Pasticciata alle Erbe con Spinaci

I find more and more people in my life who are either vegetarians or who are wanting to cut down on the amount of meat that they eat. Cooking for these friends has forced me to expand my repertoire of vegetarian dishes and I have been enjoying the challenge. This dish is from Lidia Bastianich's Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen. The original recipe called for crepes, but since I didn't want to bother with making crepes, I substituted lasagne noodles. The substitution worked like a charm.

Lasagna Filled with Spinach and Herbs

Lasagna Filled with Spinach and Herbs

(6-8 servings)

1. 1 1/2 pounds whole-milk ricotta cheese
2. Crepes
3. 2 pounds spinach or Swiss chard
4. Salt
5. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6. 3 leeks, white parts only, trimmed, cleaned and chopped (about 3 cups)
7. 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
8. 2 large eggs
9. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10. 1/2 poud mascarpone cheese
11. 8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
12. 20 fresh basil leaves, chopped
13. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
14. Bechamel Sauce
15. 2 tablespoons butter, softened
16. 3 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Spoon the ricotta into a large, fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth or a basket-type coffee filter.Place the sieve over a bowl and cover the ricotta well with plastic wrap. Let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator at least overnight, or up to 24 hours. Discard the liquid in the bottom of the bowl.

Make the crepes (This can be done up to 24 hours in advance.)

Remove the stems from the spinach or chard. Wash and dry the leaves. Stir the grens into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook, stirring once or twice, until tender, about 2 minutes for the spinach or 5 to 6 minutes for the chard. Drain the greens in a colander and rinse them under cold water until cool enough to handle. With your hands, squeeze out as much water as you can from the greens. Chop coarsely.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the leeks and scallions and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Stir in the greens and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Remove and cool.

Turn the drained ricotta into a clean bowl. Whisk the eggs together with 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper, then beat them into the ricotta. Stir in the mascarpone, herbs, and greens mixture until blended.

Make the bechamel sauce, strain it and keep it at room temperature with a piece of plastic wrap applied directly to the surface.

Using the softend butter, grease the bottom and sides of a 13x 9-inch ceramic baking dish. Arrrange as many crepes as necessary, side by side and barely overlapping, so they cover the sides of the dish completely and over hang the sides of the dish by about 2 inches. Part of the bottom of the baking dish will be coverd by the crepes; cover the exposed part some of the remaing crepes. (You will need about ten crepes to cover and overhang the dish as described.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Reserve 1 cup of the bechamel sauce and 2 cups of the grated parmigiano-Reggiano to dress the top of the pasticciata.Spread 1/3 cup of the bechamel in an even layer over the crepes lining the bottom of the dish. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the ricotta filling over the bechamel and top that with another layer of 1/3 cup of the bechamel. Sprinkle about 1/3 cup of the grated cheese over the bechamel. Cover this first layer of filling with a layer of crepes, folding the crepes as necessary to make a nice even layer. Make another filling layer using half the remaining ricotta mixture, bechamel and grated cheese. Top with a layer of crepes. Make the last filling layer using the remaining ricotta mixture, bechamel and grated cheese. Fold the overhanging edges of the crepes over the top layer of filling. Top any uncovered filling with additional crepes.Spread the reserved 1 cup of bechamel in an even layer over the pasticcciata, then sprinkle the reserved 2 cups of Parmigiano-Reggiano over the bechamel.

Bake until the top of the pasticciata is well browned and the edges are crispy, about 30 minutes. Remove and let cool for 15 to 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Note: if you decide to use lasagne noodles, use the no-boil variety. They are lighter than regular lasagne noodles and contribute to the overall lightness of the dish. I boil them anyway since you can't quite gauge the amount of liquid in the recipe.