Portuguese Lasagna Food

MARIA'S PORTUGUESE BACALAU

Steps:

• Soak the dried salted cod in cold water for 24 hours, changing the water several times.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the soaked cod, and boil for about 5 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove cod from water, and save water for cooking potatoes. Remove skin and bones from the cod, and flake the meat into pieces using a fork. Set fish aside in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tablespoon of parsley, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Pour over the fish, and toss lightly to coat.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the potatoes into the fish water, and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain under cool water, peel and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
• While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, and saute until golden and caramelized. Stir one clove of garlic into the onions. Set aside.
• Layer half of the potato slices in the bottom of a greased 8x11 inch baking dish. Cover with half of the cod, then half of the onions. Repeat layers, ending with onion.
• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Before serving, garnish the top with green and black olives, and hard-cooked eggs. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

SLOW COOKER LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic until brown. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, and oregano and stir until well incorporated. Cook until heated through.
• In a large bowl mix together the cottage cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, and shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Spoon a layer of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the slow cooker. Add a double layer of the uncooked lasagna noodles. Break to fit noodles into slow cooker. Top noodles with a portion of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layering of sauce, noodles, and cheese until all the ingredients are used.
• Cover, and cook on LOW setting for 4 to 6 hours.

PORTUGUESE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Spray 13x9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Bring water, oil and salt to a boil in large saucepan. Slowly whisk in cornmeal until it begins to thicken. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes or until very thick. Stir in 1/4 cup of the cilantro. Pour into baking dish; let stand until firm.
• Cook beef and onion in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes or until beef is no longer pink and onion is tender. Drain.
• Invert dish with cornmeal onto countertop. With piece of kitchen string or unflavored dental floss longer than dish, cut in half horizontally to form 2 layers.
• Spoon small amount of the marinara sauce over bottom of dish. With two spatulas, place 1 layer of cornmeal in dish. Combine half of the remaining marinara sauce with ground beef mixture; spread over cornmeal layer. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese; top with half of the mushrooms. Top with remaining cornmeal layer. Spread with remaining marinara sauce; repeat layering of cheese and mushrooms.
• Heat oven to 350°F Bake lasagna, covered, 45 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cilantro just before serving.

STUFFED LASAGNA PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles until pliable but still very al dente, about 3 minutes less than the package cooking time. Drain, but do not rinse. (The starch from the noodles will help them stick to the sides of the pan.) Spread on a baking sheet. Cut 4 of the noodles crosswise into thirds.
• Toss the breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons Parmesan together in a small bowl. Spray a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray. Coat with the Parmesan breadcrumbs, tapping out the excess.
• Combine the garlic, carrot, celery and onion in a food processor or mini food processor and process to a paste.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Prick each sausage with a fork and cook until browned, 5 to 6 minutes; remove and set aside. Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and crumble in the beef and pork. Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the aromatic paste from the food processor. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it dries out, about 3 minutes. Make a space in the middle of the pan and add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring the tomato paste until it darkens a shade or two, about 2 minutes, then stir into the meat. Season with the oregano, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the white wine and cook until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup water and simmer rapidly until very thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Combine the ricotta, egg, basil, parsley and 1/2 cup Parmesan in a medium bowl.
• Line the prepared pan with the whole lasagna noodles, overlapping slightly. Spread about half of the meat sauce in the bottom of the pan on top of the noodles. Nestle the sausages into the meat sauce, pressing down to submerge them about halfway. Top with a third of the sliced mozzarella, breaking the slices to fit. Top with half of the cut noodle pieces and press down gently. Spread the ricotta mixture over the noodles and top with another third of the mozzarella. Top with the remaining cut noodles and press again. Spread over the remaining meat sauce and top with the remaining mozzarella. Fold over the noodles used to line the pan to encase the filling and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Cover the timpano with foil and bake until heated through, 30 to 35 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is crisp and golden-brown, about 30 minutes more. Let rest 45 minutes to 1 hour before unmolding. Run an offset spatula or butter knife around the edges of the pan to ensure it can be removed with ease. Unmold the lasagna by inverting it onto a serving platter. Arrange the basil sprigs in the middle. Slice with a serrated knife and serve with the marinara on the side.

PORTUGUESE SAUSAGE AND BEAN STEW

Steps:

• If using dried beans, add the beans to a large bowl, cover by 2 inches with cold water and let soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Drain and set aside. If using canned beans, drain and rinse.
• Add the bacon, if using, to a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and cook until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon and set aside. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat and return the skillet to the stovetop. Add the sausage and cook until browned. With a slotted spoon, remove the sausage to a bowl and reserve.
• Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet and return to the stove over medium heat. When the fat shimmers, add the onion and garlic, stir to coat in fat, and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the potatoes and stir to coat in the tomato paste. Add the beans, chorizo, and all remaining ingredients, except the bacon, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the flavors have melded and the dried beans are cooked through, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Crumble the bacon into beans, and season with additional salt, if needed. Remove the bay leaf, transfer the beans to a serving bowl and serve.