Dinner last night was Zucchini Lasagna. Basically the same as my regular lasagna with the substitution of zucchini for the pasta. I think I liked this version even more than the traditional. I don't like leftovers but this was so good we had it again for dinner tonight.
Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table
Zucchini Lasagna
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2 pounds ground pork
1 onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic
Italian parsley
1 to 2 tablespoons basil
1 teaspoon oregano
salt,
pepper
2 cans tomatoes
1/2 cup cream
1 pint ricotta
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg mixed together.
2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 to 4 medium size zucchini sliced lengthwise or into thin rounds
Note: Salt the slices to draw out the moisture. Pat dry before using.
Bechamel Sauce (seasoned with a garlic clove and fresh grated Parmesan)
Directions
Saute onions and celery in olive oil. When tender add the garlic and the ground pork. Cook until meat starts to brown and is no longer pink. Add the salt, pepper, basil, oregano and parsley. Add the cream and simmer until evaporated. Add the tomatoes and simmer for at least one hour.
Spoon meat sauce into the bottom of a deep casserole. Place layer of zucchini over sauce. Top with 1/3 or 1/2 of the ricotta mixture (depending on whether you are making two or three
layers). Sprinkle with mozzarella. Top with more meat sauce and another layer of zucchini. Repeat. Finish with a layer of the meat sauce and then top with the bechamel. Bake in a 375°F oven for 45 to 60 minutes. Cover the top with foil if the lasagna starts to brown to much.
You are the 3rd person in 2 days that mentions this!! I am sure I would love it.I LOVE lasagna and love zucchini..Thanks Ann!
ReplyDeleteThis is just a GREAT idea!!!!! Oh my goodness! I have so much zucchini still to use! need to try this! yum!
ReplyDeleteI think your tags are a little incorrect - this isn't a lasagna, nor italian.
ReplyDeleteThis is incredibly close to a popular Greek dish called Moussaka. In fact, the only notable difference is that Moussaka almost always includes eggplant as well.
http://greekfood.about.com/od/groundmeatrecipes/r/moussaka_text.htm
Thank you Jessica. I appreciate you commenting on my blog even if I don't agree with your comments.
ReplyDeleteA traditional Greek Moussaka does not have layers of ricotta or Mozzarella, the meat is often lamb and the sauce isn't flavoured with basil. So I would have to disagee that my zucchini lasagna is incredibly close to Moussaka. About the only thing they have in common is that they are both layered.
I have a wonderful traditional Moussaka recipe that I haven't made recently. I'll make it soon and post about it. It will help you appreciate the difference in the two dishes.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Well, I'd still have to disagree. While you did use more Italian flavors, I'd say this is more of an Italian take on the Greek dish. A Lasagna, after all, does not have bechamel or zuchinni - two of the backbones of most moussaka. I've also seen moussaka very often made with beef.
ReplyDeleteI just saw the tags and it seemed like another horrendous example of food gentrification; restaurants do it all the time. They make something that is very similar to a traditional dish, and then they give it an Americanized name to appeal to the general public. It causes all of the culture to get lost.
I'd like to weigh in on this discussion. Jessica, your research seems to be a little faulty. Lasagnas that contain meat or Bolognese sauce traditionally contain a bechamel sauce (besciamella). Remember that Italy and Greece are not that far from each other, so it is not unlikely that some of their foods would share similarities.
ReplyDeleteMost authentic moussakas will contain eggplant and maybe zucchini, but eggplant is definitely the dominant vegetable in that dish.
Sorry to be blunt, but I find your remarks a bit rude.
Ann, your zucchini lasagna looks and sounds delicious. I'll be putting it on the menu soon.
I also agree with Ann that this would be classified as a lasagna and Italian. For me it is less about the similarities and differences that you can find for her preparation and moussaka but rather what she used as a jumping off point when creating it.
ReplyDeleteAnn has a broad range when preparing food and is familiar with both lasagna and moussaka, but she altered her lasagna to make this, not her moussaka. I also make Moussaka a nd it does not contain any zucchini but it does contain cinnamon in the sauce. Without cinnamon it would not taste like Moussaka at all.
-Robin
Jessica...I also have to agree with the last two posters. The authentic lasagna from Northern Italy is layered with pasta, bolognese sauce, (which is the Northern's style of ragu sauce) and bechamel. As another note, Lori is correct to say that the greeks use cinnamon.... we (Italian) use nutmeg especially when spinach in involved...it brings out the flavor and complements just about any green veggie, such as spinach.
ReplyDeleteAnn, I love the change you made in this lasagna and would like to try it with making ribbons of zucchini from a mandolin. BTW, mandolin is on my wish list! :-)
Sue