Entree: Lasagne al Forno con Gamberi e Spinaci (Baked Lasagne with Shrimp and Spinach)
This pasta is for when you are in the mood to cook. It can be made a day in advance and baked later. We recommend you add at least an extra 10 minutes in the oven if the dish has been chilled. The Béchamel Sauce requires a lot of attention and a slow hand, so be patient. Béchamel Sauce is as fundamental to Italian cooking as tomato sauce. Cheers, Tina
Category : Wine Club Award Celebration Dinner 2009
INGREDIENTS:
Pasta:
- ½ lb dried lasagna or ½ lb fresh pasta (I used pasta wraps in the refrigerated Asian section of the grocery store as these are often used for spring rolls, and cut them where necessary to keep from overlapping in pan)
- Salt to Taste
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
For the Filling and Dressing:
- 2 lb. fresh Spinach, washed and stems removed (I kept stems on to speed things up and it was fine)
- 1 lb fresh or frozen Raw Shrimp, washed, shelled, deveined, and tails removed
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 large Onion, very finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground White or Black Pepper, to taste
Béchamel:
- 2 ½ cups milk (we used 2% and it was fine)
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 3 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly grated Nutmeg (or use same amount of dried nutmeg)
Simple Tomato Sauce:
Only use 1/2 cup Simple Tomato Sauce (the rest can be frozen for another time)
- ¼ cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 large Garlic cloves, bruised (meaning squished)
- 2 ½ cups fresh or canned drained cut Tomatoes chopped
- 1/3 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoon chopped fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley or Basil
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
STEP 1: Tomato Sauce
1. Warm the olive oil and garlic in a pan over medium-low heat, until the garlic is golden.
2. Add the tomatoes, salt, and herbs. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.
3. Remove the garlic, if desired. Let Cool.
4. Pass the sauce through a food mill or puree in a food processor or blender. Return the sauce to the pan and reheat gently.
5. Check the seasoning before using.
STEP 2: Making the Lasagne Filling While the Tomato Sauce is cooking or cooling
1. If using Dried Pasta: Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil, Add 1 ½ tablespoons of salt and cook the noodles for half the time then immediately immerse in cold water (do not put ice in the water as it will make holes in the pasta). Lay the noodles on a damp dish towel and finish cooking and cooling all the pasta in the same manner. Do not overlap pasta, pat pasta dry.
2. If using Fresh pasta, we have found you do not need to pre-cook it.
3. Place the spinach in a large, deep lidded pan with no water except the drops still clinging to the leaves after washing. Steam the spinach until tender tossing occasionally for even cooking, 5 – 10 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat, drain, and leave until cool enough to handle.
5. Using your hands, squeeze out most of the excess water. Finely chop the spinach and set aside.
6. Rinse the shrimp. Pat the shrimp dry, then finely chop and set aside.
7. Warm the butter in a skillet and add the onion. Sauté over medium heat until wilted, about 4 minutes.
8. Add the shrimp and sauté quickly just until they turn pink, stirring to cook evenly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chopped spinach, salt, and pepper.
STEP 3: Béchamel Sauce (Make this while Filling is cooling and Tomato Sauce is thickening)
1. Heat the milk in a small sauce pan to just below boiling point, then set aside and keep warm.
2. Melt the butter in a larger heavy-based saucepan. Working over low heat, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon or whisk to get rid of lumps. Let the flour and butter paste heat through for about 2 minutes stirring constantly. Do not let the paste brown.
3. Add the hot milk, a tablespoon at a time stirring constantly to incorporate it thoroughly. Continue to add the milk very slowly, just a few tablespoons at a time, until ½ cup is used up.
4. We recommend you turn off the heat as you add the rest of the milk in a very slow and gradual trickle, stirring all the time. If you are an old hand you can leave the heat on.
5. If lumps appear, you are probably adding the milk in too great a quantity, too quickly, or the heat is too high if you left it on. Should this happen turn off the heat and press the lumps against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon.
6. When all the milk has been added, simmer the sauce very gently for another 15 minutes or so, stirring constantly. Add the salt and nutmeg during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
STEP 4: Finishing and Putting the Dish Together
1. Preheat the Oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine the tomato sauce and the béchamel.
3. Select a 10 x 14in baking dish, and smear a very thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.
4. Carefully place a layer of the Lasagne noodles over the sauce, making them touch without overlapping, and covering the entire surface area. You may need to cut the noodles with scissors to make them fit properly.
5. Smear a thin layer of sauce over the Lasagne. Spoon some of the spinach-shrimp mixture over it.
6. Over that scatter some of the grated Parmesan.
7. Lay down another layer of Lasagne, making sure there are no gaps and no overlapping. Repeat the process of layering, ending with a layer of Lasagne topped with béchamel sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
8. Bake the Lasagne in the middle of the oven until bubbly and golden, about 20 minutes. Do not overcook. Allow to settle for 10 minutes before serving.
Yield: Serves 4-6