Tomato Lasagna

When I make lasagna, there used to be no doubt about what kind of dish it would be. It would have a meaty tomato sauce, ricotta cheese mixed with eggs and Parmesan, and a lot of mozzarella. Sounds good, but sometimes I don't have all of the ingredients in the fridge to whip something up on the spot like that.

Last winter, I was looking through a beautiful cookbook called "Apples for Jam: Recipes for Life" by Tessa Kiros. Ms. Kiros lives in Tuscany with her husband and children and this book is a collection of recipes that she cooks for her family and from her own childhood.

What made me take notice of this recipe was that I had all of the ingredients (maybe not the basil leaves) in the house on a very cold and snowy day. I also thought back to cooking school and the lasagnas that we would make there, all of them with bechamel sauce. I was never too keen on those versions but this recipe sounded so good, I had to give it a try.

I am so glad I did! I have made it several times since, sometimes throwing in an extra ingredient or two. The author recommends trying a few blobs of goat cheese, some dollops of pesto, a little cooked spinach or long slices of grilled zucchini. Try it all its own the first time. On a cold and nasty day, make the lasagna, throw together a nice green salad, pour some wine, and there you have it - comfort food at it's finest. Oh, and the kids will like it too!

Tomato Lasagna

Tomato Sauce:
1/2 c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
1 large can and 1 small can diced tomatoes (totalling around 44 ozs.)
Fresh basil leaves, about 12

Bechamel Sauce:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. all purpose flour
4 c. milk, warmed
Freshly grated nutmeg

About 12 oz. lasagna sheets or a box of dried lasagna noodles
1 c. Parmesan cheese, or to taste

For the tomato sauce, heat the oil and garlic in a large pan. When you begin to smell the garlic, add the tomatoes and a good pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, until it has all merged into a sauce. Add the basil and 1 c. of hot water towards then end of the cooking time. Puree until smooth, minus the garlic if you prefer.

For the bechamel, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then begin adding the warm milk. It will be immediately absorbed, so work quickly, whisking with one hand while adding ladlefuls of milk with the other. When the sauce seems to be smooth and not too stiff, add salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg (or a pinch of ground nutmeg) and continue cooking, even after it comes to the boil, for 5 minutes of so, mixing all the time. It should be a very thick and smooth sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12x8 inch baking dish. Drizzle some bechamel over the bottom of the dish to cover it thinly. Put a slightly overlapping layer of lasagna sheets on top. Dollop a thin layer of tomato sauce over that, spreading it with the back of the ladle. Add about 2 ladlefuls of bechamel in long drizzles and then cover with a sprinkling of Parmesan. Add another layer of lasagna sheets, then tomato, bechamel and Parmesan as before, and then repeat the layers one more time. You should have about 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce and a good amount of bechamel left. Make a final layer of lasagna sheets and cover with all the remaining bechamel. Dollop the tomato sauce here and there and sprinkle with any remaining Parmesan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until it is bubbling and golden on top. Serves 6-8.

* I have used both "ready-cook" pasta sheets and dried lasagna noodles. Whatever you have on hand is fine. Remember to cook the dried pasta noodles until al dente (or to your taste) before you layer them in the lasagna.

* Thanks for the cookbook, Shai!