It Really IS Spring!

Trees budding, changeable weather, tulips popping up, grass greening—it is springtime! So, naturally, this is the time for Pasta Primavera (which literally means Springtime Pasta). This recipe has nothing to do with the big party last week. It's just a really yummy, family-favorite around here—even the kids love it. And that's saying something!

PASTA PRIMAVERA

3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 lb. asparagus, tough ends snapped off
1 small zucchini, diced
1/4 cup slivered ham
1-2 small carrots, sliced thinly
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry basil
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz. linguine or fettucine, cooked according to package directions

Slice the asparagus diagonally, in 1-inch slices, leaving the tips whole.
Melt butter in a large saute pan; add asparagus, zucchini, ham, carrots and mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes, uncovered; then cover and cook 3 more minutes. Add the salt, basil, nutmeg and peas; toss to combine. Pour heavy cream into pan and let cook until large, shiny bubbles appear on surface.
Toss vegetable mixture with pasta; add half of the Parmesan cheese and toss to combine. Serve hot and pass the remaining Parmesan.
Delish!

I think this would be good with some shrimp tossed into the sauce, too. I'll have to try that out some time (although, then my kids probably wouldn't like it so much.)

Veggie Lasagna

Yesterday was Bruce's birthday; he is 40 (and better than ever!). We had a surprise dinner party--and, yes, he really was surprised! (Thanks, Family!) Once again, I used a house full of guests as guinea pigs to try out a new recipe; a vegetable lasagna, this time. The lasagna got praised all over the place, so here is the recipe. Well, I didn't have a sauce recipe--I just kind of made up my own, but I'll do my best to give you something.

And now, here is the recipe:

VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Sauce:
1 tsp. olive oil
salt
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 (28 oz.) cans whole tomatoes

left-over roast beef, a piece about half the size of your fist should do it (optional, but it makes a yummy sauce)

1 cup chicken broth
about 2 Tbsp. basil, or to taste
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. oregano (optional)
other herbs (thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, etc.) to taste (optional)
1 bay leaf
2-3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 can black olives, drained

Cheese Filling:
1 lb. fat free ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded reduced-fat mozarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
black pepper
nutmeg

Veggie Filling:
1 lb. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
2 tsp. olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
12 oz. zucchini, slice 1/4-inch thick
1 (10 oz.) package broccoli florets, thawed to room temperature

Lasagna:
*12 no-boil lasagna noodles (look for Ronzoni or Barilla)--about an 8-oz. package

*I made my lasagna the day before I baked it, but I think the noodles absorbed too much liquid by the time they'd sat in the sauce overnight and then baked for two hours. (Yes, two hours--I made a double-sized lasagna, and it needed more time to cook after being completely refrigerated. For a regular-sized one [like this recipe], I'd cook it for about 1 hour and 15 minutes after it's been refrigerated.) Anyway, if you want to prepare your lasagna a day ahead I would recommend using regular noodles. Boil them for about 9 minutes and drain them well before you assemble the lasagna. Refrigerate over-night and don't forget to cook it longer than 45 minutes. :-)

Sauce: Combine olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and onion in a large sauce-pot and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook about 30 seconds. Add one can of tomatoes; squish the tomatoes with a potato-masher. Blend or process the other can of tomatoes until almost smooth; add to the sauce. Add the roast beef, chicken broth, basil, bay leaf and any other herbs. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is tender enough to shred with a fork; 3-4 hours. Remove the beef from the pot, shred it and return it to the pot. Remove the bay leaf. Add the tomato paste, stirring until it's completely blended in. If the sauce has reduced a lot, add some tomato sauce to it. Stir in the olives.

Cheese Filling: Mix the ricotta, 2 cups of the mozarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg together until thoroughly combined. [I find that this is easiest to do if you just stick your hands right in it and mix it like you would do cookie dough.]

Veggie Filling: Combine mushrooms, 1 tsp. olive oil and 1/4 tsp. salt in a large, non-stick skillet. Cook over medium-low heat until the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 8 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to cook until all of the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl; set aside.

Add the remaining teaspoon olive oil to the skillet and return to high heat until just smoking. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring often, until well browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a separate bowl; set aside.

Squeeze as much liquid out of the broccoli as you possibly can. Chop into small pieces; set aside.

To Assemble and Bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Pour about 1 1/2 cups sauce into the bottom of the pan. Lay 3 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, spaced evenly apart. Put about 1/3 cup cheese filling on each noodle and spread evenly over the noodles [I use my fingers to spread it around--easier.] Scatter the mushrooms evenly over the cheese filling, then spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the mushrooms. Repeat this layering two more times, substituting the broccoli and the zucchini for the mushrooms. (Each vegetable has its own layer.)

Lay the last three noodles on the top; spread the remaining sauce evenly over the noodles, making sure to cover the edges. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozarella cheese over the top.

Spray a piece of foil with cooking-spray and cover the lasagna tightly. Place the pan on top of a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any stuff that spills over) and *bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Delicious!

Shrimp Lasagna

I got this recipe from my oldest brother, Peter, who got it from my youngest brother, Paul. (Both brothers are older than me.) So here, word-for-word, is the recipe as I got it. No, actually I think I may have changed a few things. But the introduction was written by Peter----that part is word-for-word. And this recipe is really good!!

In the Spring of 1988 my brother Paul and I were working 72 hours a week at the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant in Arizona, moving and processing radioactive waste for disposal. We rented rooms from our brother Wendell (a reactor operator at the plant) in Peoria. At that time of year shrimp fishing is real good in Rock Point, Mexico, which is about four hours away by car. In the Phoenix area it is not uncommon for the locals to make a "shrimp run" to Rock Point so they can buy fish and shrimp right off the boats. Paul and Wendell both having the same day off one weekend, went on a run and came back with 50 pounds of 4 to 6-inch shrimp. Every day for two weeks we fried, grilled, broiled or sauteed some shrimp for dinner. Finally, when we were all getting tired of eating shrimp, Paul announced that he was going to cook something new: a shrimp lasagna. This delicious recipe is what he created for us on that Spring day in Arizona.
----Peter Johnson

PAUL'S SHRIMP LASAGNA

1 1/2 lbs. unshelled green shrimp
1 pint half & half
3 Tbsp. butter
1 bunch green onions
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely chopped
1 tsp. pepper
salt to taste
1/2 pint cottage cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
3 cups grated Swiss cheese
8 oz. uncooked lasagna noodles
1/2 cup roux (3 Tbsp. butter & 3 Tbsp. flour)
3 cups water or milk

Shell and devein the shrimp; save the shells. Set aside some of the best-looking shrimp for garnish. Cut the remainder of the shrimp into chunks; set aside. [I, Loralee, like to keep them in a little water so they don't dry out----you can use this water later in the recipe.]
Prepare the roux by melting 3 Tbsp. butter in a small skillet and adding 3 Tbsp. flour to make a thick paste; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, mozzarella and Swiss cheeses; set aside.
Cook noodles according to package directions; set aside. [They will dry up and get sticky if you make them too far in advance. Unless you keep them in cool water. Don't use hot water or they'll keep cooking and get mushy.]
In a medium saucepan, saute the shrimp shells in 3 Tbsp. butter for two to three minutes. Use a lid on the pan to preserve all juices. Remove the shells to a cheesecloth and squeeze out the remaining juices into the saucepan. Discard shells. Sauteall shrimp in the juices from the shells until pink. With a slotted spoon, remove and set aside the shrimp reserved for garnish. Remove the remainder of the shrimp and set aside. Saute the garlic in the shrimp juices. Add the half & half and the water or milk [I use the water that I had the shrimp sitting in earlier, then add enough milk to that amount of water to total 3 cups.] Stir in the pepper. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. After the sauce boils, reduce heat to a low simmer and cover pan. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Chop green onions, reserving 5 or 6 tops for garnish. Add chopped onions to sauce. Slowly add roux to the sauce, stirring out any lumps and using only enough to bring sauce to desired consistency (kind of thick, but not like pudding). Salt to taste. Add the cut shrimp to the sauce.
In a 9-inch square baking dish, layer (in order) sauce, noodles and cheese until you are within 1/2-inch of the top of the pan. Garnish with reserved shrimp and green onion tops. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Is Paul a great cook, or what?

For Ann: You can use chicken instead of shrimp in this recipe. Paul said so.
For Sara: Grilled zucchini planks would be great layered in with this. Or any other veggies that seem tasty.
For Michael: Enjoy those noodles!

Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza

This one's for Marilyn:

CHICAGO DEEP-DISH PIZZA

DOUGH:
1 1/3 cups warm water
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. yeast
4-5 Tbsp. cooking oil [make some of it olive oil!]
3 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 cups flour
additional flour, as needed

FILLING:
12 oz. sausage
1-1½ lb. mozzarella cheese, grated
1½ tsp. dried oregano
1½ tsp. fennel seeds
3-4 cups stewed tomatoes, drained (add basil & garlic to tomatoes if desired)
½ cup fresh, sliced mushrooms (optional)

Mix yeast and sugar into warm water; let proof. Stir in oil and salt. Add flour; knead dough on a well-floured surface, adding flour as necessary. Place in oiled bowl and let rise until doubled.

Preheat oven to 500˚. Grease a 14 to 16-inch deep-dish pizza pan. Roll dough and press into bottom and up sides of pan. Sprinkle with 3 cups of the grated cheese. Crumble sausage over cheese; top with oregano, fennel, tomatoes, mushrooms and remaining cheese. Place in heated oven; immediately reduce heat to 400˚ and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until crust is golden and sausage is cooked through. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving.