You know how there is always a dish that reminds you of the Holidays? That actually tastes like Christmas? Well, in our case it's this one. Mum has been doing it for years and has us looking forward to it all year long. So now, you will be able to make it too. It is actually quite simple, healthy and just plain delicious.
You will need:
2 kg. fresh spinach
Salt, Pepper, Ground muscat nuts
Dehydrated, sun dried tomatoes
0.5 - 0.75 kg Ricotta (depends on the texture you want to reach, and on the end volume of your spinach after cooking and draining. Roughly, the spinach-ricotta ratio should be 1:1)
Parmesan cheese (grated)
Lasagne (obviously)
2 tablespoons flour
750 mL milk
1 onion or shallot
A bit of olive oil + a bit of butter
Pine Nuts or Walnuts if you would like to add to the flavour.
Here's what you should do
Preheat oven to 180°C to 200°C.
Cut the spinach in pieces and cook it in a bit of boiling water or au-bain-marie. When it is cooked, strain it. You really want to take all the water out. Add cold water, and strain it again. Then mix the spinach with the ricotta cheese and add salt and pepper to your taste. Then add the sundried tomatoes, cut in small pieces, and the pine or walnuts if you will be using them.
Cook or moisten the lasagne according to the instructions. We used fresh lasagne so we didn't have to do anything.
For the bechamel, warm up a little olive oil (about a tablespoon) and add the butter. Let the onion, cut in half-circles simmer in the butter until it becomes transparent, but it shouldn't turn brown. Add the flour and let it brown a bit, to a golden-ish color. Then add the milk and season with salt, pepper and muscat nut. Mix until it thickens (it takes a short while).
Now you are ready to assemble your lasagne. Butter an oven dish and start with bechamel. Follow with lasagne then spinach, parmesan cheese and bechamel again. When you reach the top you should finish with bechamel and cheese.
Put it in the oven for about 20 min, until the cheese melts and the top is slightly golden.
Prepare to enjoy and impress your guests. Simple, easy and scrumptious.
What is your family's classic Christmas dish?
We don't have one, because after my parent's divorced back in 1987 our holidays were a bit...well, not always the happiest occasions. The last holidays I spent at home, my mum, my brother and myself reclaimed the holiday menu and started making milanesas (breaded beef), mashed potatoes and a tomato and onion salad. I generally baked a cheesecake for dessert. No oven involved except for the cheesecake which, considering Argentina's HOT weather this time of the year was the most sensible option ;)
ReplyDeleteJa, ja, ja increíble justo estoy empezado a hacer canelones de ricotta con espinacas para una cena de pre-fin de año que tenemos hoy... conexiones dice NLE
ReplyDelete@ Marcela... well that is one of the great parts of starting our own families: creating new traditions. And milanesas, so so delicious. And cheesecake is one of my all time favorites.
ReplyDelete@ Zarawitta, definitivamente conexiones, que raro no ? ESpero que hayan disfrutado mucho las celebraciones de fin de año. Un abrazo !