Birthday Lasagna

I am not sure why this recipe is called birthday lasagna but by any name it was quite delicious. I found this recipe on Food52.com. I had the Bolognese Sauce in the freezer. All I had to get for the recipe were the Lasagna Noodles. 

I made an edit to the Bechamel Sauce. I added grated Parmesan Cheese when it was ready to come off the heat. A wise addition. 

Ingredients-

For the Bechamel

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

Salt

Pinch freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese

For the Lasagna

1/2 package no-boil (or the equivalent in fresh) lasagna sheets

3/4 cup shredded fresh mozzarella

Bolognese Sauce

Method-

Make the bechamel. 

In a medium heavy saucepan melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour, and once the mixture starts to bubble cook for another 2 minutes, whisking frequently. Don't let the mixture brown.

Whisk in the milk slowly and raise the heat to bring the mixture to a boil. 

Lower the heat and keep whisking until the sauce turns thick and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. 

Remove the bBechamel from the heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese and cover and set aside.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. 

To assemble the lasagna, spread a couple of tablespoons of the bolognese in the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch square baking dish. 

Add a layer of lasagna noodles, overlapping them slightly if necessary. 

Spread 1/3 of the bechamel evenly over the noodles, and then spread 1/4 of the remaining bolognese over that. 

Add another layer of noodles.

Repeat until you have used all of the bechamel. 

Add a final layer of noodles and spread the remaining bolognese over the top. 

Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the top of the lasagna. 

Cover the lasagna with a sheet of parchment paper and then wrap the dish tightly in aluminum foil. 

Bake for about 40 minutes, until the noodles are just tender (test them by piercing the lasagna with a sharp knife).

Turn the oven up to 425 degrees and remove the foil and the parchment. 

Return the lasagna to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, until deeply browned and bubbling. 

Let the lasagna cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Piccata, Zucchini, Quiona and Walnut Rosemary Bread

Walnut Rosemary Bread! Today I worked from home so I started to make the bread before Chris left for work.By mid afternoon it was in the oven. Oh the house smelled so good. I found the recipe in a Cooking Light magazine.

The Chicken Piccata is a Giada De Laurentiis recipe from the Food Network. The chicken was so tender and the sauce was perfect.

The Zucchini was a simple saute in olive oil and butter and seasoned with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and thyme.

 

The Quiona recipe was from Eating Well. Rinse 1 cup quinoa in several changes of cold water. Bring quinoa and 2 cups water or broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Makes 3 cups.
I wanted to add something to the Quiona. I went to the Food52 Food Pickle. I typed in that I was making Quiona as a side dish and asked if anyone have any suggestions to spice it up. I got a suggestion to add toasted pine nuts. Well I happened to have pine nuts which I toasted and added to the Quiona along with some Parmesan Cheese.

Just a fantastic Friday night meal... oh but what are all those dishes in the sink...

Shrimp and Beans, Gamberi Coi Fagioli

Tonight's recipe is from Giuliano Hazan's Every Night Italian. This is a wonderful cookbook. And this recipe is perfect. The shrimp and beans and bits of pancetta!

For a side dish I found a salad recipe on Food52. Celery Root & Rocket Salad with Lemon, Capers & Parmesan.


I had never purchased celery root before. I was surprised by what it looked like. It reminded me of a skull. But I loved the taste. It was a great salad.