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Assembling the Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

1 box no-boil lasagna noodles

(Passover option: 8 to 10

matzoh boards—less than

1 box)

About 1½ cups arugula-ricotta

filling

About 2½ cups marinara sauce

12 to 16 ounces mozzarella

cheese, sliced or shredded

1 cup grated Parmigiano-

Reggiano cheese

HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease a 9 x 13-inch rectangular baking dish. Before assembly, it’s a good idea to check how the noodles fit inside the dish; ideally, you want a maximum of four per layer (overlapping is totally fine). Passover option: Wet each matzoh under warm running water to moisten. Stack the damp matzohs on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel.

Spoon enough marinara sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish to cover its surface. Place a layer of lasagna noodles side by side, so that they’re snug, on top of the sauce. With a rubber spatula, spread half of the arugula-ricotta filling on top of the noodles, covering the surface, and add one-fourth of the mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Create a new layer of noodles, and this time, spoon in enough marinara sauce to cover the surface, followed by another ¼-cup addition of each cheese.

For the third layer of noodles, add the remaining arugula-ricotta filling, then top with both cheeses.

For the top layer, place the remaining noodles, marinara sauce, and cheese in the baking dish, in that order.

Cover with foil and bake the lasagna until fork tender and bubby, 50 to 60 minutes. At 50 minutes, remove the foil and allow the cheese to brown for a few minutes before removing the baking pan from the oven.

Cut and serve while still hot.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

RISOTTO, TWO WAYS

When it comes to risotto, I owe it all to a guy named Sergio. Ten years ago, I studied at a cooking school in Piedmont, Italy, and Sergio was one of my chef instructors. It was a chilly Saturday morning in March, and Chef decided that it was time for me to learn the fine art of coaxing short-grain rice into creamy submission. What he didn’t tell me was that my maiden voyage on the risotto train would also be lunch for forty.

You might say that Chef poured on the tough love that day. For a few hours, I hated the guy, but I remember everything he taught me.

KITCHEN NOTES: Unless you’ve got a risotto partner at your side, I highly recommend prepping all ingredients before you begin cooking the rice, which requires your full attention. If you end up short on veg stock, you can use hot water in a pinch.

Basic Risotto

INGREDIENTS

5 to 6 cups risotto stock

(Rapunzel unsalted bouillon

cubes are terrific in a pinch;

DIY details follow)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter (Don’t do

butter? Use all olive oil

instead.)

½ medium-size onion, diced very

finely (think baby food)

2 cups uncooked Arborio rice, or

short-grained Carnaroli or

Vialone Nano

¼ cup white wine that you enjoy

drinking (optional)

½ cup grated Parmigiano-

Reggiano cheese, plus more

to taste

½ teaspoon salt

HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

Keep the veg stock warm over low heat while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

In a 10- or 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet (think wide and shallow versus tall and deep), combine the oil and butter and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, stirring with a wooden spoon, being mindful not to let it brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice, coating it with the onion mixture, toasting it for about 1 minute.

If using, stir in the wine and allow it to boil off, occasionally stirring the rice; otherwise, ladle in 1 cup of the stock and stir the rice with a wooden spoon until the liquid is almost completely absorbed.

Ladle in more stock, in ½-cup increments, stirring constantly to keep the rice from sticking and helping it to release its starch, for a creamy result. With each addition of liquid, you’ll notice the rice transforming from hard pellets to creamy yet al dente morsels. Estimate 25 to 30 minutes after first addition