I recently picked up Art Smith's cookbook Back to the Table at Bookmans. He is definitely one of my favorite chef personalities. He's been on multiple episodes of Top Chef and seems like such a nice guy, and his food always looks great too. I love that his food isn't too fancy, just good, homestyle dishes made with love. I've thumbed through some of the recipes in the book, and they don't seem to complicated and I've already bookmarked a few I want to try.
First round was his Spring Vegetable Lasagne. The photo in the book made this look amazing. This probably would have been better to make in the spring since it isn't asparagus season right now, but this dish is perfect on a cool evening, like tonight.
This was my first attempt at a bechamel sauce. I've seen it done countless times on television, though I have never done it myself. It is actually quite simple. You basically start with simmered milk and then mix it into a roux. Continue to whisk, and ta-da, you have a thick, creamy, delicious bechamel sauce. This sauce is delicious. I ended up licking the bowl with leftover sauce. It would be perfect just to simply mix over pasta.
The end result of this dish is a definitely thumbs up. It is a little time consuming because there are quite a few steps, but it is fairly simple and the end product looks, and tastes, amazing. My photo does not do this dish justice, it looks pretty sad, but trust me, it tastes great.
Spring Vegetable Lasagne
from Back to the Table by Art Smith
Bechamel Sauce
3 c. milk
1 small onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed under a knife and peeled
3 sprigs fresh thyme
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
Lasagne
1/2 grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb asparagus, trimmed a cut in half lengthwise if thick
3 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled a cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds
12 oz lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups shredded Italian Fontina cheese
4 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
To make the bechamel, bring the milk, onion, garlic and thyme to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and infuse for 10 minutes. Strain, discarding the solids.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and let bubble without browning for 2 minutes. Whisk in the warm milk and bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking often, until the sauce is smooth with no taste of raw flour, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sauce to keep a skin from forming.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Using a skimmer, transfer the asparagus to a bowl of ice water. Drain and pat dry.
Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. Cook until barely tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Toss the pasta with oil.
Reheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Spread a thin film of the bechamel sauce in the bottom of the dish. Arrange 3-4 pasta sheets in the pan, slightly overlapping and trimming as needed. Spread with one third of the sauce, half each of potatoes, asparagus, Fontina cheese, and prosciutto. Top with another layer of pasta, half of the remaining sauce, and the remaining potatoes, asparagus, Fontina, and prosciutto. Finish witha layer of pasta and spread with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and dot with the butter.
Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot.
