Asparagus Lasagna (thinking of Grumblebee here)

[kitchenelf]

Since reading the "to egg or not to egg" question in reference to lasagna I thought I would post this for Grumblebee - I've never made it and I'm sure it came from somewhere on the net. I know it says to use fresh lasagna noodles - I'm sure the texture would be lighter - but..... Also if you don't "do" chicken broth I feel sure vegetable broth would be great.

Asparagus Lasagna

4 lb Asparagus, trimmed
3 TBS EVOO
Fresh lasagna noodles (not dried)
4 TBS Unsalted butter
1/4 c AP flour
1 1/2 c Chicken broth
1/2 c Water
7 oz Goat cheese
1 tsp Freshly grated lemon zest
1 2/3 c Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 c Heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

1.Cut the tips off each asparagus spear and reserve them.

2.Toss the asparagus stalks with half the oil, coating them well, and roast them in a preheated 500 F oven, shaking the pans every few minutes, for 5-10 minutes, or until they are crisp-tender. Sprinkle the asparagus with salt to taste and let it cool. Cut the roasted asparagus into 1/2 inch lengths and set aside.

3. In a saucepan melt the butter, add the flour, and cook the roux over moderately low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the broth and the water in a stream, whisking continuously. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, and whisk in the goat cheese, the zest, and salt and pepper to taste; whisk until the sauce is smooth.

4. Arrange 1 sheet of pasta in the bottom of an 8 in baking dish. Spread with one fourth of the sauce. Top the sauce in each dish with one fourth of the reserved roasted asparagus and sprinkle the asparagus with 1/3 cup of the Parmesan. Continue to layer the pasta, the sauce, the asparagus, and the Parmesan in the same manner, ending with a sheet of pasta.

5. In a bowl beat the cream with a pinch of salt until it holds soft peaks. Arrange the reserved asparagus tips decoratively on the pasta, spoon the cream over the pasta and the asparagus tips, spreading it with the back of the spoon, and sprinkle 1/3 cup Parmesan on top. Bake the lasagna in a preheated 400 F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until it is golden and bubbling. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 2, 8" pans of lasagna.

 

[Piccolina]

Love it, love it, love it! I wish I could dig into this for supper right now. Quickly c&p, thank-you kitchenelf...This will be my first recipe when the next asparagus season kicks off.

 

[kimbaby]

kitchenelf,this is a marvellous recipe mmmm good! gonna put it on the list to try....

 

[pdswife]

another to cut and paste.

Thanks!

 

[Shunka]

This sounds great!! I have a lot of asparagus now too. What would y'all suggest in place of the goat cheese? I have everything else already and would have to drive more than 150 miles to find goat cheese.

 

[grumblebee]

Thank you so much for thinking of something I might like... that is so nice! And you are right on the money with this one - it's just up my alley.

This recipe sounds sooooo good. To be honest, I've never had a lasagna that didn't use a tomato based sauce, so this will be definitely something I have to try. Will substitute a veggie broth for the chicken broth as I don't eat red meat or chicken, but otherwise, this sounds amazing!

I'm going to the grocery store later and if the imported asparagus looks decent and isnt too pricey (its out of season here now so you never know) then I might make this for supper tonight. I'll let you know!

Thanks again.

 

[marmalady]

This is very close to a recipe from Sara Moulton, also in Gourmet - the no-cook noodles make it a snap to make:

Asparagus Lasagna
Recipe courtesy Gourmet Magazine
4 pounds medium asparagus, trimmed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, heated
1/2 cup water, heated
7 ounces mild goat cheese, such as Montrachet
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest, or to taste
6 (7 by 6 1/4-inch) sheets instant (no-boil) lasagna
1 2/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Cut the tips off each asparagus spear and reserve them. Cut the stalks of asparagus into 1/2-inch lengths.
In each of 2 large shallow baking pans toss half the asparagus stalks with half the oil, and salt to taste coating them well, and roast them, shaking the pans every few minutes, until they are crisp-tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Set them aside. Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
In a saucepan melt the butter, add the flour, and cook the roux over moderately low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the broth and the water in a stream, whisking, simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, and whisk in the goat cheese, zest, and salt, to taste, whisking until the sauce is smooth.
Arrange 1 sheet of pasta in each of buttered 9 by 13-inch baking dishes, and spread each sheet with 1/4 of the sauce. Top the sauce in each dish with 1/4 of the reserved roasted asparagus, and sprinkle the asparagus with 1/3 cup of the Parmesan. Continue to layer the pasta, sauce, asparagus, and Parmesan in the same manner, ending with a sheet of pasta.
In a bowl beat the cream with a pinch of salt until it holds soft peaks. Arrange the reserved asparagus tips on the pasta, spoon the cream over the pasta and the asparagus tips, spreading it with the back of a spoon, and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan on top.
Bake the lasagna in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, or until it is golden and bubbling, and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes Inactive time: 10 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

 

[Shunka]

Grumblebee, wish you lived closer; I got asparagus for 99 cents a pound last week. This is one of the peak times here in AZ.

 

[grumblebee]

Grumblebee, wish you lived closer; I got asparagus for 99 cents a pound last week. This is one of the peak times here in AZ.

99 cents/lb? Lucky! I just got back from the store and it was $2.48/lb here! I still bought some though because I began really craving asparagus because of this recipe! I'm going to make it tonight and let you all know how it works out.

- - -

EDITED:

The recipe turned out so lovely! It was delicious. I didn't do the layer of cream on top though... just finished off with more goat cheese, sauce and parmasan. It was quite good though.. and I have LOADS of leftovers because this recipe made A LOT. I think I'll bring some over to my Mom's tomorrow because I'm meeting her for coffee in the morning. We can have it for lunch!