Preheat the oven to 350. Beat ricotta very fine, mix eggs and seasonings. If too dry, add a little milk. Boil lasagna about ten minutes. Do not over cook lasagna. Add oil to the pot so lasagna noodles will not stick. Strain lasagna and run water over them to stop the cooking. Put sauce in bottom of large pan and place 3 strips of lasagna, layer of ricotta mix, Parmesan cheese, sauce; continue with layering until pasta is finished. Pour sauce and parmesan cheese over top layer. Cover pan with foil and cook in oven one hour. Let stand fifiteen minutes. You can add two boxes of drained chopped spinach to ricotta if you would like vegetable Lasagna.
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 medium eggplant, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 beaten egg
1/2 c. cooking oil
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
homemade tomato sauce
1 (6-oz.) pkg. mozzarella cheese, sliced
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350ยบ. Combine flour and salt. Dip eggplant into beaten egg, then in flour mixture. In large skillet, brown eggplant in hot oil; drain well on paper towel. Place one layer of eggplant in 10x6x2-inch baking dish; cut slices to fit. Sprinkle with half the Parmesan cheese. Top with half tomato sauce. Repeat with eggplant, Parmesan cheese, sauce and mozzarella. Cook until heated through; 30-45 minutes.
2 1/2 cups cooked Borlotti or Great Northern beans
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, celery stalks, carrots, finely chopped
2 potatoes, 2 cups butternut squash, in 2cm cubes
2 cups cauliflower, cut into small pieces
3 cups cabbage, thinly sliced,
1 zucchini, chopped into 2cm cubes
1/2 cup barley, washed well
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, 1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp oregano
2 tsp salt, pepper to taste
1-2 chicken stock cubes and boiling water as needed
Polish sausage, cut into 5cm pieces, plus a ham hock cut in half
250 grams pasta, spiral, penne or shell
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Instructions
In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat, fry onions and celery until soft; add other vegetables. Fry for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add ham hock, garlic, bay leaf, Parmesan cheese crust and water (liquid from the beans can be used), enough to cover the vegetables. Gently simmer for about 30 minutes.
Add beans, barley, herbs, stock cubes and salt, simmer for about 1 hour. Use a blender or potato masher to mash half the vegetables and beans — this adds a thick velvety texture to the Minestrone. Add the Polish sausage and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.
Cook the pasta separately and add to the Minestrone. Remove the ham hock, take off the skin and fat and discard. Cut the tender meat into pieces and add to the Minestrone. Remove from heat and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.
NOTE: If you don’t have a ham hock, add two or three slices of rindless bacon, cut into pieces and fry with the onions — this also adds a nice flavour.
I added red wine and black olives to this stew-like pasta sauce to crank up the fullness of the flavor, but my kids loved it too!
Ingredients
2 large beef or veal shanks
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup red wine
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried
32 oz or 1 quart of canned crushed tomates (I used the home-made sauce I made this summer in this video!)
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation Instructions
Roughly chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Brown the onion and garlic, about 3-5 minutes, until translucent. Add the shanks and brown on both sides (about 3 minutes a side). Add red wine and cook 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and seasoning. Transfer to slow cooker. Cook on high heat for 6 hours. Remove the shanks and shred the meat. Return to sauce.
(I ended up refrigerating the sauce for a couple of days, and it only got more delicious!).
Here’s a lovely dish to make in the early fall or late summer, when those long thin red peppers are in season. They’re easier to barbecue than traditional rounded bell peppers!
Ingredients
6 marconi (the long thin mild bell peppers) peppers
8 roma tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic
10 greek olives (optional)
For dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tblsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
Preparation Instructions
Roast pepper on the bbq, or in the oven, under the broiler, until skins are blackened. Remove from heat and immediately wrap in newspaper or place in a paper or plastic bag. Seal bag and put aside.
Cut tomatoes in half. Remove seeds (run your finger or a spoon inside the tomato to loosen the fleshy pulp and seeds- they will fall right out).
Put 1/4 cup of olive oil and salt in a plastic bag or bowl, add tomatoes, and toss/mix until coated.
Arrange the tomatoes on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and place in a low temperature oven (300 degree Farenheit) for about an hour and a half, turning half way through cooking time.
Peel peppers and remove seeds.
Pull peppers apart with your hands to make long sections of pepper (you can use a knife, but this is so much easier to do while you are seeing the peppers!) Place in bowl. Add the tomatoes, crushed garlic and olives if using. Sprinkle with salt. Add oil and vinegar (balsamic is great if you tend to like a slightly sweeter sauce.) Toss. Serve cold or room temperature.
This salad is best if you can leave it for an hour or two for the flavors to develop.
2 pkg cresent rolls
16 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup mayonaise
1 1(1oz) hidden vally dressing mix
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
vetables cut up
Preparation instructions
spread rolls on a 17×11 inch pan and bake according to package directions. Cool. Mix cream cheese, mayonaise, dressing mix and seasonnings; spread over crust. Place cup of vegetables on top of pizza suggestions; cauliflower, broccoli carrots ,green onions or chives or ripe olives. cut vegetables very small cut pizza into squares and serve.
