It was not my intention to only write two blog posts
during the month of June. I have had
ideas to share…and recipes…. But as has
been increasingly the case as the years have passed, June has been insanely
busy. So here we are and June is just
about over.
I’m sad to see it go.
I love the farmers’ market in June…the end of the spring crops meet the beginning
of the summer ones—making for inspiring abundance and variety. The recipe I am sharing today takes advantage
of that moment, combining the shelling peas of late spring/early summer with
the first of the summer’s zucchini crop in a surprisingly light lasagne.
“Light” is probably not the first word that you
associate with lasagne. But I think on
balance that this lasagne can be called light.
It doesn’t include tons of sauce…or heavy fatty meats….or gobs of
stretchy cheese. What it does include
are loads of those aforementioned green vegetables of June…along with a whisper
of béchamel, a touch of salty prosciutto (to bring out the flavor of the green
vegetables) and just enough cheese to hold it all together.
I adapted the recipe from Frank Stitt’s Bottega Favorita. I admit to reducing the cheese
a bit—and adding the prosciutto—but by and large it is his delicious recipe,
and I can’t take a lot of credit for it.
What I can take credit for is the biggest change I
made—changing from traditional dried lasagne noodles to no-boil noodles. I have already sung the praises of “no-boil”
on two previous posts so I won’t spend a lot of time on it here. Suffice it to say I think they are
fantastic. It is unlikely I will ever
make a lasagne using traditional dried noodles again. If you have never used them this lasagne
would be the perfect place to give them a try.
Early Summer Vegetable Lasagne
1 1/4 lb. (about 3)
medium zucchini
Olive oil
Salt & freshly ground
pepper, to taste
1 medium leek, halved,
thinly sliced cross-wise and thoroughly rinsed
1 bunch spring onions, trimmed
(use white and equal amount of green), or 1 sweet onion (like a Vidalia),
halved—thinly sliced
2 T. butter, divided
2 oz. thinly sliced
prosciutto, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
1 c. (240 g) whole milk
ricotta
1 oz. (1/3 c) finely
grated Pecorino Romano
1 T. finely sliced chives
Zest of one lemon
1 clove garlic, finely
grated with a microplaner or smashed to a purée with a pinch of salt
Pinch of cayenne
1 1/3 c. whole milk
2 T. flour
Pinch nutmeg
8 "no-boil"
lasagna (half of an 8 oz. box)
1 c. peas, thawed if
frozen, blanched until just tender (refresh under cold running water) if fresh
6 oz. Fontina or Fontal,
coarsely grated
1 oz. (1/3 c) finely
grated Parmesan
Top and tail the
zucchini. Slice lengthwise into 1/4-inch
thick slabs (the widest setting on my Benriner slicer is perfect). Spread the slabs in a single layer on a
lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush with
oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast in a 450° to 475° oven until tender, beginning to brown in spots
and most of the moisture has evaporated....about 10 to 15 minutes. Set
aside to cool.
Meanwhile, melt a half of
a tablespoon of butter with a tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan set over
moderate heat. Add the leeks and onions
along with a generous pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper
and toss to coat in the fat. Cook until
the leeks/onions begin to sizzle and steam in the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight
fitting lid, and cook until the leeks have collapsed and are very tender—this
will take about 15 minutes for early spring onions and leeks....maybe 30
minutes or more for storage leeks and onions.
Uncover and add the prosciutto and stir to distribute evenly. Continue to cook for a minute or two. If there should be a lot of liquid remaining
in the pan, increase the heat and cook uncovered until the liquid has mostly
evaporated. Taste and correct the
seasoning and set aside to cool.
Place the ricotta,
pecorino, lemon zest, chives, garlic, and a pinch of cayenne in a medium-sized
bowl. Mix until well combined, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
Prepare the béchamel: In
a small saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer; keep hot. (Alternatively,
heat the milk in a microwave proof container of some kind.) In another
medium saucepan, melt 1 1/2 T. of butter over medium heat. When the foam
subsides, whisk in the flour. Cook stirring constantly for a minute or
so—the roux will be bubbly and straw yellow. Remove from the heat and
pour in half of the hot milk, whisking constantly until smooth—it will thicken
immediately. Add the remaining milk. Return to the heat and stir
constantly until the sauce returns to a simmer. Taste and season as
desired with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
When you are ready to
build the lasagne, oil a square 2-quart baking dish (an 8 1/2- by 8 1/2-inch
Pyrex is perfect) and bring a shallow pan of water just to the boil and remove
from the heat. Arrange these two items...along with all the other
components—on your work space so that you have easy access to everything. Add
two of the noodles to the pan of hot water. Spread a couple of
tablespoons of béchamel in the bottom of the oiled dish.
Lift the noodles out of
the pan. (They should not be
soft or flexible at this point...you're just giving them a head start by
soaking them briefly—less than a minute.) Let the excess water drip
back in to the pan and arrange them in a single layer in the prepared baking
dish. Add a couple more noodles to the pan of hot water (to soak
while you build the first layer). Spread/daub a third of the ricotta
mixture over the noodles,
followed by a third of the onion mixture, a third of
the peas,
and a third of the zucchini slices.
Drizzle a scant third cup of béchamel over all and finish with a
scattering of a quarter of the Fontina (1 1/2 oz).
Beginning with the noodles, repeat this
layering two more times. Finish with the last two (soaked) noodles, the
remaining third cup of the béchamel (spreading evenly)
and a
scattering of the remaining Fontina mixed with the Parmesan.
Cover the pan with a
piece of aluminum foil that has been brushed on the underside with olive oil
(or sprayed with pan spray), tenting the foil slightly if possible so that it
isn't touching the top of the lasagne. Bake in a 350° oven until the
Fontina on top has just melted—about 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover and
continue to bake until the lasagne is bubbling around the edges and the top is
beginning to brown around the edges...another 10 to 15 minutes. Let the
lasagne rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut with a sharp knife and
serve. Serves 6.
Notes: To make a 13- by
9-inch lasagne, increase the recipe by half.
(Recipe adapted from Bottega Favorita by
Frank Stitt)
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