Big Assembly, Small Kitchen

Lasagna

(from Anne Burrell)

Lasagna is a big undertaking. There's lots of layers, ingredients, steps, time needed. But after you've managed to squeeze all these things into your tiny kitchen (like mine), you have enough food to feed an army... or two hungry students for a few weeks. The recipe said this would make 6-8 servings, but I got at least 12 out of it. I saved a few in the fridge and wrapped the rest individually in wax paper (parchment paper probably would have been a little better because tape doesn't stick well to wax) and they're hanging out now in my freezer.

Step 1: Boil some ocean water. If you don't have ocean water, you can dump a handful of salt into a pot of tap water. Cook lasagna noodles in batches, about 6-7 minutes each until they are soft and pliable, but not limp. Lay out on a tray or cookie sheet to cool. I used tongs to do this.

Step 2: Coat a skillet in EVOO and add 1 lb. of Italian sausage. If it comes in link form, cut the casing lengthwise and take out the meat. Cook until brown, remove and save on paper towels. Empty the fat from the pan.

Step 3: Coat the pan with EVOO again, add 2 cloves of smashed garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. When the garlic is starting to brown and smell tasty, remove the garlic, discard it, and add about 12-oz. baby portobello mushrooms (aka: cremini, baby bella). Cook until they're soft and brown. Take them out and put them aside. Do the same thing (including with the oil and the garlic) with some thinly sliced zucchini.

Step 4: Combine 2 c. part-skim ricotta cheese, 1 c. Parmigiano-Reggiano, 2 eggs, and 7 basil leaves cut into a chiffonade. Mix it all together until everything is well-incorporated. Season with a little salt. Preheat the oven to 350℉.

Step 5: Find a deep-dish 9" x 13" baking dish (or, since you probably don't have a deep dish, just use a regular one). Also find a way to fit all the ingredients you've prepared (the lasagna noodles, mushrooms, zucchini, marinara sauce, another 1 c. Parmegiano-Reggiano, 1 lb. grated mozzarella) into your kitchen in the form of an assembly line. Start the layering with a thin layer of marinara sauce in the bottom of your baking dish. Put some lasagna noodles on top, spread some of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles. Arrange some noodles next going in the opposite direction. Use a paring knife or a kitchen shears to trim the noodles to fit. Add a layer of sauce, a sprinkling of Italian sausage, another layer of noodles, alternating direction as you have been, a little more sauce, some mushrooms, Parmegiano-Reggiano and mozzarella, noodle, sauce, zucchini, Parmegiano-Reggiano and mozzarella, noodle, sauce. Repeat this layering until you run out of ingredients. You want the last layer to be sauce and then cheese on top.

Step 6: (almost done!) Place the baking dish on top of a cookie sheet to catch any drippings. Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Cook for about 1 hour. Take the foil off the top and cook for another 15 minutes. Then eat it! Or you could wait til it cools, slice it, and wrap the individual pieces in wax or parchment paper and eat it for the next couple of months.