Sweet Corn and Mascarpone Lasagna

While I had a month off between switching jobs, I watched a lot of TV. Particularly, cooking shows and one of my faves is the lovely Giada DeLaurentiis. Not only do I find her recipes are often successful and delicious, but I just enjoy her show. It feels like I’m in the kitchen with her when she’s cooking and I also love the episodes where she is cooking for a party she is throwing with her friends or an outing with Jade. So, for this past round of cook club (check out everything that was made out of Plenty by Ottolenghi here!), I snuck in one of Giada’s dishes for our DC cook club party – her SWEET CORN LASAGNA that she made with her Aunt Raffy. It was the perfect dish to add in because all the other dishes were vegetarian.

The dish was a huge hit! As my friend Rachel said, it is the perfect dish to convince non-vegetarians that vegetarian food can be delicious and filling. It is a bit sweeter than your typical lasagna with the base of the dish consisting of sweet corn and mascarpone. I didn’t mind that at all. In fact, I taste-tested the corn mixture a few times to make sure it had enough seasoning and by the end, I could have just eaten the corn mixture by itself.

On another note, I had been concerned that it would be overly citrusy / lemony based on the reviews listed under the recipe, so I ended up zesting just half the lemon. The lemon notes definitely shine in this dish, but I thought it was a nice complement to the richness of the cheeses. I also forgot to completely thaw the corn before throwing it in the food processor, which turned out ok, just took a bit longer to whizz around.

Lastly, Giada made these lasagnas as “mini-lasagnas” in small ramekins – so, single serving lasagnas. Because I was making this for a crowd, I cooked this up in the traditional lasagna way in a lasagna pan. I used three layers of noodles (so four layers of sauce) and cooked initially for about 40 minutes, checked it, and cooked for probably another 10 minutes. I will definitely be making this again!

Sweet Corn and Mascarpone Lasagna (courtesy of Giada DeLaurentiis with slight adaptations)

Ingredients
Butter, for ramekins
12 lasagna sheets
3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/2 cup whipping cream, at room temperature
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 cup (4 ounces) finely grated Pecorino Romano, plus 1/2 cup (2 ounces)
1/2 large lemon, zested
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded sharp Provolone
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter lasagna pan. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain.

In a food processor, blend the corn, cream and garlic until chunky. Add the mascarpone, 1 cup of the Pecorino Romano cheese, the lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add the basil and pulse until just combined.

Spoon some of the filling into the lasagna pan and spread enough to cover. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the provolone. Layer four lasagna noodles on top of the sauce and provolone.

Put another layer of filing on top of lasagna, making sure to cover all the noodles so they don’t get too dry in cooking. Add more provolone on top. Layer with four more lasagna noodles. Repeat once more.

On the top layer, spoon any remaining filling on top of the pasta. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Continue baking longer if necessary. Cool for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

BB: Sundried Tomato and Fresh Mozzerella Pasta

The month of July brought us Barefoot Bloggers a very tasty recipe... actually, one of the best recipes I've tried yet! Thank you to Cat from the blog Delta Whiskey for selecting the Barefoot Contessa's Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes ... or as I refer to it "Sundried Tomato and Fresh Mozzerella Pasta" (because really, how could you omit the fresh mozzerella from the title?).

I was thrilled to try a dish that I would have tons of leftovers from to bring for lunch. And this was the perfect dish for it (although I wasn't a fan of re-heating ... better to have it cold!). My husband also raved about this dish -- he too agreed that this was one of the best dishes we've made yet in the Barefoot Bloggers. The flavors -- with the mix of the salty and sweet of the sundried tomatoes, the richness of the cheese, and the freshness of the vine ripened tomatoes and then the almost sour taste of the dressing -- all balanced each other very nicely. Originally, my husband prepared a side of turkey for himself, but found that the pasta stood on its own as a meal.

I definitely urge others to try this recipe! Although, I will let you know, that my pasta didn't warm up well. I think the vinegar in the dressing in particular didn't take to warming up...

RECIPE: Barefoot Contessa's Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
1 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

DRESSING:

• 5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 teaspoon capers, drained
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

DIRECTIONS

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.

Happy Pumpkin Day! - Pumpkin Gnocchi in Brazil

Now, when you think of Brazil, you think...beaches, ocean, teeny swimsuits, and, well, warmth. But, while I was there this past month, it was cold. At least, part of the time. And rainy. Brazil is coming off of winter and in the midst of spring right now...

The night we arrived in Rio, we were tired ... and starving. It was a bit chilly and all I wanted was something warm and delicious. We ended up at Bar d'Hotel at the Marina All Suites in Leblon/Ipanema. The food there was fabulously fresh and even better, deliciously decadent. After much debate, I went with my craving and got the pumpkin gnocchi. It was covered in this creamy cheese sauce, had crunchy onions on it, and each gnocchi melted on my tongue.

Delicious success!

Giada's Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage and Toasted Hazelnuts

As a tribute to Pumpkin Day (i.e. Halloween), I'm posting a pumpkin recipe that I've been wanting to try by one of my faves, Giada De Laurentiis. If anyone has tried this, would love to hear feedback before I make it! Seems like a great quick meal. (Or if you have suggestions on making your own pumpkin ravioli...)

Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage and Toasted Hazelnuts

Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 servings

1/2 cup peeled hazelnuts

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 pound fresh pumpkin ravioli

1 stick unsalted butter

6 fresh sage leaves

Large pinch grated nutmeg

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 amaretti cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread hazelnuts onto a baking tray. Toast hazelnuts in oven until light golden brown and fragrant, about 5 to 7 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Coarsely chop the cooled hazelnuts and set aside. In a 10 or 12-inch saute pan with high sides, bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add the vegetable oil to prevent the ravioli from sticking to one another. Add ravioli and cook for 4 minutes or until they float to the top. Using a spider strainer, carefully remove ravioli to a large platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

In a small saute pan, melt the butter. When butter is sizzling and starts to brown, tear sage leaves into the pan and fry for about 20 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg. Pour butter sauce over ravioli and sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts. Grate amaretti cookies over the dish and serve immediately.