This is my entry to Presto Pasta Nights.

This is an unusual lasagne, with plenty of cheese and the flavor of both pesto and artichokes to add a little wow.  I came up with it because the local store was clearancing cans of artichokes for $1 each..who could resist all those artichokes? Not me.  So, you might just plan on seeing more recipes with artichokes because I bought a lot of cans! I think lasagne is Marc’s favorite food, well I know it is.  No matter where we go he will get lasagne if they have it.  If not he is happy with steak or a burger..or enchiladas if it is Mexican food but lasagne is first choice.

I found out that lasagne is also spelled lasagna.  Apparently lasane is the plural  so it would be one lasagna noodle and six lasagne noodles.  Lasagna, lasagne…whatever.  The result is always amazing.

Artichoke Pesto Lasagne

Artichoke Pesto Sauce

• 1 8 oz can artichoke hearts
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large can organic marinara sauce
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Combine the artichokes, basil, walnuts, lemon zest, juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Chop the ingredients fine, stopping the machine a few times to scrape down the sides. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Stir in the marinara.

Transfer the artichoke pesto to a large bowl and stir in the cheese.

Lasagne

• 9 lasagne noodles cooked
• 1 lb ricotta
• 2 eggs, beater
• 1/4 c heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups mozzarella
• 1/2 lb hot Italian sausage, chopped and cooked
• 2 8 oz cans artichoke hearts chopped
• Recipe for Artichoke Pesto above

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Mix the ricotta with the two eggs and 1/4 cup of cream until well mixed.
3. Put a thin layer of the pesto sauce on the bottom of a 13×9 inch pan.  Lay 3 lasagne noodles vertically, next to each other, in the pan.
4. Arrange the artichoke hearts and the sausage over the the noodles.  Sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella.
5. Cover with 1/2 of the sauce.
6. Add another layer of noodles.
7. Spread with the ricotta mixture and sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzerella.
8. Cover with the last three noodles.  Pour the remaining sauce over the top.
9. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.
10. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake 20 more minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and lasagne is heated all the way through

Serves 9-12 depending on appetites

images: marye audet (C)2009, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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(c)marye audet 2008

O.k. I admit it.  This is nothing more than macaroni and cheese.  I promised the kids macaroni and cheese and there was no way I could change mid stream…

Or was there?

I love artichokes any way that they are made and I have from the very first time I had them.  That was way back when Marc and I were first married and living just off Presidio in Monterey California.  Let me tell you, it might be a fantastic place to honeymoon but it is EVEN BETTER place to spend the first four months of marriage!

This is your basic macaroni and cheese with mozzarella and a good Parmesan substituted for the cheese you would normally use.  And, of course, the addition of artichokes.  I think that this would be fantastic with a spinach and walnut ravioli in place of the macaroni.

This is an awesome vegetarian dish, perfect for a lunch or light dinner.

This is my entry to this weeks’ Presto Pasta Night, hosted by C, of Foodie Tots.  For more information about Presto Pasta check out the  Presto Pasta Website.

Artichoke & Parmesan Pasta

• 1 lb pasta, cooked
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• 1 large can artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup milk or half and half
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute the onion in a little olive oil until transparent.
2. MIx the onion and the cooked pasta in a buttered 13×9 inch casserole dish
3. Add the artichokes and combine well
4. Pour the milk over the pasta mixture and stir it in.
5. Add the cheese, salt and pepper
6. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes

This serves about 8 people at my house but it is probably more like 12-16 servings.  It freezes well so make a batch and divide it up for a couple of meals.

image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

This is my entry for Ruth’s Presto Pasta night!Hey I am getting good, two weeks in a row.

This was inspired by the fact that I had an eggplant in the fridge that was threatening to grow fuzz, a few leftover mushrooms, and a can of artichoke hearts. Not a very poetic beginning but wait until you try the end result! This lasagne is buttery-creamy and very rich. At the same time it is light because of the lack of meat. You can adjust the cheese however you want but I used a lot. I just like a lot of cheese! This made a 13x 9 inch pan, which was 12 servings..but I would be more likely to have only 9 servings and have them bigger. Our family eats a lot.

Served with a salad, some crusty bread, and something sweet for a finish this is spectacular vegetarian fare that even the dyed int he wool carnivores will love.

Eggplant Artichoke Lasagne

1 medium eggplant, diced and steamed until tender

1 can artichoke hearts

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 purple onion, chopped

1/2 lb mushrooms sliced

3 slices of stale bread

Olive oil for sauteeing

6 lasagne noodles, cooked

2-3 cups of mozzarella, grated

1/4 cup parmesan, grated

1/3 c fresh basil, chopped

1/3 c butter, melted

drizzle of heavy cream

Saute garlic and onions in olive oil until soft. Add eggplant,  artichokes, basil, and mushrooms. Saute stirring constantly until vegetables are very tender.n Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Make bread crumbs from the bread and mix in.

Drizzle oil in the bottom of 13×9 pan. Lay 3 lasagne noodles across the bottom. put about 1/2 c mozzarella over top, then the vegetable mixture.

Sprinkle about 1/2 c mozzarella and 1/4 c parmesan over the vegetables.

Lay three noodles over top. Drizzle with cream and melted butter, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Serves 12

image:Marye Audet

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March 29 is Marc and my 28th anniversary. Oh my gosh, where did the time go? I know that is such a cheesy thing to say..but it is so true. I can’t imagine that we are now grandparents dealing with disability payments and bad backs.

I was a month away from twenty, and he was two months away from twenty one when we got married. It was on a Saturday because we could not get leave time. Our best man did not show up..so one of the other guys got drafted to be best man. I made the cake. The detachment took up a collection to pay for the reception. Ah, good times.

Well, our kids took up a collection, and are sending us to a nice hotel for an overnight. The have plans, because they told us that there would be a knock at the door at 7:30 and we should answer it.

This is the third time in 28 years we have been away together. He is still eye candy to me, I think I am still eye candy to him.. to the point that our kids joke about us “making out” in the kitchen…or den…or…. They roll their eyes but they smile. No matter what else is going on it’s o.k…Mom and Dad are in love.

I am packing a few things in my suitcase I have not had opportunity to wear since my oldest daughter and her family moved in and lack of privacy became the norm. If you are young, just married or getting married, it doesn’t have to get boring…It doesn’t have to get mundane. But it is your choice. You get out of a relationship pretty much what you put into it. We have worked hard over the years at our marriage and it is easy to be in love now…There were times when it was not so easy. That is what commitment is about.

I watch my daughter and her husband, married 7 years, with a third baby on the way..they have to work hard at their marriage..they are still in the building stage. I pray for my son, 23 and not married..he is afraid that he will not find what his dad and I have…but I think he is also afraid of the investment that goes into it. The rest of the kids have a ways to go, and I hope that they will ultimately find the best mate for them. And I hope that they will work hard to make things work.

Our work is behind us. We are in the best years of our marriage. I am not a size six, and Marc’s hair is thinner than it used to be…but they are the best years because we are reaping. We are gathering in all the investments of time, and communications, and forgiveness..and enjoying the easy life…and each other. Geez,the man is hot. And it isn’t my cooking that kept him home all these years…

So, there will be no Saturday Surfing this week, here or on Kettle and Cup. I will be spending time with the most awesome, hottest, sexiest, most fascinating guy on the earth…When I get back Saturday afternoon I will be making my Daring Baker’s challenge item to post on Sunday. Have a fabulous weekend!

Here is a recipe, actually one of the first things i ever made as a new wife. I hope you enjoy it…..

Champagne Breakfast Casserole, circa 1980

Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
4 shallots, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1½ cups organic chicken broth
¾ cup good Champagne
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup sour cream
10 eggs, beaten

Filling
5 cups cubed day-old French bread
¼ cup butter, melted
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
12 ounces ham, cubed
1 can artichoke hearts, cut up

Grease a 13×9 baking dish

Melt butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the flour and mix well. Stir in broth, Champagne, nutmeg, and black pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir frequently. Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream.
Place eggs in a large bowl. Temper the eggs by adding a small amount of the hot mixture to them. Beat egg mixture into sauce.

Put bread cubes in the bottom of the casserole dish. Pour the melted butter over the bread cubes and top with cheese, artichokes, and ham. Pour egg mixture over top. Cover casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350F. Uncover casserole and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serves 10 to 12….Or a couple of hungry Marines.

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This is a Phase 1 Recipe.

Firts let me just say, that personally I am vehemently opposed to any form of low fat or fake food item (such as sugar substitute). I really believe that these things add to the problem of overweight and ill health in the United States. To me, eating fresh, ORGANIC foods the way that they were meant to be eaten, without chemical processing or hormones, and eating them in moderation is the key to being healthy and maintaining a healthy weight.

Saying that, my two choices for weight loss in my own life when I want it to come off quickly are Atkins and South Beach.

So, I will post a South Beach Friendly recipe weekly. I do want to encourage you, though, when you have lost the weight you wish to lose ditch the fake sugar and low fat and learn to eat moderate amounts of good foods.

Baked Artichoke Hearts

Originally from The South Beach Diet Cookbook

18 ozs of Artichoke hearts

1 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tbs *pistachios, ground

2 tbs grated parmesan

1 tbs chopped fresh basil

1 clove garlic, *roasted and smashed

1 tsp extra virgin organic olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a small gratin pan or 9″ pie plate with cooking spray.

Drain the artichoke hearts if canned, thaw and drain if frozen, pat dry if you steamed them from fresh (which is the best way). Place n the gratin pan and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Combine the parmesan, pistachios, basil, garlic, and oil and mix well. Sprinkle over artichokes. Bake 15 minutes until golden.

4 servings

Per serving:

Calories 100

6 g fat

5 g protein

12 g carb

8 g fiber

170 sodium

0 cholesterol

* Original recipe called for pecans. I prefer the taste of pistachio in this, and it cut the calories a smidge. If you substitute pecans add 10 calories per serving.

** Original recipe called for minced garlic. Roasting enhances the flavor alot. To roast garlic plan on roasting alot at once and storing it or roasting when you bake something else. Preheat oven to 425°F degrees, remove most of the skin on the garlic, rub down with olive oil, place in pan, cover & bake for 35-45 minutes.

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Couple that ambiance with a steaming casserole, a loaf of french bread, a crisp salad, and maybe a pear crisp …add an after dinner espresso with a perfect chocolate truffle on the side..Well couldn’t you at least imagine you were in the French countryside? I could!

Try this casserole in that menu and see what you think. You can assemble it ahead and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. You can also use it as a side dish to roast chicken or pork.

Artichoke, Portabella, and Potato Gratin
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large artichokes (or 2 cans of marinated artichoke hearts)
2 pounds Yukon Gold, red skinned, or other thin skinned potatoes, thinly sliced
4 large portabella mushroom caps, thinly sliced
8 ozs cream cheese or mascarpone cheese cut in small chunks
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup cream (or half and half..but I like cream better)
1 white onion, sliced in rings and sweated in butter until transparent.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush 13×9x2-inch glass baking dish. To trim artichoke, add the juice from half a lemon to a large bowl of cold water. Cut off the artichoke’s stem; rub cut surface with the other lemon half. Peel off all the leaves. Cut off top one inch of artichoke. Using a spoon with a serrated edge, scrape out the fibrous choke from the center. Rub the artichoke all over with lemon and drop it into lemon water. Drain before using.

Or….Use the canned marinated ones.

Slice artichoke hearts. Arrange half of potatoes in dish, covering bottom completely. Top with half of artichoke hearts and half of mushrooms. Sprinkle half of cream cheese over. Sprinkle with half of garlic, salt, and pepper, then 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Cover with remaining mushrooms, then artichokes, cream cheese, garlic, 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Top with remaining potatoes. Pour cream over; arrange onions over top. Cover dish with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F. Sprinkle top with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake uncovered until potatoes are tender and top is brown, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.
Serves 6-8

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