Cheesy Ham Hock Spinach Ricotta Lasagne Food

CHEESY HAM HOCK, SPINACH & RICOTTA LASAGNE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a pan until foaming, then stir in the flour to make a paste. Cook for 2 mins. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the milk. Add the bay leaf, return to the heat, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 4-5 mins, whisking continuously until thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk in 50g parmesan, the mustard and cayenne pepper. Season to taste.
• Put the spinach in a large pan with 50ml boiling water, cover and leave for 2-3 mins to wilt. Drain and leave to cool. Put the spinach in a clean tea towel and squeeze out any excess water. Transfer to a food processor and pulse to roughly chop, then add the ricotta and pulse again to combine. Grate in some nutmeg, then season.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce, then spoon a quarter into the bottom of a 24 x 28cm baking dish. Top with a third of the ricotta and spinach mixture, a third of the ham, then 4 lasagne sheets (overlap them slightly if needed). Repeat with the remaining ingredients, finishing with a layer of sauce. Top with the remaining parmesan and the mozzarella. Bake for 45-50 mins or until golden, covering halfway through if it's starting to brown.

HAM 'N' CHEESE LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, celery, carrots and onion in oil for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add ham and garlic; cook 1-2 minutes longer or until garlic is tender. In a small bowl, combine the flour and cream; stir into ham mixture. Add tomatoes and pepper., Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until heated through (sauce will be thin). , In a small bowl, combine the cheeses. Place three noodles in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; top with a third of the sauce and a third of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice., Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand for 20 minutes before cutting.

CHEESY SPINACH LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine spinach, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, Italian herb seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper in medium bowl. Stir in mushrooms. Set aside. Grease a 13 x 9-inch pan. Line with a single layer of lasagna noodles. Top with half of spinach/cheese mixture. Pour half of spaghetti sauce over all. Repeat. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese over the top. Cover with foil. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting for easy serving.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA LASAGNE

Steps:

• Make the filling: Drain the ricotta in a fine sieve set over a bowl for 1 hour (or longer if the ricotta is very wet). If using fresh spinach, stem and rinse it well (don't dry the leaves). In a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat, cook the spinach until wilted (3 to 5 minutes). Drain well and squeee out excess moisture and chop finely. If using thawed frozen spinach, squeeze it dry.
• Melt the butter in a 10 inch or 12 inch skillet over medim-low heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the spinach and toss it for 1 to 2 minutes to coat it with the butter. Transfer the spinach mixture to a bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Add the ricotta, Parmigiano, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix well. You should have about 4 1/2 cups.
• Cook the noodles: If using dried lasagna noodles instead of fresh use 1 lb and skip these cooking instructions--cook according to package instructions. If cooking fresh: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Slip the noodles, 2 or 3 at a time, into the boiling water and cook them until they're tender and pale (3 to 5 minutes). Thinner noodles will cook more frequently. To make sure they're done, taste a small piece. If it's still tough, it needs a little more cooking (fresh pasta should not be cooked al dente like dried pasta). Carefully scoop the noodles out of the pot with a large wire skimmer and slide them into the ice water to stop the cooking. When they're cool, layer them between clean dish towels until you're ready to assemble the lasagna (the noodles will keep this way for up to 2 hours).
• Make the Quick Tomato Sauce: In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion, parsley, basil, a generous pinch of salt, and a couple grinds of pepper. Cook until the vegetables are pale gold (10 to 12 minutes). Add the wine and cook until it evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, stir well, and simmer gently to blend the flavors and reduce the sauce to about 4 1/2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes (adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer). Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you want a smoother texture, pass the sauce through a food mill or puree in a food processor.
• Make the Basic Cream Sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let the mixture brown. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and bring just to a simmer, whisking frequently. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often, until the sauce has thickened to a creamy, gravy-like consistency and no longer tastes of raw flour, 6 to 8 minutes for a single batch, 10 to 12 minutes for a double batch (you only need 1 batch for this recipe). Remove from the heat and whisk in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. If you don't use this sauce within 30 minutes it will thicken. Add a little warm milk and whisk to the sauce to thin it if necessary.
• Assemble the lasagna: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350. Choose a 9x12x3 inch baking dish or 10x14x2 inch baking dish. Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in a sparse layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the sauce with a slightly overlapping layer of cooked noodles, cutting them as needed to fill the gaps. With a spatula, spread one third of the spinach and ricotta filling (about 1 1/2 cups) over the first layer of noodles. Then spread one third of the remaining tomato sauce (about 1 1/3 cups) and one third (1/2 cup) of the cream sauce over the filling. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the Parmigiano on top. Add a new layer of noodles, overlapping them slightly, and repeat the layers as instructed above, using all of the filling and ending with the Parmigiano, to make a total of 3 layers (you may not need all the pasta). Dot the top with the butter cubes.
• Put the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake until heated through and bubbling at the edges, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

SPINACH AND HAM LASAGNE

Steps:

• Cook lasagne noodles in boiling and salted water for 10-12 minutes, until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Meanwhile, cook spinach; drain.
• For sauce, in a medium saucepan combine milk, cornstarch, and onion. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more.
• Spread 2 tablespoons sauce on the bottom of a 10x6x2 inch baking dish. Stir ham and italian seasoning into remaining sauce.
• Arrange 3 lasagne noodles in the dish. Spread 1/3 of the sauce. Layer spinach atop. Layer another 1/3 of the sauce, the ricotta, and half of the mozzarella. Place remaining noodles atop. Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand ten minutes before serving.