Mike's back to teaching this week, so I took care of some of my own semester prep while he was at work, and then we used the afternoons to do fun things together. We got to work reviewing some of our wedding vendor proposals and have contracts in the works for both our venue and our photographer! We took a trip to the jeweler's so that I could meet the lovely lady that sold Mike my engagement ring and we could browse around a bit for wedding bands. We put together the new entertainment center that Mike's parents gifted us with and marveled at how it transformed the TV. As Mike put it, "the best way I can describe it is that the TV is now wearing proper-fitting clothes." We took the pooch for a walk on the first sun-drenched afternoon we had. We used a restaurant.com coupon to try out a new sushi restaurant and had a delicious dinner and a show (a customer at another table loudly lectured the waitress and manager about how the food should be prepared and presented, but apparently thought the food was tasty enough because she took it home -- we think she just wanted to knock some dollars off the bill), went to the gym almost every day this week, and took a trip to Central Market so I could get my fix for the world's most delicious long john (seriously, they're so good that I'm wondering if we can have them delivered to our wedding). And we've cooked.
One of our favorite activities as a couple is cooking, and it's been nice to get back into the kitchen after a season of dining our with friends and relatives. Mike is currently cooking up some tofu vindaloo, so I'll have to wait to report on its level of tastiness, but our other two dishes have been huge hits! Hurray for knocking out three Pinterest pins in one week! We'll start with the spinach and mushroom lasagna with pesto. Mike is a firm believer that pesto anything has got to be delicious. Here, the pesto gets mixed into a cream sauce that begins with deliciously sauteed onions, mushrooms, and red bell peppers. The red pepper really helps introduce some crunch and a bite of freshness among the creamier elements. The mushrooms are chopped coarsely so that there's a meaty, textural component to the dish, which is a perfect balance against the creamy spinach ricotta filling. Make it early in the week and enjoy the leftovers for lunch (and maybe dinner, too) for the next few days.
Spinach, Mushroom, and Pesto Lasagna
From The Other Side of Fifty
9 lasagna noodles (we used whole wheat noodles and ended up preparing the whole box- it took 5 noodles to create a layer that would fill our baking dish)
10 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 cups diced onion
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
dash of crushed red pepper flakes
8 ounces of button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups Half & Half
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp basil pesto (we bought some in the Italian aisle at Giant)
12 oz mozzarella cheese (slices work well)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8" x 11 1/2" baking dish with cooking spray.
In a separate baking dish place lasagna noodles and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes while making the sauce.
In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta cheese, garlic powder and egg. Season well with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a large skillet heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions and bell pepper, season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and saute until onions are translucent, 6-7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until mushrooms lose their moisture, another 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute or two. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to combine. Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat for two minutes. Add the milk and half & half, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes until sauce has thickened a bit. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup pesto. Taste to see if salt and pepper are needed.
Drain lasagna noodles.
Spoon 2 tbsp of the pesto on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lay three (or five) noodles on top of the pesto. Top with 1/3 of the basil cream sauce (about 1 1/2 cups) and spread to cover noodles. Dollop 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the sauce, then top the ricotta with 1/3 of the cheese slices. Repeat layers two more times. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place dish in oven. Bake for 25 minutes, uncover, then bake for another 25 minutes, until bubbly and browned. Let dish sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. (Definitely don't rush this last step- it helps keep your lasagna in manageable pieces!)
So go round up your ingredients and enjoy pictures of our walk with a very cute bulldog.
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