Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe with Spinach and Ricotta Filling for a Crowd, using No-Boil Noodles

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe with Spinach and Ricotta Filling

Vegetarian lasagna (aka veggie lasagna) might be a bit of a cliche, but everyone loves it, and it has the great advantages that you can do it ahead for a crowd, and it finishes in the oven, so you can concentrate on your guests.

I make mine without a bechamel sauce, opting for a spinach and ricotta mixture to provide the creaminess. I also prefer it to set up to a fairly firm, sliceable "pie", but if you like a wetter version, you could do the sauce 1.5 x or even double.

The keys to a great veggie lasagna are (1) get all the liquid out of the veggies, (2) get the cheese on top really crispy. You don't want to go too heavy on the vegetables, otherwise you can get a lot of weeping and/or unpleasant crunchiness. For this version, the only thing I added besides the spinach was some sauteed cauliflower. If you'd like more vegetables but no weeping liquid, check out this summer squash and portobello mushroom lasagna variation.

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This was the first time that I've tried the no-boil lasagna noodles. They are pretty much just standard noodles except rolled thinner, so that they simply cook in the sauce while the lasagna bakes. I would say they are 87.3% as good as traditional. Perhaps a slight pastiness, but quite acceptable. They need more sauce to ensure proper moistening. If you want to use regular noodles, just boil them first according to package directions and reduce the tomato sauce more (or use less of it).

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe with Spinach and Ricotta Filling
Serves at least 8
Vegetarian; not vegan or gluten-free

• 1 plastic produce bag stuffed tightly full of spinach (preferably not baby spinach)
• 1 lb. ricotta
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 head cauliflower florets and some stem, cut small
• 2 large (28 oz.) cans plain tomato sauce
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1.5 pounds no-boil lasagna noodles (or regular lasagna noodles, par-boiled)
  
• salt, pepper to taste
• 1 lb. grated mozzarella
• 4 oz. grated parmesan cheese

1. Clean the spinach well and wilt it, cool, squeeze out all water, stir it into the ricotta along with the nutmeg. Salt and pepper to taste, then beat in the eggs.
2. Saute the onion & garlic  in a good amount of olive oil, add the cauliflower and saute 5 minutes, add the tomato sauce and lemon zest, simmer 5 minutes, salt to taste
3. Oil an 11" x 13" pan (at least 2" deep). Build up layers of noodles, sauce, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Be sure to get the noodles quite wet since they are the no-boil type and need plenty of moisture. You'll have about 4 layers total. I do sauce on every layer, but ricotta on some and mozzarella on others. Do what you feel.
   
4. Finish with a heavy layer of mozzarella and the parm, mixed together.
5. Bake at 375 F., covering with tin foil part of the time if needed to avoid overbrowning. It is done when internal temp is say 170 F. (check a few spots) or when you can easily pierce the noodles with a fork, and the sauce is bubbling around the sides.
6. If the cheese isn't crispy and brown enough, finish judiciously with the broiler.
7. Allow to rest at least 15 minutes before serving so it has time to set up a bit.

How To Make Crispy, Delicious Latkes (Jewish Potato Pancakes, Traditional for Hannukah) - Recipe

Now that's a crispy latke!

Let me apologize immediately for the poor photography, but I have a very good excuse. I wanted to get myself on the outside of those latkes immediately, and you should actually be amazed that I stopped to take a picture at all.

I'm a latke purist. Please do not darken my digital doorstep with tales of pumpkin-chipotle latkes or Thai-spice latkes. For me, a latke should contain: Russet potato, onion, egg, salt, flour, and be fried in a decent amount of oil, and then be served with applesauce and sour cream, and more salt.

By the way, and I'm not the only one who thinks so, the closest thing in civilian life to a good latke is an order of scattered and smothered hash browns at Waffle House. Ask for them well done.

[Sidebar to the latke uninitiated: this is terrible! You must have latkes immediately! You are missing one of the world's great foods. There are still 3 nights of Hannukah left, so call a Jewish friend and beg them to make latkes for you. Or follow the recipe below anytime.]

We want them to be as crispy as possible, and preferably served fresh from the frying pan. So the ideal way to do that is make them for say 4 people, or make them for a crowd but serve them standing up, spatulating direct to the diner's plate. If that isn't possible, the next best thing is to fry as many at a time as possible, keep them on a baking sheet, and quickly re-crisp at 400 degrees.

The key to good latke making is to extract as much water from the potatoes as possible. The optimum way to do that is to wrap the grated potatoes in cheesecloth or a clean towel, a couple handfuls at a time, and wring the heck out of them. Get a little mad and get every drop out. Otherwise they will spit water at you from the frying pan and come out mushy. A distant second choice is to squeeze them in a colander.

This year I cribbed a new grating technique from Smitten Kitchen (and generally followed her ratios too), but you can also use a box grater and do it by hand if you don't mind a little workout. The texture of the food processor grated ones is a little different and I think I prefer it. The grating must be done not long before frying or the potatoes will oxidize to an unappetizing black. If you must grate them early, try putting plastic wrap tightly down on the surface and refrigerating.

Whatever else you have with a latke meal should be considered merely a formality, since inevitably everyone will stuff themselves on the cakes. I've provided the recipe in terms of ratio to a pound of potato. For my family, you need about 3/4 pound per person.

Crispy, Delicious Latkes
Vegetarian; not vegan or gluten-free
Multiply as needed to use 3/4 pound potato per person as main course or half that as an appetizer (unimaginable, but just in case)

• 1 pound Russet potato, peeled
• 1/4 pound onion, preferably white but yellow is ok
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1.5 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper (optional)
• vegetable oil for frying

1. In a food processor or on a box grater, grate the potato and onion and mix together. Working a handful or two at a time, wrap the mixture in a double layer of cheesecloth or a clean hand towel and wring the liquid out of them. Hard. Go to town. Get them as dry as possible. Really. This makes a huge difference.
2. Stir in the eggs, flour, salt, and pepper. If you aren't worried about eating raw egg, taste a little bit and see if you have enough salt.
3. In a large skillet, heat about 1/8 inch of oil over a medium high flame. (If you are feeling your oats, you can use two or more large skillets at once). A bit of potato thrown in should immediately sizzle, but the oil shouldn't be smoking. (You can use less oil, but they will be less delicious).
4. Depending on what size you like your latkes, grab about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of potato, and add it to the oil. Immediately flatten to about 1/3 inch. You don't want much thickness because the inside has to cook before the outside burns. Form the rest of the latkes the same way.
5. When the first side is a dark, deep brown (see picture above), flip and continue cooking. When both sides are done, remove to a plate lined with paper towel. Sprinkle on a bit more salt.
6. Be sure and taste one of the first ones to make sure it is cooked through. If not, reduce the heat a bit or make the next batch thinner.
7. Try not to eat all of them yourself.
8. Serve with applesauce and sour cream on the side.

Challah Me... Why Not Take Challah Me

Cleverly braided challah

The year draws towards a close with lots of family coming and going, and Hannukah to celebrate. There have been latkes and more to come, but I haven't baked challah in a while. The snowy streets gave us a good reason to make our own instead of buying from one of Seattle's excellent bakeries.

I hope to publish a recipe of my own at some point, but for now I can't do better than to point you to this fine one from the New York Times via I Like To Cook.

The best thing I learned from it was this clever braid, for those of us far too dexterity challenged to do a 6-strand braid ourselves. The trick is simply to divide the dough into two parts, one twice as large as the other. Then divide each part into three ropes, makes a normal three-strand braid, and stack the smaller one on top of the larger. It bakes into this somewhat snazzy looking loaf you see above. I could do even better; this one involved some 3-year-old "assistance".

A couple of tips on that recipe: the saffron adds a bit of extra yellow color but you could easily omit it. I'm thinking they didn't use a lot of saffron in the shtetls. For my taste, I'd increase the sugar just a bit. Also, unlike many breads that enjoy retarding the dough in the refrigerator overnight, that didn't benefit this challah. Next time I'd follow the recommended rises, and be sure to proof the yeast. 

Happy holidays everybody!