Emprimir
Correo Electrónico
 |
Direcciones
Well, look at that! This is my second "Skillet" Recipe in one week. With darkness coming so early, that precludes any grilled dinners on work night. I'm grateful that my brain and sleepy head is enjoying that extra hour of sleep in the morning, because I'm just not an early riser.
My stomach hasn't quite figured out that feeding time has been pushed back an hour, though. Monday night, I came home famished. I wanted to eat-- now. That's when Skillet Dinners can be a lifesaver.
I'm revisiting the recipes in this cookbook, that includes all of America's Test Kitchen recipes over the last ten years. In my last post, I shared the Skillet Tamale Pie. This time, I had a hankering for lasagna, without all the fuss.
I've…
View Full Recipe at A Feast for the Eyes Food…
,%20ten%20regular%20lasagna%20noodles,%20a%20large%20can%20of%20diced%20tomatoes,%20a%20small%20can%20of%20tomato%20sauce,%20onion,%20garlic%20and%20ricotta%20cheese.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20had%20Italian%20sausage%20and%20ground%20beef,%20so%20I%20improvised%20a%20bit%20and%20used%20a%20combination%20of%20the%20two.%20Once%20I%20browned%20the%20meat,%20I%20added%20one%20chopped%20onion%20and%20cooked%20until%20just%20starting%20to%20brown,%20then%20combined%20the%20onon%20and%20meat,%20added%20the%20garlic.%20%20%20For%20the%20liquid,%20you%20need%20a%20total%20of%20four%20cups%20of%20undrained%20diced%20tomatoes%20and%20water.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20added%20some%20red%20pepper%20flakes%20into%20the%20meat%20mixture%20and%20then%20evenly%20spread%20out%20the%20broken%20lasagna%20pieces%20(about%202%22%20or%20%203%22%20long)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThen%20the%20tomatoes%20are%20added,%20and%20one%20small%20can%20of%20tomato%20sauce.%20This%20is%20where%20ATK's%20ingredients%20ends.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ESomehow,%20I%20felt%20that%20there%20needed%20to%20be%20a%20little%20more%20seasoning,%20so%20I%20added%20a%20generous%20tablespoon%20of%20Italian%20Seasoning%20(that%20I%20mix%20up,%20myself).%20%20%20I%20gently%20pushed%20around%20the%20noodles%20to%20make%20sure%20they%20were%20covered%20in%20liquid--%20I%20had%20to%20add%20just%20a%20little%20bit%20more%20water%20to%20accomplish%20that.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20brought%20the%20noodles%20and%20mixture%20and%20gave%20it%20a%20simmer%20for%20the%20recommended%2020%20minutes--%20until%20the%20noodles%20were%20tender.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ECHALLENGE:%20I'm%20not%20gonna%20lie--%20I%20had%20a%20bit%20of%20a%20soupy%20lasagna%20and%20I%20was%20not%20going%20to%20stand%20for%20that!%20%20With%20the%20lid%20off,%20I%20gave%20this%20ten%20more%20minutes%20of%20cooking%20time--%20hoping%20the%20liquid%20would%20reduce.%20At%20last,%20the%20noodles%20seemed%20perfectly%20al%20dente,%20but%20I%20still%20had%20too%20much%20liquid.%20%20I%20placed%20the%20lid%20back%20on%20the%20skillet,%20and%20then%20carefully%20drained%20most%20of%20the%20liquid%20down%20the%20sink.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20love%20Ricotta%20cheese,%20so%20I%20added%20some%20generous%20mounds%20of%20it.%20%20It%20kind%20of%20looks%20like%20ice%20cream,%20doesn't%20it?%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EPer%20the%20recipe,%20I%20then%20sprinkled%201/2%20cup%20of%20Parmesan%20Cheese.%20%20You%20know%20what?%20I%20love%20cheese%20on%20my%20lasagna.%20%20I%20usually%20keep%20a%20bag%20of%20Quattro%20Formagio%20Cheese%20(from%20Trader%20Joe's)%20on%20hand.%20%20It%20has%20Asiago,%20Fontina,%20Parmesan%20and%20Provolone.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ESo,%20spread%20an%20even%20layer%20of%20the%20whole%20skillet%20recipe--%20and%20guess%20what?%20%20The%20cheese%20didn't%20melt.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E3%20minutes%20under%20the%20broiler%20did%20the%20trick.%20%20Sadly,%20our%20garden%20basil%20is%20finished,%20or%20I%20would%20have%20added%20plenty%20of%20it.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EFrom%20start%20to%20finish,%20the%20whole%20meal%20took%2045%20minutes%20to%20prepare--%20plus%20I%20cleaned%20up%20the%20mess,%20while%20the%20lasagna%20was%20cooking.%20%20Let's%20eat!%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ETASTING%20NOTES:%20%20I%20have%20to%20pat%20myself%20on%20the%20back,%20for%20adding%20more%20seasoning%20to%20the%20recipe.%20%20The%20Italian%20seasoning%20kicked%20up%20the%20flavor,%20and%20I%20really%20liked%20that%20I%20increased%20the%20red%20pepper%20flakes%20from%201/8%20teaspoon%20to%201/2%20teaspoon.%20%20The%20sausage%20gave%20the%20meat%20filling%20a%20great%20texture,%20too.%20%20%20The%20ricotta%20and%20Four-Cheese%20blend%20made%20this%20skillet%20lasagna%20a%20satisfying%20pasta%20dinner.%20%20%20The%20next%20day,%20the%20lasagna%20tasted%20even%20better,%20when%20reheated.%20%20My%20son%20raved%20about%20it,%20and%20I%20admit%20that%20I%20enjoyed%20noshing%20on%20some%20leftovers%20during%20my%20lunch%20break.%20%20I%20applaud%20America's%20Test%20Kitchen%20for%20creating%20a%20recipe%20that%20doesn't%20need%20bottled%20spaghetti%20sauce--%20and%20I%20always%20have%20diced%20tomatoes%20and%20tomato%20sauce%20on%20hand.%20However,%20ATK,%20%20you%20need%20to%20bump%20up%20the%20seasoning%20a%20whole%20lot%20more--%20or%20this%20could%20be%20on%20the%20bland%20side.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EYou're%20welcome.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EOh,%20and%20I%20think%20%22I'm%20good%22%20for%20skillet%20recipes%20for%20a%20while.%20%20I'm%20hankering%20for%20a%20good%20pot%20roast%20or%20braised%20brisket--%20just%20as%20soon%20as%20we%20get%20our%20first%20good%20rainfall%20of%20the%20season.%20%20It's%20been%20in%20the%2080's%20for%20the%20last%20few%20days.%20I%20do%20appreciate%20the%20sunshine,%20but%20I'm%20ready%20to%20hear%20the%20crackling%20of%20a%20roaring%20fire%20and%20making%20some%20hot%20chocolate.%3C/p%3E){kind=link}