Meatless Madness

It is a rarer than rare day when darling Brock says he doesn't need meat to make his meal complete. Enter Eggplant Lasagne. I will admit it's not the healthiest dish I have ever made but it's delicious, and it made a vegetarian meal seem very appealing to the resident meat-eater. We dove into it so fast, I didn't even have time for a proper picture! Although it's not a very photogenic dish.

I started looking for a recipe after hearing a friend go on about an eggplant lasagne he had at a favorite restaurant. I am not a lasagne maker... in fact, I don't think I have ever made it. I am scared of recreating a Olive Garden - Stouffer's frozen cheesy concoction. Not that those aren't tasty, but not my typical cup of tea. I found this one and thought the pesto might make it interesting. It was such a great find, and considering I don't even like nuts - to say I loved the parsley-hazelnut pesto is big. I would use it again in other dishes it was so good.

This is probably one you want to make when you have a slow afternoon or lazy Sunday before since the assembly does take some time. I regretted starting it late on a weeknight, because we ended up eating kind of late. It's easy, just time consuming and definitely worth it. The recipe makes it seem like you have to do all things in succession, but I got the eggplant roasting first, then started the bechamel and was able to get the pesto done while that was going.

I froze half but left 1 serving out to see how it tasted after a couple of days. Maybe even better than the first night. So it will definitely keep well. It also would be great for company because it's pretty fancy (bechamel sauce always does the trick to seem fancy) ... provided your guests will eat eggplant.

I am going to post the original recipe, but I did a few things differently. I used regular dried noodles cooked al dente. I also halved the recipe and made it it in an 8x8 for the 2 of us (and half still went in the freezer). The only thing you can't half is the noodles, but you might need to trim them down to fit in the smaller dish. You can cut the parsley mix a little over half.

Eggplant Lasagne with Parsley Pesto

Gourmet Nov 2003

For béchamel
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

For pesto and ricotta mixture
1 1/3 cups hazelnuts (5 1/2 ounces), toasted and loose skins rubbed off in a kitchen towel
4 cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (from 3/4 lb)
3 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 1/2 cups)
2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
1 large egg
1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta

For lasagne
4 pounds medium eggplants (4), cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
9 (7- by 3 1/2-inch) oven-ready lasagne noodles (sometimes called "no-boil"; 6 oz)
1 1/2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Make béchamel:

Cook garlic in butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a stream, whisking. Add bay leaf and bring to a boil over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 4 cups, about 10 minutes. Whisk in salt and white pepper, then remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Cover surface of sauce with wax paper until ready to use.

Make pesto and ricotta mixture:

Coarsely chop 1/3 cup hazelnuts and reserve for sprinkling over lasagne. (I didn't do this)

Purée parsley, Parmigiano-Reggiano, 2/3 cup oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and remaining cup hazelnuts in a food processor until pesto is smooth, about 1 minute.

Whisk egg in a bowl, then stir in ricotta, 1 cup parsley pesto, remaining teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper until combined well.

Stir together 1/4 cup pesto and remaining 1/4 cup oil in a small bowl for drizzling over lasagne.

Roast eggplant for lasagne:

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Oil 2 large baking sheets. Brush eggplant with oil on both sides, then arrange in 1 layer on baking sheets and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake eggplant, switching position of sheets halfway through baking and turning slices over once, until tender, 20 to 25 minutes total.

Assemble lasagne:

Put oven rack in middle position and reduce oven temperature to 425°F. Lightly oil a 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish (3 quart) and line a larger shallow baking pan with foil.

Spread 1 cup béchamel in baking dish and cover with 3 pasta sheets, leaving spaces between sheets. Drop 1 cup ricotta mixture by spoonfuls over pasta, spreading evenly (layer will be thin), then top with 1 layer of eggplant, cutting rounds to fit if necessary. Make 1 more layer each of béchamel, pasta, ricotta, and eggplant. Spread with 1 cup béchamel and cover with remaining 3 pasta sheets. Spread remaining cup ricotta mixture over pasta, then spread ricotta with remaining cup béchamel and top with remaining eggplant in 1 layer (you may have a few slices left over). Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano over eggplant and scatter with reserved chopped hazelnuts.

Tightly cover baking dish with oiled foil (oiled side down), then set dish in foil-lined pan (to catch drips) and bake lasagne 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let lasagne stand 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Serve lasagne drizzled with pesto.

Cooks' notes: ·Lasagne can be assembled 2 hours ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before baking.·Lasagne can be baked 1 day ahead and cooled completely, then chilled, covered. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, then heat in a preheated 350°F oven, covered, until hot, 30 to 40 minutes.