A little late, but as promised… recipes! The lasagna recipe is modified from one I saw on Giada De Laurentiis’ Everyday Italian. Her version called for a whole lot of cheese and dairy and pancetta. For obvious reasons, my version had to change. The second recipe is one of my own creations for lemon pie. Enjoy!
Asparagus Lasagna
Lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
2 or 3 bunches of asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp olive oil
1 jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 bunch basil
1 tbsp Parmasan cheese, grated
1 container (15oz) light ricotta
1 package of Lightlife’s Smart Bacon (vegan), diced.
salt and pepper
In a food processor, make a pesto out of the sun dried tomatoes (use some of the oil from the jar, but discard most), basil, and Parmesan.
Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until golden.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanche the asparagus pieces, drain, put back in the pot. Add the onion and garlic. Stir in the ricotta, a dash of salt and pepper.
Spread half of the pesto in the bottom of your lasagna dish. Add two tablespoons of water, spread around. Put down one layer of noodles (about 3 noodles). Spread half of the asparagus mixture on top of the noodles. Sprinkle half of the bacon on top. Add a layer of noodles. Spread remaining half of asparagus, then bacon. Add a layer of noodles. Cover top with the remaining pesto. Optional: sprinkle cheese on top. (I didn’t do that.) Bake at 375F until bubbling, about 20 minutes.
The feedback was that we were all rather surprised to be eating “bacon” on Shabbos (myself included), even though we all knew it was a vegan product. The saltiness of the bacon went really well with the asparagus. It’s not a saucy lasagna, but still works.
Lemon Slice Pie
4 lemons
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Using a mandolin, slice the lemons as thin as possible. (Including the rind; try to remove the pips as you spot them.) Put in a bowl; try to include as much of the juice as possible. Add the two sugars and vanilla to the bowl. Cover, refrigerate 24 hours, stirring once or twice.
I ran out of time, so I bought frozen pie shells. Which you can too, or make your own pie shells. You want a top and bottom crust on this pie. If using frozen pie shells, you can use one as the top. Read the instructions on the package for doing this, or ask me if you get stuck.
Put the lemon mixture in the bottom shell, filling it up high. Put the top shell/dough on top. Cut a slit/X in the middle for steam to escape, and seal it with the bottom crust by pressing a fork all the way around. Place the pie on a baking sheet, then bake for 45 minutes as 375F. (Top will look golden and yummy.) (The sheet is needed as excess lemon juice might bubble out.)
Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to help cut the tartness of the pie.
The feedback on the pie was that half thought it was perfectly tart, while a couple thought it was too tart, and a couple thought it wasn’t tart enough. With one exception, everyone liked the texture.
