges and serve with lasagna.

Eggplant Rollatini

  • 2 large eggplants
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 1 handful of fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 tbs dried Italian herbs
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 lemon (zest only)
  • A little olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 ½ cups marinara tomato sauce (Napolitana) buy it or click here for recipe.
  • Wash and trim away the tops and bottoms. Remove a small slice so it sits flat and slice lengthwise approx 1/4 inch thick. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange your eggplant slices. Drizzle or brush a little olive oil on each piece of eggplant. Sprinkle the Italian herbs. Bake for 20 min at 350°F – 180°C or until golden brown.

    In a mixing bowl, add your ricotta cheese. Add one whole egg. Grate and add a three quarter cup of mozzarella cheese.

    Add the grated Parmesan cheese. Chop and add the fresh parsley. Add the zest of one lemon. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

    In a baking dish, line the bottom with one cup of tomato sauce (Marinara).
    Remove the eggplant from oven when cooked and leave to cool a few minutes.

    Place an eggplant slice on your workbench. Using a tablespoon, scoop out some of the mixture, place it of the eggplant slice and spread it evenly to totally cover. Roll the eggplant slice and place it in your baking dish on top of the sauce. Repeat the process and leave a gap between each roll. Top each piece with the remainder of mozzarella cheese.

    Bake for 25 min at 400°F – 200°C or until golden brown.

    Using a knife, roll up the fresh basil and shred it. Once cooked, remove from oven and scatter the fresh basil over rollatinis. Leave to cool ten minutes before serving.

 

Cauliflower Patties from food52

  • cauliflowerlarge cauliflower (washed & trimmed into bite size pieces)
  • 3 to 4 shallots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 to 3 small garlic cloves (peeled and finely chopped)
  • 3 to 4 large organic eggs
  • Fresh italian flat leaf parsley
  • 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded low moisture mozzarella
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup (or more if needed) unbleached baking flour
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup (or more if needed) whole milk
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Light olive oil (for cooking
  • Place a large stockpot filled with water to boil on the stove top. Once it comes to a full boil, add the prepared cauliflower and cook until tender, but not too mushy. Drain and rinse with cold water, set aside to cool.
  • Saute the shallots and garlic in olive oil until soft and fragrant; do not brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Break the cooked cauliflower pieces down into very small pieces using your hands or a knife. The cauliflower needs to be solid enough to taste and create texture, but not so large as to not allow the patties to cook properly.
  • Add the eggs, cooked shallots and garlic to the bowl of cauliflower and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix this well and add some flour and milk to begin creating a batter-like consistency (start with 1/4 cup of each and add more as needed; adjust to get the desired consistency.)
  • Add the grated cheese, shredded mozzarella and chopped fresh parsley to the mix and blend well until combined. Again, test the thickness here and adjust accordingly adding flour and milk until you are satisfied.
  • NOTE: The mixture for these patties is a bit of trial and error as it needs to resemble a very thick pancake batter without being too dry or worse, too thin and runny.
  • Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium-high heat and add drizzle of the light olive oil and test the mixture by spooning a small pattie into the skillet and watch how it cooks and holds its shape.
  • Use your spatula to press and form the pattie in the skillet as it cooks to make sure it maintains shape and cooks through. Adjust your heat and resist the urge to flip too soon, allow the pattie to cook until light golden brown (about 3-4 minutes each side depending on your stove) before you flip them.
  • Continue forming and cooking the patties, adding more light olive oil as you go. Remove the cooked patties to a large flat platter to cool (do not overlap them until cooled.) Taste the first patties and adjust your salt and pepper seasoning for the remaining batter, if needed.
  • I love to serve these after letting them cool as they are much more flavorful at room temperature. These are the ideal hostess side dish (plan to make these during the upcoming holidays) that you can make ahead.
  • Store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator and simply deliver them to your host and let them come back to room temperature before serving.  Serves about 4 to 6