A Birthday/Lasagne Dinner Party: Two Sausage & Collard Greens Lasagne

Continuing my birthday lasagne post from a few weeks ago, here is the recipe for the other lasagne I made for my party last summer, a Two Sausage & Collard Greens Lasagne (see here for the first lasagne: Roasted Portobello, Bacon & Kale Lasagne).

meaty, cheesy, delicious

looks and smells delicious!

Here is my recipe for Two Sausage & Collard Greens Lasagne (adapted this Bon Appetit recipe):

Ingredients
Sausage & Collard Greens Filling:
2 T. olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 small bunch collard greens (or kale)
approx. 2 pounds of sausage casings removed (I used half sweet Italian pork sausage and half chicken chorizo sausage)
5-6 large garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced (+/- cloves, depending on how you feel about garlic)
salt & pepper
1/2 c. dry white wine
2 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes with the puree
1 c fresh basil, chopped then divided
1 T fresh thyme, roughly chopped
1/2 T dried oregano (or 1 T fresh oregano, chopped)

1 15-oz container whole-milk ricotta cheese
12 oz whole-milk mozzarella cheese, grated on the large holes (about 3 c. packed)
1 1/4 c. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated on the large holes, divided into 1 c. and 1/4 c.

1 pound lasagne noodles (16-20 noodles), slightly under-cooked as they will finish cooking when you bake the lasagne, set aside

ingredients for the lasagne filling

I used two different sausages - sweet Italian and a chicken chorizo

use fresh basil for the best flavor - so gorgeous and fragrant!

I cooked my lasagne noodles way in advance and then rubbed them in olive oil
and set them aside while I prepped the ingredients and made the filling

Method
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Set aside a 13x9" glass baking dish or a large roasting pan (I used my large All-Clad roaster).

Cut the collard greens into a chiffonade (see picture below), set aside.

cutting the collards into a chiffonade. This will help them cook in the sauce.

Heat the 2 T. olive oil in a very large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the onions, sprinkle with salt, and saute about 5 minutes. Add the collard greens and cook an additional 5 or so minutes until the collards are bright green and beginning to wilt.

cooking down the onions and collard greens

Remove the sausage from the casings and add to the pan. Use a large spoon to break the sausage into bite-sized pieces. Add the garlic and stir; season with pepper and a little more salt, stir. Saute until the sausage is fully cooked, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil, cook for 1 minute (to burn off the alcohol).

Using your hands to break them apart, add the whole tomatoes to the pan (see picture below).

use your hands to break the tomatoes into chunks as you add them to the pan

Add the remaining tomato puree from the 2 cans, stir, then add 1/2 of the chopped basil, the chopped thyme and the dried oregano.

add the tomato puree and herbs

Give the mixture a good stir to combine everything. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, 1 c. Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the other 1/2 c. of basil; stir well to blend. Season with a little salt and pepper.

the cheese filling

Assembling the lasagne
You'll make four layers in total and will want some sauce leftover for the top. If your layers are messy - no problem! - they will all blend together when the lasagne bakes.

Spread approx. 1 c. of sauce over the bottom of the pan. Cover with 4 noodles, slightly overlapping them if need be (if you are using the glass baking dish, only 3 noodles will fit). Drop 1/4 of the cheese mixture by spoonfuls over the noodles; spread as best you can.

Repeat the layering: spread 1 c. of sauce, layer 4 noodles, spread 1/4 of the cheese mixture; then again a third time, then a fourth time. There should some sauce left, so spread that over the last cheese layer.

ending with the remaining sauce spread over the fourth layer

After the remaining sauce is spread over the final cheese layer, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 c. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese evenly over the top.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 50-55 minutes, until heated through and the cheese is melted and golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

baked to a golden brown

time to try a bite...yum

Bye for now...

A Birthday/Lasagne Dinner Party: Roasted Portobello, Bacon & Kale Lasagne

I had a dinner party for my birthday a few months back and made two types of lasagne - one with a white sauce and one with a red sauce - Roasted Portobello, Bacon & Kale Lasagne and Two Sausage & Collard Greens Lasagne. I wanted something that would be prepped the day before and then baked up without too much effort the day of. It was my birthday, after all, and I didn't want to spend all day cooking. Lasagne is great too because you always get lots of leftovers!

hearty and delicious!

Here is my recipe for Roasted Portobello, Bacon & Kale Lasagne (adapted from this Bon Appetit recipe).

Ingredients
Filling:
3 T. and 2 T. olive oil
10-12 large portobello mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
8-10 slices of thick cut bacon
4 large shallots, finely chopped
1 large bunch kale
2 t. finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 t. finely chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper

White Sauce:
4 c. whole milk
16 oz. broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 bay leaf
8 T. butter
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. (approx. 8 oz.) shredded Gruyère cheese
1/3 c. shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/8 t. freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper

1 pound lasagne noodles, slightly under-cooked as they will finish cooking when you bake the lasagne
1/2 shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (to sprinkle over assembled lasagne)

Method
See below for the step-by-step:

Step 1, making the mushrooms. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cleaned and de-stemmed mushrooms in 3 T. olive oil (drizzle oil over mushroom caps and rub with your hands until the oil coats the mushrooms).

oil drizzled portobello mushroom caps, ready for baking

Place mushroom caps upside-down on two parchment paper covered sheet pans. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until tender.

done! These were so fragrant and delicious after baking.
I would definitely make these again and serve sliced or cubed over pasta or a salad
(or just as a meal with some crusty bread). Yum!

Slice each cap into thin strips (approx. 1/4 or 1/3 inch wide) and set aside. A serrated knife works well for this.

slice each cap into thin slices and set aside

Step 2, making the rest of the filling. While the mushrooms are roasting, make the bacon, kale, and shallot filling.

ingredients for the bacon-kale-shallot filling

Cut the bacon slices crosswise into small pieces (approx. 3/4 inch or so). Finely chop the shallots, and both the herbs. Set the herbs aside.

Wash the kale and cut it into a chiffonade (long strips). You can do this easily by laying several kale leaves on top of each other, then roll them into a round (lengthwise) and slice thinly.

leaves are rolled up and cut into thin strips

voila, a chiffonade of kale!

In a medium, heavy-bottomed pan, heat remaining 2 T. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bacon and saute until crisp and browned. Add shallots and herbs. Cook for about 5 minutes, until shallots are tender. Lower heat, if necessary.

cooking down the bacon and shallots; rosemary and thyme are added

Add kale, stir well, cover and cook an additional 5 or so minutes until the kale softens. It doesn't have to be completely cooked as it will continue to cook in the lasagne.

doesn't this look amazing? Bacon, shallots, and kale? I could eat it just like this!

Remove this mixture from heat and set aside.


Step 3, making the sauce. Shred the cheeses and set aside; grate nutmeg and set aside.

ingredients for the white sauce

shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and Gruyère cheeses

Add milk, broth, and bay leaf to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat to a simmer. Remove the milk mixture from heat and set aside for 10 minutes, then remove bay leaf and discard.

In a separate large, heavy-bottomed pan or medium pot, create a roux by melting the butter over medium heat. When it begins to get bubbly and foamy, whisk in the flour (lower the temperature, if necessary so the butter doesn't burn). Whisk for about 2 minutes to remove the floury taste.

creating the roux

Whisk in about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture, whisk well (this will help avoid lumps), then add remaining hot milk mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer about 5 minutes, whisking frequently. You don't want the mixture to get too thick because it will continue to thicken after you add the cheeses.

Remove from heat and stir in the two cheeses and the grated nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Set the sauce aside.

the finished sauce

Step 4, boil the lasagne noodles. Cook the noodles as directed by the package, but cook for slightly less time than noted (they will continue to cook when you bake the lasagne). Boil your noodles gently, so they don't get ripped or shredded. Drain and rinse with cool water.

gently boiling my noodles

If not assembling the lasagne immediately, drizzle some olive oil over the noodles so they don't stick together and gently toss (or use your hand to swirl the noodles around) to make sure all noodles get some oil. Carefully lay out all noodles and make sure there is a bit of oil between each noodle, so they don't stick. I used a sheet pan (they fit perfectly!) lined with foil.

my cooked noodles, lightly oiled

fillings made, noodles boiled...I'm ready to assemble

Step 5, assembling the lasagne! If baking right away, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 13x9 inch glass baking dish. Spoon approximately 1 cup of sauce into the baking dish and spread evenly over the bottom. Layer 3 noodles over the sauce, overlapping them slightly, if needed. Spread about 1 1/2 cups of sauce over noodles (use more if needed), then layer 1/3 of the sliced mushrooms over the noodles, then layer 1/3 of the bacon-kale-shallot mixture over the mushrooms.

layering the sauce and two fillings

Three more noodles go next, then about 1 1/2 cups sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, then 1/3 of the bacon-kale-shallot mixture. Repeat with 3 noodles, about 1 1/2 cups sauce, then the remaining mushrooms and remaining bacon-kale-shallot mixture. Top with 3 more noodles and the remaining sauce.

At this point I wrapped my assembled lasagne and refrigerated it overnight.

my assembled lasagne goes into the fridge until the next day

When you are ready to bake the lasagne, sprinkle the 1/2 shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top of the sauce. Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes (or 1 hour, if out of the fridge), until golden brown on top and the sauce is bubbling up. Let stand in a warm place for about 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

baked up hot and ready to enjoy!

Bye for now...
 

Homemade puff pastry becomes...parmesan twists and palmiers

Using the scraps from my homemade puff pastry recipe I made some parmesan cheese twists and palmiers. I should really write it this way, "palmiers," because I just free-handed the shape as opposed to making them the traditional elephant ear shape. I basically just rolled them into circles and they ended up looking like shrimp because the "tail" separated a little during baking.

For the cheese twists, I simply grated some lovely Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, brushed with egg and then pressed the cheese onto the dough, twisted, and put on the pan.

They were both delicious, buttery little snacks. Here are some photos:

a close up of my parmesan cheese twists

my little palmiers look like shrimp...but taste like sugar!

a little egg wash, some parmigiano-reggiano cheese and these are ready to bake

done! smells so good

check out all of the layers inside

just missing a glass of red wine

so yummy

baking up the curly palmiers

caramelized sugar...what could be better!

choices choices choices...which one to try first?

Bye for now...

Spaghetti with garlicy-mushroom sauce

For dinner last night I made some sauteed mushrooms to go over pasta. It was delicious!

Ingredients for the "sauce"
1 Tbls. olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
3 portobello mushrooms, sliced in half and then across into thin slices
8 oz of white button mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 c. red wine
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbls. jarred spaghetti sauce
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated, to taste

In a large frying pan, sautee the garlic in the olive oil over medium-high heat for a minute or so. Add the portobello mushrooms to the pan, then add the button mushrooms. Give everything a good stir so the garlic doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan.

Let the mushrooms cook down slightly, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and spaghetti sauce and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the liquid has reduced and thickened.

cooking down the mushrooms

While the mushrooms are cooking down, cook your pasta. I used whole wheat pasta so it took a bit longer than spaghetti made with white flour.

getting hungry now

While I'm waiting for things to finish, I'll grate some cheese to top off my spaghetti.

hmmm, that may be a bit too much

When the pasta is cooked to the package's directions, drain it and add to the frying pan, mix well with tongs  to coat all of the spaghetti with the sauce. Then plate, add your cheese, and it's dinner time!

delicious!

Bye for now...

Another go at gougères

I'm not sure if I had a dream about them the night before or what, but all day at work on Wednesday I was thinking about gougères. I had to try to make them again. Last month when I made them I overcooked them (I think) and they just didn't hit the spot. These were much better.

Here's the recipe I made up on Wednesday for gougères with Gruyère and scallions. You can substitute chives for scallions - which I think is more traditional - but I thought that the scallions provided a nice, light oniony flavor which goes very well with the cheeses. The directions follow the method used by Chef Delphin in my petit fours class a few weeks ago. It is so much easier and faster to use a stand mixer rather than making the dough on the stovetop.

Ingredients
1 c. water
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
1 tsp. paprika (more or less to taste)
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 c. flour
4 eggs
3 scallions, white and light green parts, roughly minced (about 2 heaping Tbls., more or less to taste)
4-5 Tbls. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely diced
1/4 c. Gruyère cheese, grated

mise en place

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer and attach the paddle.

In a saucepan, combine water, butter, salt, pepper, nutmeg and bring to a rolling boil; make sure butter is completely melted. Stir in the paprika and dijon mustard and remove from heat.

Pour the water mixture into the mixing bowl, all at once, and mix on medium for approximately 1 minute until the dough reaches 155 degrees.

"mashed potato" stage

With the mixer on medium, add 1 egg at a time. The dough will look like it's falling apart, but just be patient, it will be gorgeous in the end.

mixing in the eggs, one at a time

Your dough should look smooth and shiny when it's done. If it is still sticky looking, add one more egg.

beautiful!

Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides, if necessary. Fold in the chives and the diced Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

in goes the scallions and cheese

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle a little of the grated Gruyère cheese onto each puff.

into the oven

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes. Lower temperature to 325 and bake for an additional 15 minutes until they are golden and "dry" looking (a few extra minutes may be needed, depending on how large your puffs are). Try not to open the oven during baking.

hot out of the oven

They are best warm, just out of the oven. I had mine with a little Chianti...delicious!

dinner...yum!

Bye for now...