Pasta Al Forno con Gamberi E Spinaci (Baked Lasagna with Shrimp and Spinach)

Ultimate Pasta – Julia Della Croce P.133

In my opinion this is a 10/10. It was a bit of work (would be a lot less if I hadn’t made my own pasta. I made the pasta so thin that the recipe only used a tiny fraction of the pasta that I had made.

  • Ingredients
  • ½ quantity fresh egg pasta (1/2 lb/250g)
  • Salt, to taste

For the filling

  • 2lb spinach washed and stems removed
  • lb (500g) fresh raw shrimp, washed and shelled
  • 4 TB unsalted butter
  • 1 large onion, very finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
  • freshly ground white or black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) plain tomato sauce
  • ~2 cups bechamel  (500ml) flavored with nutmeg (I used about extra 1/4-1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 cup (60g) freshly grated Parmesan (I used more than this b/c I spread some between each layer)

Directions

1.Roll the pasta as thin as possible (I think about a 4 on the kitchen aid is good enough I went with 6 and think it was too thin). With a knife or fluted pastry wheel, cut the sheets of pasta into 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 in (8 x 11cm) rectangles and let them rest on dry dish towels for at least 15 minutes.

  1. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts (5 liters) of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 ½ tablespoons of salt and slip in the pasta, two or three pieces at a time, and cook for a total of 1 minute. Retrieve with a slotted spoon and immediately immerse in a bowl of cold water (do not put ice in the water as it will make holes in the pasta). Lay the strips on a damp dish towel and finish cooking and cooling all the pasta in the same manner. Do not overlap them. Pat dry.
  1. Place the spinach in a large, deep, lidded pan with no water except the drops still clinging to the leaves after washing. Steam the spinach until tender, tossing occasionally for even cooking, 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain, and leave until cool enough to handle. Using your hands, squeeze out most of the excess water. Finely chop the spinach and set aside.
  1. Using a small knife, make a slit down the back of each shrimp and remove the dark intestinal vein. Rinse well under cold running water, pat dry, then finely chop and set aside.
  1. Warm the butter in a skillet and add the onion. Saute over medium heat until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add the shrimp and saute quickly just until they turn pink, stirring to cook evenly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chopped spinach, salt, and pepper.

6. Preheat the oven to a temperature of 400°F (200°C).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Combine the tomato sauce and the béchamel. Select a 10 x 14in (25 x 35cm) baking dish. Smear a very thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Carefully place a layer of the lasagna noodles over the sauce, making them touch without overlapping, and covering the entire surface area.

  1. Smear a thin layer of sauce over the lasagna. Spoon some of the spinach- shrimp mixture over it. Over that, scatter some of the grated Parmesan. Lay down another layer of lasagna, making sure there are no gaps and no overlapping. Repeat the process of layering, ending with a layer of lasagna topped with bechamel sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
  1. Slip the dish onto the middle oven rack. Bake until the sauce forms a light golden crust, about 20 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove the dish from the oven and leave to settle for 10 minutes. Cut into squares, and serve hot.

 

Rachael Ray’s Chicken Riggies with Greens

Recipe taken from RachaelRay.com

Notes

The heat… it comes from the Italian hot cherry peppers, OBVIOUSLY. 😀 And I now recall using only about 1/3 of the amount of the brine as is recommended. I was attempting to keep the heat level down, yet I still completely forgot about all of that until my memory got jogged. Ahh, aging…

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I used refined olive oil because I’m not a crazy person, nor do I enjoy smoking out my kitchen)
  • ¼ pound meaty pancetta or prosciutto di Parma end cuts, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I used 8 cloves)
  • 1 large bunch flat kale, lacinato, or escarole, chopped or sliced (I used kale)
  • Salt and pepper
  • A little freshly grated nutmeg, about ⅛ teaspoon
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • About ⅓ cup sliced Italian cherry peppers, chopped and a few tablespoons of juice (I used maybe 1 tbsn of the juice and it was plenty spicy!)
  • One 28-ounce can Italian tomatoes
  • 1 rotisserie chicken (skinned!)
  • A few leaves of basil, torn (I forgot to serve this with the basil, but it was in the cocktails!)
  • 1 pound rigatoni (RIGGIES!)

For the Breadcrumb Topping

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed (I used 2 cloves)
  • 1 ¼ cups homemade breadcrumbs or panko
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano or 1 tablespoons freshly chopped (I used dried)
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley or 1 tablespoon freshly chopped (I used fresh)
  • 1 cup grated Pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano or a combination of the two

Preparation

  1. Heat a pot of salted water to boil for rigatoni.
  2. Heat a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, add EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, add pancetta or prosciutto and stir a minute or 2, add garlic and stir a minute, add greens to wilt and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add stock and cherry peppers and brine, bring to a bubble, then stir in tomatoes, break them up, and simmer 20 minutes to break the tomatoes down.
  3. Meanwhile, remove skin from chicken and pull meat into small pieces. Add basil and chicken to sauce.
  4. For the breadcrumb topping, in another skillet over medium to medium-high heat, melt butter into oil and add garlic, swirl a minute, then add breadcrumbs, toast to golden. Remove breadcrumbs from heat and toss with herbs and cool, then toss cool crumbs with cheese.
  5. Cook pasta to 1 minute less than package directions for al dente. Reserve about ¾ cup salty water and drain pasta. Toss rigatoni with chicken and greens and add the water as necessary to keep the pasta moist. Serve the rigatoni in shallow bowls topped with breadcrumb topping.

Red bean Vegetarian Chili stuffed in Red Bell Pepper

  • Author: Cookie and Kate (for chili)
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings
  • Category: Chili
  • Cuisine: American

This chili probably made enough for 6 huge peppers, I doubled it and had a ton of extra.

The smoky, complex flavor of this simple vegetarian chili comes from basic pantry ingredients, vegetables and spices! It makes great leftovers, too. This chili recipe is gluten free as written (just be sure your garnishes are also gluten free), and vegan (unless you top it with dairy products like sour cream or cheese). Recipe yields 4 large or 6 moderate servings of chili.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 2 ribs celery, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder*
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika*
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 large can (28 ounces) or 2 small cans (15 ounces each) diced tomatoes**, with their juices
  • 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained (I used red beans instead)
  • 2 cups vegetable broth or water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnishing
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar or lime juice, to taste
  • Garnishes: chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream or crème fraîche, grated cheddar cheese, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, carrot, celery and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine and then cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.how to make vegetarian chili
  2. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
  3. Add the diced tomatoes and their juices, the drained black beans and pinto beans, vegetable broth and bay leaf. Stir to combine and let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, for 30 minutes. Remove the chili from heat.
  4. For the best texture and flavor, transfer 1 1/2 cups of the chili to a blender and blend until smooth, then pour the blended mixture back into the pot. (Or, you can blend the chili briefly with an immersion blender, or mash the chili with a potato masher until it reaches a thicker, more chili-like consistency.)
  5. Add the chopped cilantro, stir to blend, and then mix in the vinegar, to taste. Add salt to taste, too—I added 1/4 teaspoon more at this point. Divide the mixture into individual bowls and serve with garnishes of your choice. This chili will keep well in the refrigerator for about 4 days (I haven’t tried, but I bet it would freeze well, too).

The best vegetarian chili - so easy to make with basic ingredients! cookieandkate.com

NOTES

Recipes consulted during the making of this recipe: vegetarian chili with winter vegetables (The New York Times), vegetarian chili (Saveur) and winter vegetable chili (Food and Wine). 
This is very good chili

  1. Slice the tops off peppers and remove seeds. and white pith
    Slice thin layer off the bottom to help them stand up straight. (if necessary)
    Scoop chili mixture into peppers.
    Stand peppers in a glass baking dish. replace top on peppers
  2. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.
  3. Remove foil and sprinkle cheese (I used pepper jack cheese) then bake for another 5-10 minutes until cheese is starting to brown
  4. Sprinkle with cilantro