Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna


Servings: 8-10
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

You will need
For The Roasted Vegetables:
1 Medium Eggplant, Stem End Removed
1 Large Red Onion, Peeled
2 Medium Zucchini, Stem End Removed
1 Large Red Pepper, Cored And Seeded
1 Large Yellow Pepper, Cored And Seeded
4 to 5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, Peeled & Minced
Sea Salt & Black Pepper
4 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil

Béchamel Sauce:
6 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup All-purpose Flour
6 Cups Milk
Pinch of Ground Nutmeg
Salt And Pepper To Taste

Lasagna Noodles:
4 Cups Unbleached Flour
5 Extra Large Eggs
Pinch of Salt

To Assemble Lasagna:
1 1/2 Cups Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
1 1/2 Cups Diced Mozzarella Cheese


Method
1.      Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2.      Cut all of the vegetables into 3/4 to 1-inch pieces.
3.      Place the vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle with the oil.
4.      Use you hands to lightly toss the vegetables to ensure they are lightly coated all over.
5.      Sprinkle the vegetables with he minced garlic, season with salt and pepper and bake for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and browned. (You will need to turn the vegetables over a couple of times during the cooking period to ensure even browning.)
6.      Remove from the oven and cool until the vegetables are room temperature.
7.      For the Béchamel Sauce, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat, and once it is completely melted and bubbling, add the flour and mix well with a wooden spoon.
8.      Cook for a minute or two until the flour just begins to take on some color.
9.      Slowly start adding the milk, whisking continuously to prevent lumps from forming.
10.  Continue to simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, stirring often.
11.  Season with a pinch of salt, white pepper and nutmeg.
12.  Set aside until you are ready to use, by pouring the sauce into a glass bowl and covering with a buttered sheet of plastic wrap.
13.  To make the pasta, mound your flour on a large pastry board, or the counter, and make a well in the center.
14.  Break the eggs into this well, and start to scramble each egg with a fork as it is being added, then start to incorporate the eggs and flour by slowly bringing more flour in from the inside edges of the well.
15.  Continue adding the flour to the eggs until they are no longer runny.
16.  Using your hands now, bring the outside edges in, forming a large mass on your board. (Use only the amount of flour needed to form a soft ball.)
17.  Begin to knead the ball of dough as you would bread, pushing it down with the heel of your hand.
18.  Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and satiny, for about 8 minutes.
19.  Wrap the prepared dough in plastic wrap, and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
20.  Use a pasta roller or roll by hand to make long sheets of pasta 1/4 thick.
21.  After rolling, cut into 12 inch long strips.
22.  Precook in boiling water for 30 seconds, then place in ice water.
23.  Dry and set aside on clean kitchen towels.
24.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
25.  To assemble the lasagna, first spread 1/2 cup of the béchamel on the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish rubbed with butter.
26.  (Set aside 1 cup of the béchamel sauce for the top.)
27.  Arrange lasagna noodles over the sauce in the dish, trimming them to fit if needed.
28.  Spread some of the roasted vegetable mixture over the noodles, top with a sprinkling of the Pecorino cheese, then spoon some of the béchamel sauce over to cover.
29.  The next layer spoon on enough of the béchamel to cover the noodles, then scatter some of the diced mozzarella and Pecorino cheese on top.
30.  Cover this layer with more lasagna noodles, then repeat with roasted vegetable layer.
31.  Repeat layers, ending with noodles.
32.  Spread the reserved 1 cup of béchamel sauce over the noodles and some of the grated Pecorino cheese.
33.  Cover with foil, and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until bubbly and lightly browned on top, about another 15 to 20 minutes.
34.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Add the rice, pepper, parsley, mint, tomato sauce mixed in water. Leave them to cook for 3-5 minutes and mix occasionally.
35.  When the mixture cools, put one teaspoon of filling on each vine leave and wrap them up. Be careful as some leaves might be bigger or smaller than others so sometimes you might need to fill them with less or more than one teaspoon.
36.  Put all the koupepia in a 4-quart pot. Place a small plate on top of them to keep them in place and add the water and lemon juice, or chicken stock if preferred.
37.  Let them cook on low heat for about half an hour.





Source: http://www.italianfoodforever.com/


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