Flaherty Wines

Ben and Sean agree with Garfield: Lasagna is the food of the gods. They like a tomato-based lasagna, rather than a meaty Bolognese, and above all no bechamel. Our current favorite includes diced pork, mushrooms, eggplant, and basil. We like a lot of mushrooms, so I use 400 g (nearly a pound). You could cut back if you like, or mix in a few different types of mushrooms for interest. For the eggplant, I salt it first to extract the bitterness (we can’t get Japanese eggplant here). I am very generous with the salt, as I find it improves the extraction, but you do need to rinse the eggplants really well before grilling–rub them really well under running water to make sure they aren’t too salty.

I have come to prefer the precooked lasagna sheets, provided they are Italian. It’s so much easier than the dried pasta that you boil, and the texture actually comes out better. You just need to add a bit more sauce than you would for the traditional kind, as the sheets absorb sauce as they bake. I use a standard rectangular Pyrex pan (9 x 13?) which just fits three sheets across. I then layer four deep, using 12 sheets in total.

Pork and eggplant lasagna

5 cups tomato sauce (preferably homemade)
1 large eggplant
salt
olive oil
500 grams (1 pound) pork loin
400 grams (up to a pound) mushrooms, sliced
several cloves garlic
red wine (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 cup chopped basil
300 grams (10 oz) mozzarella cheese, grated
12 sheets precooked lasagna sheets

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Slice the eggplant lengthwise into quarter inch slabs. Discard the outside slices that are mostly skin. Generously salt the slices on both sides, layer them on a plate, cover them with another plate, and weight it down. Let sit for at least an hour, then rinse well to remove the salt. Pat dry and grill or sauté in a little olive oil. Set aside.

Trim off any fat and silver skin (the tendon) from the pork and then dice it. Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pan. Add the pork and stir fry briefly. Add three or four cloves of garlic (chopped or pressed) and about 1/4 cup of red wine. After a few minutes, add the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes (the pork should be fully cooked at this point). Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork from the sauce, then set both aside.

While the sauce is simmering, cook the mushrooms with one or two cloves of garlic (chopped or pressed) and a splash of wine. Once the mushrooms release their liquid, continue to sauté until they are nearly dry. Set aside.

When all the ingredients are ready, assemble the lasagna. Start with a layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan, then lay down three sheets of pasta, covering the pan without overlapping the sheets. Spread more sauce over the pasta, then evenly layer on the pork. Sprinkle with a third of the basil. Second layer: three sheets pasta (not overlapping) and sauce, followed by a layer of eggplant (not overlapping, but fully covering the pasta); sprinkle with half the mozzarella and a third of the basil. Third layer: three sheets pasta (not overlapping) and sauce, then the mushrooms in an even layer; sprinkle with the remaining basil. Final layer: three sheets pasta (not overlapping) and the rest of the sauce; sprinkle with the rest of the mozarella. Cover tightly with a layer of foil. If you “tent” the foil, it won’t stick to the cheese.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, then let sit for about 10 minutes before uncovering and serving.