Seven Layer Dip for Liz

Well, as I am sure you can tell from the dates on this blog, I have not been posting. Please forgive me, gentle reader. I was feeling really strange last month and thought it was just stress, so I took some time to relax and cut out anything extra, such as this blog. It didn't help, so I ended up going to the doctor and found out I have hyperthyroidism - basically, my body's metabolism is going WAY too fast. Thankfully the doctor put me on some medicine and I am starting to feel better now. One upside to the condition (kidding here, of course) is that I can eat whatever I want and still lose weight!

My dear friend Liz sent me a request for a recipe I used to bring to potlucks occassionally - Seven Layer Dip... or as my Mom used to call it "Bean Plate." Which sounds awful, but is a pretty accurate and concise description of the dish.

Seven Layer Dip (Bean Plate)

1 can refried beans
1 small container sour cream
1 can salsa
shredded lettuce
2 cups (or more) shredded cheese
1 chopped tomato
2 or 3 green onions, chopped
One bag of tortilla chips

Layer all of the ingredients, starting with the refried beans and ending with the onions in a oblong cake pan or any other pan or plate you might like. Serve with tortilla chips.

Variation: leave off the lettuce and add guacamole... or add taco meat, or whatever you like on tacos - make it 10 layer dip if you like!

Lasagna

Me and my brother Izaak watching our new brother Gabriel in his cradle

There are certain food memories that really stick in my mind from when I was very small… a neighborhood kid giving me a Nestle Crunch candy bar when I was about two years old and not allowed to eat sweets… dragging my spoon through cream of mushroom soup and trying to get the next bite before the soup was able to cover the bottom of the bowl again… sharing the wishbone from the Thanksgiving turkey with my uncle Grant (he got the biggest part, and I was so upset I didn’t get my wish that he gave me the bigger part!)

One of these memories was the lasagna that one of my Mom’s friends brought when my brother Gabriel was born. I was about six years old, and I don’t think I had ever had lasagna before. It was so good that this is the touchstone of lasagna I still compare all lasagnas too, especially all vegetarian lasagnas – because this one had no meat in it… and the woman who made it told us we could use tofu (yes, TOFU) for the filling. The unexpected spices in the sauce and the filling are what really make this lasagna stand apart and above all other lasagnas in my mind. Cloves and bay leaf in the sauce bring out the flavor of the tomatoes, and the nutmeg in the filling makes the cheese and spinach pop.



I think of Gabe every time I make this lasagna. He has a family of his own now, complete with his own Gabriel, Jr.





Lasagna

Cook 1 lb lasagna pasta.
Grate 8 oz. mozzerella cheese.

Sauce:
Saute a small onion with garlic. Add a quart of tomatoes and a small can of tomato paste. Season with 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 bay leaf, 2 whole cloves, 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp oregano, and a sprinkle of sugar. Cook until bubbly

Filling:
Mix thoroughly 1 lb. ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, or tofu, 2 beaten eggs, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp pepper. Cook and drain one 9 oz, pkg of chopped spinach. Add this to the tofu mixture.

In a rectangular baking pan, layer ingredients in this order:

1/3 of the sauce
1/2 of the pasta
All of the filling
1/3 of the sauce
1/2 of the mozzarella
1/2 of the pasta
1/3 of the sauce
1/2 of the mozzarella
Parmasan cheese

Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. (I usually end up baking it longer. I also take off the foil at about 30 minutes so the cheese can get a little brown on top.

This is good at the first serving, but even better as leftovers on the next day.