Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Eggplant and Zucchini Lasagna

This was really, really good.  It also actually did not take as long as I expected to -- probably about an hour, because you can do a lot of work while other things are cooking.

I used a 12-in cast-iron skillet to cook this in and ran out of stuff to make the layers so I improvised a little bit.  I think next time I might slice the eggplant/zucchini marginally thinner to get more slices -- mine were 1/2 in thick or a little thicker.

I also supplemented with a can of tomatoes and a can of sauce because Andrew ate some of the tomatoes I bought this weekend.  But I think it actually turned out better -- more tomato sauce-y which I like.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
Salt
1 large eggplant
3 zucchini
1 28-oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
3 fresh plum tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
1 15-oz thing of ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 lb (8-oz box) of no-boil lasagna noodles
~1/2 lb fontina cheese, grated / shredded
A few tablespoons of grated parmesan

Heat oven to 400.

Slice the zucchini into 1/2-in thick slices on a diagonal.  In a bowl, toss it with olive oil and salt, then spread out the slices onto a baking sheet with tinfoil on top and bake for about 20 min, until soft.  Make sure to get plenty of oil on the slices or they'll stick to the tin foil.

As soon as you put the zucchini in, do the same to the eggplant -- 1/2-in thick slices tossed with olive oil and salt (use the same bowl), spread out on a baking sheet and tinfoil and bake for about 20 min.  When these guys are done, make sure to use a spatula to get them off the tinfoil so they don't stick and fall apart.

While the vegetables are cooking, boil some water.  While the water is boiling, mince the garlic cloves and dump those, the peeled tomatoes and the can of tomato sauce into the bowl you just used.  Add some olive oil and plenty of salt.  When the water has boiled, add the fresh tomatoes and boil them for a minute.  Then, take them out, cut off the ends and pull off the skin and add them to the other tomatoes.  Mash the tomato mixture up with your fingers or a fork so it can be spread easily.

In another bowl, mix the ricotta and oregano and a little salt.  I put this in the microwave for a few seconds to make it easier to spread.

In the skillet, layer as follows:
1/4 of tomato mix
1/3 of noodles
All eggplant
1/2 of ricotta
1/4 of fontina
1/4 of tomato mix
1/3 of noodles
All zucchini
1/2 of ricotta
1/4 of fontina
1/4 of tomato mix
1/3 of noodles
1/4 of tomato mix and any leftover zucchini or eggplant, chopped up (next time maybe I'll add some mushrooms here)
1/2 of fontina

Cover with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the tinfoil, sprinkle the parmesan on top, and bake for another 25 minutes until the cheese is browned.  Serve.

No comments:

Post a Comment