Ladies Night

I was feeling the need for vegetables yesterday when I invited the girls over for dinner, so I decided to make a vegetable lasagna. While technically not a lasagna (yes I looked up the actual definition of lasagna "1. large, flat, rectangular strips of pasta, 2. a baked dish consisting of layers of this pasta, cheese, tomato sauce, and usually meat" though the definition did go on to say that lasagna comes from the Italian 'lasania' which is a cooking pot - I guess maybe the word origin fits what I actually made more then the true definition.

What I came up with was layers of vegetables and a roasted garlic ricotta on top of a polenta base. Vegetarian and gluten free friendly, though non of us follow either of those lifestyles. It came out quite tasty, but I'll admit a little more liquidy then I would have liked. I should have cooked all the vegetables before assembly - I only cooked the mushrooms, lesson learned - next time i will roast the sliced vegetables first.

Ingredients:

1 quart part skim ricotta cheese
1 lbs block part skim mozzarella cheese
1 head garlic
1 medium eggplant, sliced width wise
2 small zucchini, sliced length wise
3/4lbs of portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 cups spinach leaves
2/3 cup polenta, dry
4 cups hot water
olive oil
salt and pepper
dried thyme

1. Slice the top of the garlic head off, place garlic head on a piece of tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap with tin foil. Set oven to 400 and put garlic in oven - let roast for about 45 minutes until whole garlic head is soft to squeeze. Let cool.
2. Squeeze garlic cloves into the food processor and combine with ricotta cheese until smooth, season with salt and pepper.
3. Boil 1 1/2 cups water. Add polenta meal. Stir continuously to combine. Meal will absorb all fluid, gradually add more water 1/2 cup (continuing to stir) at a time until polenta meal is completely bloomed, you may need to use more then 4 cups water. When you taste the polenta it should not be gritty or taste mealy - that is when you know it is ready, will take about 30-40 minutes.
When ready - spray bottom of Pyrex dish with PAM. Pour polenta over bottom of pan.
4. Saute sliced mushrooms in some olive oil, salt and pepper and a pinch of dried thyme if you have it. Cook until soft about 10 minutes.
5. Spread some ricotta over the top of the polenta. Layer with zucchini strips. Add spinach on top of zucchini.
6. Evenly distribute slices from half the block of mozzarella cheese over the spinach leaves, then cover with ricotta. Place eggplant rounds down next, spread mushrooms, cover with remaining ricotta and top with remaining mozzarella slices. cover and bake on 350 for 90 minutes, uncover and bake 10 minutes more.

ENJOY!!! with good friends and some good bread :)