Sformato di Verdure e Carne and a Belated Happy Birthday!

Tonight we have another recipe from Lidia's Commonsense Cookbook. I prepared this on Sunday and tonight Chris just had to bake it when he got home. This seems to be more of a fall/winter dish. But comfort food is good any time of the year. And the turkey was a nice change! This was really delicious and will be made again! I think of making the filling and then topping it with mashed potatoes, kind of like a Shepherd's Pie. But that won't happen until at least October. Stay tuned.

Ingredients-

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 small onions, thinly sliced

1 pound zucchini, diced

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/2 cups white wine

2 fresh bay leaves

1 3/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced  (1/4 inch thick or less)

8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, shredded

1 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Method-

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook until the zucchini is tender, then remove vegetables to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet. When the oil is hot, add the ground turkey. Cook and stir the turkey until it is crumbled and browned, about 4 minutes. Then clear a space in the pan and add the tomato paste. Let it toast for a minute, then stir it into the turkey. Add the wine and bay leaves, bring to a simmer and cook until the wine is reduced and saucy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onions and zucchini.

Toss the potato slices with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the remaining teaspoon of salt. In a medium bowl, toss together the two cheeses. To assemble, butter a large oval baking dish (4 quart size). Layer the potatoes in the bottom, and sprinkle with a third of the cheese. Layer all of the turkey mixture, then all of the remaining grated cheese. Cover with foil (making sure it doesn't touch the cheese), and bake on the bottom rack until bubbly around the edges, about 20 minutes. Uncover, and bake until the top is browned and crusty, about 15 minutes more.

And I forgot Donald Duck's birthday yesterday! 

Want to know more about the amazing duck?
Click here for 10 facts about Donald Duck.