Lasagna... a Little Late

Understatement: It’s been a while. But don’t worry; I’ve still been eating and even cooking a bit. Most recently, (and by that I mean I have over half a pan of leftovers), I made my first lasagna from scratch. Well, this morning someone asked me if I made the noodles – honestly, who does that? I’ll take a little help from Ronzoni, thanks. But other than that, I assembled a pretty tasty layering of spinach (my fear of this vegetable has subsided), mushrooms, and the usual cheeses with a white cream sauce.

I’ve picked up a lot of interesting techniques and terms from watching and reading about food, but one that has continued to scare me is “roux.” I started hearing this word a while back on several Food Network shows, but had no idea what they were talking about. Apparently it serves as the first step in making your own macaroni and cheese, which is something that is still high on my list of culinary aspirations. I love you deeply, Kraft, but there’s something rewarding about answering “yes” to the question, “Did you really make this?”

So in order to answer “yes” to my lasagna, I needed a roux which would, in turn, become a béchamel sauce. Seriously, not that difficult, but somehow butter, flour, and milk together on the stove with simultaneous whisking and pouring made me nervous. I started with a recipe from Emeril Lagasse, which could have been overwhelming – I don’t usually find him to be the every-cook kind of teacher – but this recipe was totally detailed and spelled out how many minutes you should stir anything before adding something new. Good man, Emeril, good man.

Complete with Parmesan and seasoning, I was proud of my homemade cream sauce, but I still had to put the thing together and bake it. Thanks to my newly repaired oven, the baking only took the forty approximated minutes – without having to open and close the door to regulate temperature. I also warmed a Tuscan Ring from Amy's Bread in the village -- still a favorite, that Amy.

After letting it cool, (and cooling myself off with a shower, since I picked the hottest day of the week to use the oven), I was cutting into my pride and joy when my roommate returned from an ugly day at work – really, any Saturday you’re at work is ugly. She was grateful for the supper and even had seconds, so I’m chalking this one up to a success (never mind the photograph, it does not look appealing, I know).

Next week we are going to see “Julie & Julia” and I am, of course, very excited. I read the book before any rumors started that it would be adapted and I have a feeling it will make a great transition. Stay tuned for what I hope (with the help of Meryl-as-Julia) will be a torrent of new cooking adventures.