the best thing i make

apparently it's april, but i'm not sure i believe it.

the wind is still gusty, the air is damp and cold and just a few feet away from my apartment, smith street is decked out for christmas because of a new garry marshall movie being filmed. there are horse drawn sleighs, water-drenched sidewalks, and festive lights everywhere. apparently it's the christmas sequel to valentine's day, which is a movie i'm still planning on seeing never.

christmas in april? that's crazy, right?

actually, it doesn't feel so strange at all.

lasagna anyone?

whenever i need something hearty to last me through a cold spell, i enjoy making my (soon to be) world-famous lasagna. this lasagna is different every time, but one thing goes unchanged every time i make it: a lotta love.

i made lasagna for the first time almost a decade ago for an old boyfriend who couldn't eat gluten. i wanted to do something sweet for valentine's day, and i got inspired while perusing the rice noodle section of the health food store. i figured he probably hadn't had a lasagna in a long long time, and a meal with several layers of carbs in it it seemed like the perfect romantic gesture. at first i was overwhelmed; a lasagna sounded complicated--so many layers, so many choices! there were white lasagnas with béchamel sauce, red lasagnas with 10 layers of cheese, and vegan ones with tofu and nut cheese. eventually, i decided to abandon all recipes, and just go with my gut. i used ingredients that i thought sounded good, and the result was better than everything i had ever made before. in fact, i still think that lasagna is THE BEST THING I MAKE.

the prep usually takes about an hour, and that's partially because i enjoy making it so much that i usually take my time with it. any vegetables at all will do, but the key is using a lot of them. i almost always include a layer of spinach and a layer of portabella mushrooms. i also always make a homemade pesto and add that into one of the layers. sometimes i like to puree sun-dried tomatoes into the ricotta. this is what's so great about lasagna; it can be totally improvised.

the last time i made it, which was a few weeks ago, i included a layer of sweet potato, which i thought was excellent.

as you can see, i sliced them and laid them atop the ricotta, which was a really nice base for the bottom portion of the lasagna. i did another layer of noodles on top of the sweet potatoes with the mushrooms and pesto, and on top of those was another layer of noodles with spinach and eggplant. the eggplant in the lasagna is my secret weapon. i roast it over the the open flame on one of the burners of my oven until the skin is completely charred. once this is done i put it in a closed container for awhile until it has cooled off. once it's ready, i rinse off the outer layer of the burnt skin, which reveals the now smoky flesh. the heat changes the flavor of the eggplant and it becomes earthy and  peaty, which brings a really delicious component to the lasagna (especially with the contrasting bright pesto.) i also like to add some fresh basil leaves in there somewhere.

the top layer of the lasagna has tomato sauce and of course, melted cheese. i used only mozzarella this time but sometimes i like to add some goat cheese as well. once everything is perfectly piled the lasagna goes into the oven for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees. it's important to make sure the noodles are soft, the cheese is melted,  and all the vegetables are cooked through.

i always make enough to feed a small army, which is great because i tend to live off of it for awhile. lately i've been using whole wheat noodles, which i think taste just as good. despite being so decadent, this lasagna is super healthy. i don't go crazy with the cheese and low-fat ricotta tastes just as good. the left-overs can go in the freezer, and always make a perfect dinner on a chilly april evening. 

happy holidays!