Verdure Al Forno Food

VERDURE AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Using the 2 T. extra virgin olive oil coat the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.
• Arrange 1/3 of the zucchini slices on the bottom of the dish and season with a little salt and pepper (most likely you will NOT use the full 1 T of each).
• Evenly pour 1/3 of the heavy cream.
• Sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella.
• Sprinkle with 1/3 of the fontina.
• Sprinkle with 2 T of the romano.
• Repeat layers.
• Top with the bread crumbs. (use fine dried).
• Dot the bread crumbs with the unsalted butter.
• To prevent spillage/smoke line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil and place prepared dish on this.
• Bake for 40 minutes until bubbling and top golden brown.
• Allow to stand for 5 minutes before cutting into it.

PASTA AL FORNO

Steps:

• For the sauce: Cover the bottom of a medium saucepan with oil and garlic and cook over medium heat until garlic browns. Add sauce, basil, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
• For the pappardelle pasta: Make a bed of all-purpose flour, then make a well and add eggs. Fold all together, adding in more flour if needed, and knead until a dough ball is formed, then set aside and cover for 30 minutes.
• Run dough through a pasta sheeter to form pappardelle pasta (broad flat noodles).
• For the meatballs: Combine the beef, pork, veal, panko, Parmesan, salt, pepper and eggs in a bowl. Mixture should be on the drier side. If need be, add more panko. Form quarter-size meatballs. Heat a medium frying pan with oil and fry each meatball to a golden brown color.
• For the pasta al forno: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add sauce to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, along with the ricotta. Stir together, then add mozzarella and the meatballs. Let the cheese melt down.
• Meanwhile, drop the pasta into boiling salted water for about 7 minutes. Strain and add to the baking dish. Mix around, then bake in oven for 10 minutes.

VERDURE AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Coat the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish with the oil. Arrange enough of the zucchini slices over the bottom of the dish in a single layer to cover. Sprinkle with one third of the salt and pepper. Pour 1/3 cup of the heavy cream over the zucchini and sprinkle with 1/3 cup each of mozzarella cheese and fontina cheese.
• Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of Pecorino Romano cheese, then with 1/3 cup of bread crumbs. Repeat layering the ingredients two more times. (The vegetables can be assembled 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.) Place the baking dish on the baking sheet and bake uncovered until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 40 minutes. Serve immediately.

BAKED VEGETABLE GRATIN (VERDURE AL FORNO)

Steps:

• Cut the zucchini into 1/2-inch dice; place in a colander; salt, and drain for 20 minutes.
• Cut off any long stems from the spinach.
• Cook spinach with water that clings to the leaves in a pot, along with a little salt just until the spinach wilts; drain and let cool.
• Squeeze out the excess water and coarsely chop.
• Gently saute the onion in 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over low heat for 20 minutes or until the onion is soft and pale gold.
• Meanwhile, pat the zucchini dry with paper towels; add to the onions, and saute for 10 minutes.
• Add the spinach and garlic and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes.
• Turn into a bowl and let cool.
• Combine the vegetables with 1/2 cup Parmesan, eggs, parsley, garbanzo beans, salt, and pepper.
• Lightly oil a shallow, round baking dish; fill dish with the spinach mixture.
• Sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons Parmesan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a golden crust has formed.
• Let cool; serve at room temperature.

LASAGNE VERDI AL FORNO

Steps:

• For the pasta dough: Steam the spinach in a steamer or over boiling water until bright green, 2 minutes. Squeeze to remove excess moisture and process in a food processor to make a paste. Combine spinach with eggs, semolina, and salt and process until smooth. Stir in enough of the flour to make a smooth dough. Knead briefly, cover and set aside.
• For the ragu: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute bacon, carrot, celery and onion until onion is translucent. Stir in ground pork, ground beef and minced ham, and cook until browned. Stir in tomato paste, oregano and beef stock. (Reserve the chicken livers for later.) Season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
• For the bechamel: While the ragu is simmering, combine 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk to make a roux. Remove from heat, let rest one minute, then whisk in warm milk. Return to heat, simmer 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Season with salt and nutmeg. Remove from heat.
• To cook pasta: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. On a floured surface, divide pasta dough into three portions. Roll each portion out to a thin sheet. Have ready an ice water bath. Cook each sheet 3 minutes in the boiling water; remove from the boiling water and dip in the ice water; drain and dry on a clean, dry cloth.
• To finish the ragu: Stir the chicken livers into the simmering sauce. Cook 1 minute, remove from heat and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
• To assemble lasagna: Place one pasta sheet in bottom of prepared baking dish. Spread one-third of the ragu, one-quarter of the bechamel, one-third of the ricotta, and one-quarter of the parmesan over the pasta. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining bechamel and parmesan and dot with butter.
• Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes, until top is golden brown.