Eggplant and Veal Parmesan Lasagna

When I went back to visit my parents for Thanksgiving, we had a special treat.  On Wednesday night, we had to pick my baby bro up from the airport right around dinner time, which meant we got to make a trip to Rino's Place, my absolute favorite Italian restaurant.  We've been going there for years, but ever since it was featured on Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives (of which it isn't any of the 3) it's been almost impossible to get a table at Rino's.  Fortunately, we're the only ones crazy enough to want an Italian meal with enormous portions the night before Thanksgiving, so it was relatively quiet.



My family is pretty predictable when it comes to Italian food.  My brother always orders Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli or Lobster Ravioli.  My go-to is chicken piccata, although I tend to be a little more flexible (on this particular night I had an open seafood and vegetable lasagna with huge chunks of lobster and scallops and shrimp, YUM).  Mom and Dad are fans of Veal and Eggplant Parmesan.  At Rino's, they have a dish that has both Eggplant and Veal in one dish, and it's what they both always order.



I was feeling a bit lazy this week, but I knew I really should cook at least 1 night.  Lasagna is always easy to assemble and leaves lots of leftovers, and I loved the idea of an Eggplant Parmesan version.  I knew the Monkey Scientist wouldn't quite be satisfied without meat, so I took a tip from Rino's and added veal!



The original recipe was a little bit confusing, so I tried to simplify it and be super clear for you.  I ended up making a few mistakes changes to mine, including mixing ALL the parm with all the breadcrumbs so I ended up having breadcrumbs in every layer - oops.  It didn't turn out all that different, but my topping definitely didn't bake the same way as the recipe I was following.  I also added an extra layer of lasagna noodles, which wasn't so smart since I used no-boil and there wasn't enough liquid on the last layer to really cook them.  Don't be like me.



Despite my lack of being able to follow instructions, this came out delicious!  I loved the mix of veal and eggplant; it added good depth of flavor.  Per usual, I kicked up the spice a lot, and it made it superbly tasty. I probably used twice the spice that I put in the recipe below, so don't be too afraid, but you can leave it out if you aren't into spicy foods.  The Monkey Scientist said this just might be one of his favorite meals I've ever made (although he still keeps talking about  those stuffed peppers I made last spring).  I've been eating this lasagna for lunch and dinner for a couple days now and I'm not tired of it yet :)



Eggplant and Veal Parmesan Lasagna
adapted from Heather's Dish

Ingredients
1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped into small pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil (divided) + more for drizzling
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicy)
1 lb ground veal
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or use homemade if you’d like!)
2 cups low fat shredded mozzarella cheese
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 cups parmesan (divided)
3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs (I used plain Panko with a tbsp of Italian seasoning)
1 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy)
~1/2 box pre-boil lasagna noodles (I use Barilla)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and eggplant, salt, pepper, and cayenne and cook until soft and golden brown. Move the eggplant to a large bowl.
3. In the same skillet, add remaining olive oil and veal. Break up and cook until brown.
4. With a slotted spoon, move veal to the same bowl as the eggplant. Add tomato sauce and toss.
5. In another bowl whisk together the ricotta, egg, and garlic powder.
6. In another bowl (sorry for the dishes…big thanks to the Monkey Scientist for helping clean!) mix together 3/4 of a cup of the parmesan, red pepper flakes, and the breadcrumbs.
7. Spray a 9×13 dish with nonstick spray and layer the lasagna:

• a small amount of tomato sauce, a layer of lasagna noodles
• 1/3 of the ricotta mixture
• 1/3 of the mozzarella
• 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese (not the mixture)
• 1/2 of the tomato sauce/eggplant/veal mixture
• a layer of lasagna noodles
• 1/3 of the ricotta mixture
• 1/3 of the mozzarella
• 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
• 1/2 of the tomato sauce/eggplant/veal mixture
• the last of the ricotta mixture
• the last of the mozzarella
• the breadcrumbs/parmesan mixture

8. Drizzle with a little olive oil, cover with foil and bake at 375 for 1 hour.

9. Remove the foil and let bake another 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly. 

10. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes to let the juices set before serving.

Eggplant Matzo Lasagna

Some of my guests at my Passover Seder were vegetarian, so I tried to make a few dishes for them.  This  matzo lasagna was one of those options.

Of course, if you keep Kosher and are serving meat, you cannot serve this meal.  It's full of cheese! But the cheese is what makes this guy tasty.  I'd probably even add more next time around!

I made the lasagna a day or two earlier but waited until the day of my Seder to bake it.  The matzo soaked up some liquid and it tasted more like pasta.  Definitely the way to go.

Also, I used crushed tomatoes instead of pureed.  I'd probably add sugar next time to counteract the acid from canned crushed tomatoes.

The assembly is really easy, just like a traditional lasagna.  You just stack up the layers!

Once you get to the top layer, you bake it off.  Could it be any easier?  If it wasn't Passover,  you could use no-boil noodles instead.

I have to admit, this wasn't the biggest hit at our Seder.  I think the main reason was that it was cold by the time I served it since we ate outside.  I still liked it a lot and I think it would great if served piping hot!

Eggplant Matzo Lasagna
from my Mom, who I think got it from Cooking Light
Serves 6 for a meal, or 20 as a small side

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups sliced mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes (or tomato puree)
1 large eggplan, cut into 1/2" slices (about 1 1/4 lbs)
Vegetable cooking spray
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
1 15-oz container nonfat ricotta cheese
3-4 slices unsalted matzo

Instructions
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Stir in wine, basil, oregano, peppers, and puree. Partialy cover, reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooing spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, turning the slices over after 15 minutes. Remove from baking sheet, and let cool. Cut the eggplant slices into 1/2 inch pieces, and set aside.

Combine 1/4 cup Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese and ricotta cheese; stir well, and set aside.

Spread 1/2 cup tomato mixture in the bottom of an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Arrange 1 1/2-2 slices matzo over tomato mixture, and top matzo with half of the cheese mixture, half of the eggplant, and half of the remaining tomato mixture.  Repeat, ending with the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons grated cheese.

(at this point, you can cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours)

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Spinach Lasagna and Garlic Rolls shabbat

My good friend AB decided to have a last minute Shabbat dinner and make lasagna for a couple of her friends - her boyfriend BS and her friends G & R.  I offered to share a recipe and a hand.  Nothing like a good Italian-style, comfort food dinner to begin a long weekend!

Main course:
Spinach Lasagna adjusted from a recipe by EcoAmanda.

Ingredients

• 1 jar (26 Oz. Jar) Pasta Sauce (or whatever type of tomato sauce you have - we used 2 "half jars" of pasta sauce and a half jar of pizza sauce)
• 1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1 pound Ricotta
• ½ cups Grated Parmesan
• 20 ounces, fluid Frozen Spinach, Thawed And Drained
• 1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack
• 1 Japanese Eggplant

Instructions:

Spread a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan (next time I may use more than this.)

Combine ricotta, parmesan and spinach and spoon ½ of the mixture over the noodles.

Put a second layer of noodles over the cheese mixture, then the rest of the cheese mixture. Cover with the remaining sauce. Top with the Monterey Jack.

Cover with foil, domed so that the cheese doesn’t stick to the top.

Bake 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

Remove foil and bake 20 minutes more.

Allow to set for ½ hour before cutting to serve.

Umm, yum!

Review:  This was a very easy lasagna recipe and came out great.  I would add an extra layer of lasagna to make it go to the top of the pan.  The spinach and ricotta go great together and the monterey jack cheese on top became bubbly and crispy and delicious.  This was my first time trying no boil noodles - I heard they were way easier and I was trying to make it simple to teach AB, I know from experience that boiling lasagna noodles is difficult.  I found that they were a little bit gummy and not as al dente as real lasagna noodles.  BS and others seemed to think they were just as good and both the boys and girls really enjoyed it!  The Japanese eggplant was also my own addition, simply because AB had it in the house and wasn't sure what to do with it, and I enjoyed the texture added to the dish.  Lasagna is such an easy dish and with noodles, sauce, and cheese - well you can't really mess it up!  I would love to add other veggies next time like summer squash or zucchini.

Rating: 4 - pretty jammy

And then a dish I'd be dying to try ever since I encountered it on Tasty Kitchen....

Side dish:

Garlic Butter Crusty Bubble Bread (Everyone one of those words makes my heart skip a beat) by Rebecca

Ingredients:

• 1 stick Unsalted Butter, (or 1/4 Lb.)
• 4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Minced Fresh Garlic
• ¾ teaspoons Italian Seasonings
• ½ teaspoons Granulated Dried Garlic
• ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, Plus An Additional 1/2 Teaspoon For Sprinkling
• ¼ teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Master Bread
• 3 Tablespoons Instant Yeast
• 3 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
• 6 cups Lukewarm Water
• 13 cups All-purpose Flour

Instructions:

Master Bread Dough Recipe:

 

Mix water, yeast and salt together in the bowl of a large stand mixer or in a 10 quart food-safe container. Add flour and stir until the mixture is uniform. You don’t have to knead, but you want everything uniformly moist, without dry patches. The dough will be wet and will conform to the shape of its container.

Cover with a lid that fits well, but is not airtight (will a towel work?) and allow to rise at room temperature for about 2 hours or until the dough collapses back in on itself. You can now refrigerate the dough for up to two weeks, using the dough whenever you need it, or you may use it immediately.

To assemble the Garlic Butter Crusty Bubble Bread:

Unwrap butter and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave until the butter is fully melted. Stir olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, granulated garlic, the 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper into the melted butter. Set next to you on the countertop and turn your attention to the dough.

Dust the refrigerated dough in the bucket with a generous amount of flour. 

Pull dough up from the center and use a sharp knife to cut off a portion that is between the size of a golf ball and plum. Pull the sides down and under while rotating the dough to form a smooth ball. (there are no pictures of this because I couldn't do it...)

On a clean counter, place the dough ball, seam side down, and gently cup the dough with your hand. Rotate it in one direction on the counter while providing gentle and steady downward pressure. This will smooth the surface of the dough ball and make it tight. (I am not sure I did this part right either...)

Carefully deposit the dough ball into the butter mixture and turn to coat completely. Use a fork to transfer the dough to a 9″ x 13″ pan. Repeat until you have at least four rows of three dough balls. If you want very crusty bubbles of bread, stop here. If you prefer crusty tops with softer sides, cut off and roll six more dough balls and place them in the open spaces between rows. Do not crowd the pan to the point where you have to shove or mash the dough balls. Drizzle any remaining garlic butter mixture over the top of the balls and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt.

Allow the dough to rest while preheating the oven to 450°F (230°C or 8 Gas Mark). When oven is hot, place the pan on a center rack and bake for 25 minutes, or until the top of the bread is deep brown. There will still be quite a bit of bubbling butter around the edges of the bread. This is a good thing. Allow the pan to stand on the stovetop until the remaining butter is absorbed.

Serve warm, as-is, or topped with a generous amount of freshly grated hard Italian cheese and a bowl of warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Review: I'm a little disappointed that they didn't turn out as good as they looked on the Tasty Kitchen site.  I also split the bread dough recipe in half and still had a good amount left over.  I was a bit lazy in measuring the flour (it was a lot of measuring to do!) so I think I ended up adding too much and they were a little bit too dense.  Also, the recipe made it sound as if there would be butter bubbling out of the pan when they came out of the oven and there was definitely not - I even ended up pouring more butter on top and they soaked it right up.  I was entirely unable to create the dough balls - that was far too difficult.  Still, they tasted very good and everyone enjoyed them.  I think if I followed the recipe in a more exact manner they would have been better.  I think I'd skip them for real garlic bread though.

yelleBELLYboo