Thursday, November 13, 2008

{Per favore, assagi e vedi che e buono}

That's Italian for "Please, taste and see that it is good."
Translation courtesy of my brother who lived in Italy for a year. :)

I made a dish over the weekend that I was so pleased with.
I love when I make something for the first time, and it
turns out!
Not only does it feel like time well spent, but
it makes me feel good about trying new things the next time.

Spinach and Prosciutto Lasagna
Serves 4 - Prep time, 20 minutes
Note: It's important to squeeze the thawed
spinach dry, or the lasagna may be watery.



2 pkgs. (10 oz. each) frozen chopped spinach,
thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 c. part-skim ricotta
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
coase salt and ground pepper
2 1/2 cups jarred tomato sauce
4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
6 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (4 oz.)

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Make filling:
In a medium bowl, stir together spinach, ricotta,
garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper;
set aside. In another medium bowl, stir together
tomato sauce and prosciutto.

In an 8-inch square baking dish, spread 1/4 cup
tomato sauce. Layer 2 noodles, 1/3 filling and
1/3 remaining tomato sauce; repeat twice. Top with
mozzarella. Bake until browned. 35 to 40 minutes.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

NOTE: When I make this again, I will do 1/2 or 3/4
of the prosciutto and add some seasoned ground
turkey, just because from a meat perspective,
I like turkey better. Also, I think I'd double
the batch, make two 8x8 pans and freeze one for
later.


***********************

While you have the oven on, this is also a great
time to make roasted garlic. It's so easy to do,
but since it takes an hour to cook, I only do it
when the oven in already on for something else.


To prepare, simply
* slice the top off a head of garlic (the side opposite the root)
* put in a small baking dish
* drizzle with a good amount of olive oil
* add salt and pepper
* shake garlic around in the pan to coat
* cover with aluminum foil
Bake on 350 for an hour. If you're opening
the oven for other things, add some baking time.

When they're done, they look like this.

Put it in a little bowl with a serving knife.
Those cloves will just pop right out and
the sweet, roasted garlic will spread like
soft butter on warm, crusty baked bread.
Unless you hate garlic, YOU'LL LOVE IT!

3 comments:

Kristi @ Mi Vida Ocupada said...

I have been craving Italian like a mad-woman lately, these recipes both sound awesome! Thanks for sharing :)

Lis said...

okay I have a questions about this... ive been known to eat LOTS of garlic and my husband says im also known to smell like ive eaten LOTS of garlic for at least the following 3 days after eating it. This is a LOT of garlic... but its roasted so does that help with not SMELLING like it after you eat it? I love garlic! MMMMM! Have you ever had pickled garlic? Ive been banned from eating it to remain married. SO YUMMY THOUGH! =)

Samara Link said...

Melissa, you're hilarious. I am also a huge garlic fan. Fortunately for me, so is David.

I haven't ever tried pickled garlic. Sounds interesting. As for the roasted garlic -- yes! Roasting it like this makes it sweet and soft. The flavor is actually really different then if you minced or chopped it and added it to food. I don't feel garlicy after I eat it at all. Then again, I have a high tolerance for garlic. :)