A Di(sh)patch Apologizing to September {and everything lasagna}

Two farmers markets yielded an abundance of produce. Read about it here or scroll down for my lasagna recipe.

I owe an apology to the month of September. You see, I've been lamenting the end of summer and whining about saying goodbye to field tomatoes, peaches, and all of summer's other wonderful produce. Forgive me, September.

You see, the tomatoes and peaches are still hanging on. But, what's more, I have to admit that September is currently winning the prize for offering the best of everything. Melons and raspberries are still around, and apples and gourds have arrived. Dried garlic is being sold by several vendors and the cool air has brought a variety of crisp lettuces back to market. Basically, September has responded to my whining by waving her sassy hand (and abundant produce) in my face and saying, "So there!"

I apologize. Really. My first act of contrition was this Wednesday when I went to the Fresh Farms Foggy Bottom Farmers Market. What should I find there?

A gorgeous variety of eggplants from Sunnyside Farms

And more eggplants at Quaker Valley Orchards farm stand. I couldn't resist the little orange ones.

Turkish Turban and Calabash Squash

And apples, of course.

I came home with a bag full of colorful variety. Perhaps the most amazing purchase was a bunch of basil. By the time I had decided to pay for my goods at Sunnyside Farm & Orchards, my hands were full. I asked them to add a bunch of basil to my bundle. I had been thinking I would receive about a quarter of what was actually handed to me: an enormous bunch of purple and green basil. This basil yielded 6-7 cups of fresh leaves for what else? Pesto. Oh, and bruschetta. Unfortunately, I used all that basil up before thinking about my camera. And that pesto?

 

Most of it is frozen into tiny zip-lock bags for winter retrieval when I'm craving that fresh basil flavor.

Score thus far = September: 1. Tiffany's complaints and whining: 0.

The second act of contrition: Saturday and the Old Town Alexandria Farmer's Market

Did you notice the picture at the beginning of this post? The endless sea of tomatoes, peppers, and green beans? That is what greeted me at Bigg Riggs Farm on Saturday at the Old Town farmer's market.

 

And then these September multi-colored peppers laughed in my face (I happened to purchase a bag full of these for roasting). I've been informed that these will be available until the first freeze.

 

Fall?

 

Summer?

Okay, September, you win.

I also picked up some sausage from Babes in the Wood, some fresh mozzarella and ricotta cheese from Blue Ridge Dairy, and a gorgeous large container of fresh lettuce from Spring Valley Farm & Orchards. This lettuce is so delicious looking that one shopper passing by caught a single glimpse at my basket and got in line herself to purchase a large bin of the luscious greens.

simple and delicious salad

I came home with a great abundance of fruits, vegetables, meat, and cheese. Given the combination, it seemed that an "everything" lasagna was in order.

Before I divulge my recipe, let me share a few things I've learned about lasagna over the years.

1. Lasagna is time consuming, but it takes just as much time to make one as two. Since lasagna freezes well, it's a great idea to make extra for when you need easy and delicious leftovers.
2. The noodles: lasagna noodles can get really overcooked. I only boil mine for about 2-3 minutes, just so they soften a bit. They always finish cooking to perfection in the oven. 
3. The sauce: I like to make a lot of sauce with a variety of vegetables. Onion and garlic are always a must, but some optional additions include zucchini, squash, eggplant, peppers, carrots, and celery. For the inside layers, I keep the sauce chunky. The other half of the sauce (for the top and bottom) is pureed until smooth. I often find that the amount of sauce called for in most recipes is simply not enough, so I always make a little extra.
4. The Meat: If I am making lasagna with meat, I like to use two types of meat: Italian sausage and ground beef.
5. Cheese: Use both Parmesan and mozzarella, and use a lot.
6. The ricotta cheese mixture: I am typically not a fan of ricotta, but the ricotta I bought from Blue Ridge Dairy this weekend was so tasty that I could eat a spoonful of it without any seasoning. Though I usually don't put a lot of ricotta in my lasagnas, I used an entire container for this recipe. If available, basil pesto makes a nice addition to the ricotta mixture.

Everything Lasagna

• 1 package of lasagna noodles
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 orange or red pepper, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 28 ounce can of tomatoes
• 2 TB tomato paste
• 1 TB brown sugar
• dash of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1-2 TB fresh basil leaves, torn
• 6 ounces ground beef
• 6 ounces Italian sausage
• 1 medium eggplant, sliced (optional)
• 1 14-ounce container of ricotta cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 Cup of Parmesan cheese, shredded (and divided into two equal parts)
• 2-3 TB basil pesto
• 8 ounces of buffalo style mozzarella, sliced
• 1 Cup mixed Italian shredded cheeses (i.e. Romano, Mozzarella)

Make the tomato sauce

Heat 1 TB of olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, carrot, and red pepper. Cook until onion begins to soften. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, bay leaf, brown sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat for at least 1 hour.

(Optional) Eggplant

Slice eggplant and toss in olive oil and Kosher salt. Roast on a foil-lined baking sheet in a 350F oven for 35 minutes, while the tomato sauce is simmering. If you are using a large eggplant, you may want to salt the eggplant for 15-20 minutes before roasting (to remove bitterness). Rinse salt, pat dry, toss with olive oil and roast for 30-35 minutes.

Make the ricotta cheese mixture

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg. Add the ricotta cheese, 1/2 Cup of shredded Parmesan, and (optional) basil pesto. Return to the fridge until assembly time.

Putting it all together

Pre-heat the oven to 375F. In the meantime, add sausage and ground beef to a medium skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned.

Heat a large stockpot of water. (If you'd rather cook the pasta ahead of time, cook the noodles for 3 minutes in boiling water, then place in cold water immediately after cooking and set aside until assembly time.)

Remove half of the pasta sauce from the skillet. Allow to cool for ten minutes; place in a food processor, and blend until smooth. If the consistency seems too thick, add a little pasta water to the sauce.

Have ready: 13 x 9 inch baking dish, all cheeses, sauce, (optional) eggplant, and meat.

Spread 1/2 of the pureed sauce to the bottom of the baking dish.

At this point, the stockpot of water should be rapidly boiling. Add five lasagna noodles and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove and layer across the length of the baking dish. Add five more noodles to the boiling water.

While second set of noodles are cooking, spread 1/2 of ricotta mixture over the noodles, top with 1/2 of chunky sauce, 1/2 the meat, 1/2 the Buffalo mozzarella, 1/2 the eggplant slices (optional), and 1/2 shredded cheese.

 

See how sneaky I am? Do you see what's hiding under all that cheese? Eggplant, which John never detected.

Remove noodles from pan and repeat the previous steps (ricotta, chunky sauce, meat, eggplant, cheese) while the final set of noodles is cooking.

Place the final set of noodles on top. Cover with the remaining pureed sauce, remaining 1/2 Cup of Parmesan cheese, and extra shredded cheese (if desired). *Important: Make sure all edges are covered with sauce or they will dry out during baking.

Cover the lasagna dish with aluminum foil and bake in 375 F oven for 45 minutes.

Remove foil, reduce heat to 350 F and bake for about 10-15 more minutes until cheese is slightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Hot out of the oven 

 

See if you can eat just one slice.