Gorgonzola Lasagna
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INGREDIENTS 8 ounces of lasagne noodles
4 red peppers
2 red onions (about ¾ pound) sliced into ½-inch thick rounds
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons fresh thyme or ¾ teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 small head escarole, (about 1 pound) washed, trimmed
and sliced crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly grated black pepper
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, broken into small piecesPreheat the broiler. Arrange the peppers in the center of a baking sheet with the onion slices surrounding them. Broil the vegetables until the peppers are blistered on all sides and the onions are lightly browned - 10 to 15 minutes. (You will need to turn the peppers a few times, the onions once.) Put the peppers in a bowl, cover them with plastic wrap, and set it aside. Separate the onion slices into rings and reserve them as well.
Cook the lasagne in 3 quarts of boiling unsalted water with the lemon juice for 7 minutes – the pasta will be slightly underdone. Drain the pasta and run cold water over it.
Peel the peppers when they are cool enough to handle, working over a bowl to catch the juices. Remove the stem, seeds and ribs from each pepper. Set one pepper aside and slice the remaining 3 into lengthwise strips about ¾-inch wide. Strain the pepper juices and reserve them.
Quarter the reserved whole pepper; puree the pieces in a food processor or blender with the pepper juices and 2 teaspoons of the fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon of the dried thyme. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the escarole, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, the remaining teaspoon of fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon of the dried thyme, and a generous grinding of black pepper. Saute the escarole until it is wilted and almost all the liquid has been evaporated – about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
Line the bottom of a baking dish with a layer of the lasagne. Cover this layer with half of the escarole and sprinkle it with 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese. Spread half of the pepper strips over the top, then cover them with half of the onion rings. Build a second layer of lasagne, escarole, Parmesan cheese, pepper strips and onion rings, this time topping the onion rings with half of the pepper puree. Cover the second level with a final layer of lasagne, and spread the remaining puree over the top. Scatter the Gorgonzola cheese evenly over the pepper sauce and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese over all.
Bake the lasagne for 30 minutes. Let the dish stand for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld before serving.
Serves 8