How lovely it is to spend a rainy afternoon preparing an Italian meal to share with those you love. Karen Schneider / For The Forecaster
Cooking is a favorite pastime of mine on a rainy afternoon, so after stocking up on seasonal bounty I recently made an Italian feast!
I began by preparing caponata, an easy, flavorful appetizer containing juicy tomatoes, a shiny eggplant and pantry items that include anchovies and capers. This delicious concoction can be whirred to complete smoothness with a food processor, but I prefer to make it more on the chunky side.
Karen Schneider cooks and writes in the village of Cundys Harbor. You can reach her at iwrite33@comcast.net.
For the lasagna, use your own homemade sauce if you have it, but a high-quality jarred variety is yummy, too. The same goes for the pesto; homemade is always better.
As an aside, for my most recent batch of pesto, I used basil, kale and parsley, then added walnuts, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil and a little water and whirled it up in the food processor. I didn’t measure anything, but it turned out great and was just right for this lasagna.
I use uncooked pasta for this recipe, adding a little hot water to the pan before covering it tightly with foil. Check the lasagna two or three times, adding more dribbles of water if necessary. However, if you would rather, use “no-boil” pasta or parboil it before you start layering.
This is the time of year when I’m looking for ways to use the peaches my daughters bring me from their trees, and this amaretto-laced crisp is a winner. Any ripe, juicy stone fruit will work and you’ll soon discover your own favorite pairing (mine is peaches with blackberries). Any combination you choose is delicious. Adjust the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of your fruit, and if you want to add an extra splash of amaretto on that dab of mascarpone topping, do it!
Caponata
1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced
Salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 stick celery, diced
3 tomatoes, chopped
3 anchovies, diced
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1 tablespoon capers
1/3 cup black olives, chopped (optional)
Romaine leaves
Baguette slices
Sprinkle eggplant with salt and allow to drain in a colander for 30 minutes. Heat a heavy skillet and add olive oil. Sauté onion, celery and eggplant until soft. Add tomatoes, anchovies, sugar, wine vinegar, capers and olives. Simmer for 10 minutes. Cool and store overnight in the refrigerator. Serve with whole romaine leaves and toasted baguette slices. Yield: 2-3 cups
Veggie Lasagna Supreme
4-5 cups premium tomato pasta sauce
Olive oil
1 (15-ounce) carton ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups Parmesan, shredded and divided
2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
1 egg
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
1 cup pesto
8 ounces fresh spinach (julienned) or frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium zucchini, very thinly sliced
1 package dry lasagna noodles
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour enough olive oil into a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish to cover the bottom and brush on the sides. Add a layer of sauce and stir in a tablespoon of water.
Mix ricotta cheese, 1 cup Parmesan, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, egg, onion, pesto and spinach.
Layer lasagna noodles and zucchini with the cheese mixture and sauce, making sure the pasta is completely covered with sauce. Finish with a layer of sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 45-60 minutes or until lasagna noodles and zucchini are cooked, checking occasionally and adding hot water a little at a time if needed.
Remove foil and top lasagna with remainder of Parmesan and mozzarella. Bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes. Allow to rest at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Yield: 10 servings
Stone Fruit & Berry Crisp
Topping
1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, diced
1 cup crushed amaretti cookies
3/4 cup sliced almonds
Filling
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour
3 pounds plums, nectarines, apricots or peaches (peeled), pitted and sliced
8 ounces blueberries, blackberries or raspberries
3 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
For topping, stir flour and sugar together in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or your fingers until clumps form. Mix in cookie crumbs and almonds.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish. Stir together flour and sugar in a bowl. Add fruit and toss to combine, then stir in the amaretto.
Spoon the fruit mixture into the baking dish then sprinkle with topping. Bake until fruit is tender and topping is golden, about 45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and serve in dessert bowls topped with mascarpone. Yield: 8-10 servings
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