Lasagne with Artichokes and Mushrooms

As I promised on my last post, here is the recipe for the lasagne with artichokes and mushrooms that I cooked on Saturday, for a potluck dinner.
This is the perfect vegetarian dish to prepare for guests. It's an easy recipe to follow, but surely it's not as quick as most of my other dinner preparations.  Well worth the effort, though!! You will definitely impress your guests with this tasty and sophisticated Italian dish.
Please note, you can prepare the lasagne in advance, up to the day before and store it in the refrigerator (before or after baking). Just bake or reheat in the oven before dinner time.
And lasagna leftovers are my favorite!


Ingredients for a 13.5 x 9 inches baking pan, serving 9 to 12:        Printable recipe

• 18 oz of frozen artichoke hearts (I like the one at Trader Joe's , 1 and 1/2 packages)
• 20 oz sliced mushrooms (I used the pre-cleaned crimini mushrooms from Trader Joe's - 2 packages)
• one onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 8 oz fontina cheese (or other mild cheese)
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
• about 2 oz of Parmesan cheese
• 9 oz oven-ready lasagne (about one package). I like the Barilla lasagne. Please make sure you have an extra package just in case. To finish my lasagna I ended up needing two extra sheets of pasta!
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt

For the Besciamella Sauce:

• 5 cups of milk
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
• about 3/4 of a tablespoon of salt

Preparation time: About 1 and a half hours.

Directions:
Step 1: Saute' the chopped onion in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Step 2: Rinse the artichokes under running water for a minute in a colander. Slice them in smaller pieces. Add to the skillet with the onions. Season with salt, and cook for about 10 minutes.

Step 3: While the artichokes cook, let start working on the mushrooms. Wash the mushrooms and slice in smaller pieces. I know these were pre-washed, but I feel better if I wash them myself!

Step 4: In a medium size saucepan, saute' the crushed  garlic with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper if you like.

Step 5: Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, add  the chopped parsley, and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Remove the garlic at the end. Don't forget to check on the artichokes!

Step 6: Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the besciamella sauce following this recipe.

Step 7: Cut the cheeses in small cubes or pieces.

Step 8: When all the ingredients (artichokes, mushrooms and besciamella) are ready, you can start assembling everything together:

My baking dish is 13.5x9 inches (inside measurements!).
Pour a couple of tablespoons of besciamella at the bottom and spread, so that the pasta will not stick to the bottom.

Top with sheets of lasagne to cover it all. As you can see from the picture, you can simply break the sheets with your hands to make it fit. 

                                            

Top with about 1/4 of the artichokes and 1/4 or the mushrooms.

                                            

Top with maybe 1/5 of the besciamella. I'm not saying  1/4 only because you need a little extra besciamella for the top layer.

                                            

Top with 1/4 of the fontina and mozzarella cheese.

                                            

Cover with sheets of lasagne. And repeat all the layers three more times.

                                            

The last layer should have lots of besciamella to cover everything. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top of everything.

                                            

Step 9: Cover with foil and place in oven for about 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5 minutes to lightly brown the cheese on top. 

Let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Buon Appetito!

Penne with Asparagus and Fresh Tomatoes

How was your weekend?
Mine started with a busy and extremely fun Saturday: my boys' soccer games in the morning (always entertaining and exciting!); cooking a yummy vegetarian lasagna to bring to a potluck dinner party; and then, the party at my neighbors' house. The dinner was so much fun, and I got the chance to meet some really nice families from my neighborhood, that I hadn't met before.
Thank you Heather for the amazing evening! And as I promised, I will share the lasagna recipe ... but not today.
Today, I am going to show you what I prepared on Sunday morning, for my family picnic at the beach. As you might know by now, I love laying on the sand, relaxing and reading, while my three guys run around and play... and yes, sometimes I do join in the games too! The best part for me though, is when we all sit together on the blanket, and enjoy a healthy meal, looking out for dolphins and listening to the soothing sound of the waves.
I have several ideas for picnics or potlucks. Here is an easy and super healthy pasta with asparagus and fresh tomatoes. As most of my recipes, this is quick and requires only few, simple ingredients. And as in all of these recipes, it's important to have good quality products. Asparagus are normally always tasty, no matter where I buy them. But the tomatoes are different: many times they have no flavor at all. So please, make sure that you find savory tomatoes. This will make your pasta not only good, but delicious!
Note: I always cook a little extra that I will refrigerate, and give to the kids for lunch on Monday. No need to warm it up! Perfect, right?

Here are the details:


Ingredients:

• one bunch of asparagus, about 14 oz
• 14 oz of tomatoes on the vine
• 1/2 small onion
• 3-4 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
• extra virgin olive oil
• 12 oz of penne, or other short pasta
• salt 

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Directions:

Step 1: Bring to boil a small pot (for the asparagus) and a large pot (for the pasta) of salted water. Snap the end parts of the asparagus with your hands, as low to the bottom as you can. This will remove the fibrous part of the stalk which is too tough to eat. Wash the asparagus and cut in pieces. When the water boils cook for the asparagus for about 8 minutes, depending on thickness, until tender.

Step 2: In a separate skillet, saute' the chopped onion. Drain the asparagus when ready, and add to the skillet. Let saute' for a few more minutes. Salt to taste if necessary.

Step 3: While you wait for the pasta to cook, wash and cut the tomatoes in small cubes. Place in a large bowl, with a little bit of salt and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.

Step 4: Drain the pasta. And if, like me, you are planning to take the pasta with you in for a picnic, run the pasta under cold water right after draining it for a minute. This will prevent the pasta from overcooking. Add to the tomatoes and top with the asparagus. Mix well, sprinkling with Parmesan cheese.

Buon Appetito!

Fruit Tart - Crostata alla Frutta

Happy Friday!
I would like to start the weekend with something delicious to satisfy your  - and my! - sweet cravings.
I will show you how to prepare this custard filled fruit tart, or as we call it in Italy: crostata di frutta.
It's definitely one of my favorite dessert, to prepare and definitely eat! I baked it many times, and it's always a big hit.
I generally prepare the crust and the crema pasticcera (custard cream) ahead of time, so it has time to cool down. And I decorate the tart at the last minute, so the fruit looks beautiful and fresh.
I love to use berries on top. I bought organic strawberries, raspberries and blackberries at the local farmers market. Unfortunately there were no blueberries available, otherwise I would have used them for sure. You can also explore alternatives and try other types of fruit. Please note that some doesn't work very well, like bananas or apples, unless you use lemon juice to avoid the change in color. But it might get messy anyways, so I suggest to avoid this fruit.

Ready to find out how to make this intensely fruity, perfectly creamy and so enticing fruit tart?
Here is what you'll need.


Ingredients:
For the crust:

• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter softened (or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

For the crema pasticcera (custard cream):

•  8 fl oz of milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

For the toppings: 

• about 6 oz of blackberries and/or blueberries
• about 6 oz of raspberries
• about 16 oz of strawberries

Directions:

Start by preparing the cream, so that there will be time for it to cool down.

Step 1: In a small pan, warm up the milk almost to a boil. In another medium size pan, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, vanilla and flour until smooth and fluffy. Make sure there are no lumps.

Step 2: Add a little bit of  the warm milk to the egg mixture, whisking well so that no lumps form. Whisk in the rest of the milk.

Step 3: Place the pan over medium heat and stir continuously until it reaches a slow boil. The cream will thicken, so be careful not to let it stick to the bottom. Lower the flame and cook for only two more minutes. Pour the cream in a glass bowl and let it cool down. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Now, let's start working on the crust.

Step 4: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combines the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract, milk and salt. Blend well.

 Step 5: Add the butter and mix well again.

Step 6: Blend in the flour, one cup at the time. 

                                        

                                        

 Step 7: Grease an 11 inch tart pan with butter and flour. Press the dough to the bottom of the pan with a spoon or your hand (palm or fingers). Sprinkle the top with a little bit of flour if the dough sticks to your hand. Make it as flat as possible. Work with your thumb around the edge to make it even, removing any extra dough. Prick the dough with a fork.

 Step 8: Bake the crust in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, until slightly golden on the edges.

Step 9:  Let the crust cool down completely. If I'm making this tart for supper, I generally prepare the crust and cream after lunch, and  I decorate it before dinner.
Pour the cream on the crust and, with the help of a spoon, spread it around evenly.

 Step 10: Now the fun part!! I like to start from the edges working my way to the middle. I cut the bigger strawberries in half and placed them in a large circle (pointing in). Then, I cut some of the smaller strawberries in half and made a second circle (pointing out).

Step 11: Last, I covered the middle with lots of blackberries and raspberries (and blueberries, when I have them!). You can have as many or as little as you like!

 Looks good, right?

Enjoy!