Spinach ricotta tomato lasagne

I have eaten this lasagna plenty of times when I visit Italian cafe. I decided to try it out and it turned out really good. I was a bit surprised with the result as it was as authentic as I ate in Italian cafe.

The only thing I struggled was to separate the lasagna sheets after they were cooked. The pack instruction said add olive oil in boiling water to avoid sticking but that didn't help much. What helped me was once the sheets were cooked I left it in little bit of water and then used it straight away in my oven tray.

I am still looking for the best way to cook them.

Ingredients:
For filling:
Spinach: 250gms
Ricotta cheese: 200gms
Garlic clove: 1
Butter: 2 spn
Nutmeg: 1/2 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Oregano: for seasoning
Black pepper: for seasoning

Pre-cooked lasagna sheets: 8-10 [cook them according to the instructions on the pack]

For sauce:
[Note: buy ready make sauce and just heat it in olive oil for faster result, you may add couple of spoon of ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, oregano, mixed Italian herb etc.]
Tomato passata: 350-400ml
Garlic: 1 clove
Olive oil: 1 table spoon
Seasoning: Salt, pepper, oregano, mixed Italian herb etc

Optional:

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesano reggano cheese and

Preparation:
For filling:
Wash spinach and drain off all the water. Peel garlic and rough chop it. Heat large pan, add butter and garlic once the butter is hot.
Add spinach leaves and let it cook until its soft. Add salt, pepper, herbs, nutmeg and mix well.

Spinach cooks very fast. Baby spinach will cook in 3-4 minutes and normal spinach will take 5-6 minutes.

Once spinach is cooked it will leave some water in the pan. Drain it off and let it cool in the colander. Once spinach is cooled off, press the leaves to squeeze out all the water from spinach.

Finely chop spinach and add grated ricotta. Give a little taste and if required add more seasoning. Filling is ready.

For sauce:
Heat the pan, add olive oil and once its hot add garlic. Add tomato passata and all the seasoning. Once the sauce is all mixed, add cheese of your choice. I added ricotta as I was left with some of the ricotta cheese.

Pre-cook lasagna according to the instruction give on the pack. Cooking time for each is different.

Pre-heat over on 180 degree C for 10 minutes.

Take the oven tray to cook lasagna.
First layer of tomato sauce.
Second layer of lasagna sheets.
Third layer of spinach ricotta filling.
Fourth layer of lasagna sheets.
Fifth layer of spinach ricotta filling.
Sixth layer of lasagna sheets. [do one more layer if you have spinach filling or]
Final layer of tomato sauce.
Optional layer of cheese. Take some fresh mozzarella cheese, parmesano reggano cheese and make another layer on it.
Place the tray in oven and leave it to cook for 30minutes on 180. You will notice nice brown color around the corner and sauce turns thick.
Serve hot with some fresh vegetables.
With cheese

Butter bean tofu vegetable soup with almond pesto

This is excellent soup for good taste and good health. Butter bean is low GI, high protein with bounds of fiber. Mixed it with tofu, all the fresh vegetables and olive oil makes it well balanced meal.

Ingredients:
For soup
Butter bean: 300 gms boiled
Broccoli: 3-4 florets head
Onion: 1 small
Carrot: 1 small
Courgette: 1 medium
Mushroom: 4
Celery stick: 2-3
Tofu: 100gms
Tomato passata: 500gms
Garlic: 2 cloves
Green beans: handful
Freshly crushed pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
For almond pesto:
Garlic: 1 clove
Basil leaves: 20-25
Almonds: 10-12
Extra virgin olive oil: 2 table spoon or 1/2 cup if you are not watching your weight.

Ciabatta bread

Preparation:
Wash all the vegetables properly. Peel onions, garlic and carrot. Take the stem off beans.

Cut beans, broccoli, carrot into cubes. Boil the water and first boil the bean after 3-4 minutes add broccoli and carrot. Boil vegetables for only up to 80%. Do no over cook it.
Cut onions, celery, mushrooms, garlic, tofu and courgette. Finely chop garlic.
Heat the pan. Add 2-3 table spoon of extra virgin olive oil. Keep the heat on medium - low flame.
Add freshly crushed pepper, garlic and allow it to leave flavour for a minute. Take care the garlic doesn't turn brown. Add onions. Saute for a minute. Add celery and after another minute, add mushrooms.
After each minute add tofu, butter beanand courgette.
Add par boiled vegetables along with the vegetable stock.
Add tomato passata
and 1 cup of water.
Mix well. Add 2 table spoon of almond pesto in the soup. Add salt to taste and let the soup boil for 15-20 minutes on low flame without lid.
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil while serving.

Almond pesto:
Take almonds, garlic, basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil in a pestle or bowl.
Crush it with hand or hand blender.
Toast the ciabatta bread and apply thin layer of pesto on top.

Serve with soup. Taste excellent.

Pasta in courgette sauce

Courgette or zucchini are the name of same vegetable. I have been eating pasta in tomato or white sauce. I love this recipe as this has given me all together a different pasta experience.

This is mild recipe and full of flavours.

Serves 2
Ingredients:
For sauce:
Courgette: 1 large
Spring onion: 4 (just the onion part)
Garlic clove:1
Rosemary: 1/2 tea spoon
Sea salt to taste
Olive oil: 1-2 table spoon

Rest of the ingredients:
Pasta: 1 cup
[Note: After making sauce, it is your choice to make your pasta as simple or rich. You can select to add more courgette or any other thing you want.]
Red onion: 1 medium
Red capsicum: 1/2
Green olives: 5-6
Salt to taste

For garnish:
Parmesan cheese
Freshly crushed pepper

Preparation:
Courgette sauce:
Wash and using vegetable grater slice courgette thin. Wash and chop off the onion part of spring onion and slice it thin. Remove skin off garlic clove.
Heat the pan. Add 1 to 2 table spoon of oil. Add rosemary in before oil gets too hot and also garlic. Garlic shouldn't get brunt. It should just be able to leave mild flavour.
Add spring onions and stir well for a minute.
Add courgette and stir well.
Once courgette starts to thaw add sea salt to taste.
Remove the garlic clove from the pan.

Remove other bits in a bowl and using blender make it into fine paste. Add water if required.
Boil pasta in the mean time. Check out how to cook pasta blog for more details.

Peel and thin slices red onions. Cut olives into half pieces. Wash capsicum and cut it into thin slices. Remove skin off garlic clove.
Heat the pan add olive oil, before oil gets too hot add garlic clove. Let it leave mild flavours. Add red onions, after a minute, add red capsicum and after another minute add olives.
Stir until onions and capsicums are soft. Add salt to taste. Add courgette sauce and mix well.
Add pasta and little bit pasta liquor.
Toss well.
Garnish with cheese and freshly crushed pepper.
[Note: I went to buy parmesan cheese and I learnt it is now being sold by the name of Parmigiano Reggiano]

Serve hot.

Italian bread soup

There are various Italian soup made of different base and different base.

This one is a tomato base soup with whey bread and 6 seeds. It tastes very nice. Easy to make and makes to full.

I am also adding left over Spaghetti funghi in it just to make it more interesting.

Ingredients:
Celery: 2 sticks
Onion: 1 medium
Garlic: 3-4 cloves
Freshly crushed pepper: 1-2 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Extra virgin olive oil: 1 table spoon
Tomato passata: 1 cup
Parsley: 1 cup
Left over spaghetti funghi: 1 cup(optional)

Preparation:
Wash celery nicely. Cut it into small pieces.

Peel and fine chop garlic. Peel and dice onions into small cubes.
Heat the pan. Add 1 table spoon of olive oil. Add freshly crushed pepper. Once it starts to splutter add onions and celery. Stir for 2 minutes. Add tomato passata and 2 cups of water.
Mix well. Add salt to taste. Add left over spaghetti. Parsley.

Take the bread and cut it into smaller pieces.
Now add bread pieces as much as or as less as you want. Turn the heat to lowest. Cover the lid and let it cook for 10 minutes.
Serve hot.

Spaghetti Funghi

Serves 2
Ingredients:
Mushrooms: 10-12
Wild rocket: 1 cup
Parsley: 1 cup
Garlic: 4-5 cloves
Lime juice: 1 table spoon
Extra virgin olive oil
Spaghetti: 20-25 strands roughly
Salt to taste:
Freshly crushed pepper
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation:
Wipe mushrooms with wet cooking tissue. Wash wild rocket.

Wash parsley and fine chop it.
Cut mushrooms into small pieces not very tiny. Peel and fine chop garlic.
In a large pan add 1-2 table spoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add freshly crushed pepper and let it splutter. Add garlic. Let it cook for a minute.
Add mushroom and saute it for 1 minute. Sprinkle few drops of water if required. Add rocket and let it cook well.
In the mean time cook spaghetti .

Once the mushroom starts to get soft add salt to taste and lime juice. Add spaghetti and toss well.
Finally add chopped parsley. Turn the heat off. This will preserve the fresh green color of parsley and will give it a very herb fresh look. Toss well.
Serve hot. Garnish parmesan cheese and olive oil (avoid if you are watching your weight).

Red pepper and wild rocket panini

Red pepper is sweet and wild rocket is very peppery. Combination is amazing on virgin olive oil toasted ciabatta bread.

Ingredients:
Red pepper: 1
Cherry tomatoes: handful
Onion: few slices
Wild rocket: handful
Pesto sauce: 1 table spoon
Virgin olive oil: 1 table spoon
Ciabatta bread
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Wash and wipe red pepper.
Following is alternative faster way to roast the pepper if you are in hurry. Place pepper straight on the gas flame and let it cook for 5 minutes use fork to rotate the pepper.

Notice pepper skin goes black from few places.

After 5 minutes take it off and remove excess black skin.
De seed and cut it into small cubes.
Peel and slice onions. Wash rocket and drain off extra water. Wash cherry tomatoes and cut them into half.
Cut ciabatta bread into half. Apply extra virgin olive oil and toast it.
Take toasted bread onto plate
Apply pesto sauce on both sides. Spread the vegetables on both sides.
Sprinkle seasoning of salt and pepper and club it together. Toast it again if you want or serve it.