Lasagna and Eggplant and Berries, Oh My!!

For new years, a group of friends and I decided what better way to break in a new year than with food, wine and spirits? Many ideas passed through our minds, pondering constantly what would suit best for a group of hungry, and possibly inebriated, party-goers.
Salad was a must, and due to my dislike of lettuce and the need for more nutritional adequacy, the salad was a spinach blend with purslane.
Now to go with that? Then, like brilliant ideas always do, it dawned on me; lasagna. A perfect potluck dish, and can be made agreeable to everyone's taste, lasagna was the perfect solution. A snag soon produced in my plan, though easily solved, one person could not each the gluten. Tada! Another way to show off my creativity, I assured him that instead of lasagna noodles, I would use eggplant. Looking blank for a moment, then a flash of excitement shown in him eyes, he was up for it!! To make exactly what I wanted, I started from square one: Making the sauce.

What you'll need:

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  
• 2 Cloves Garlic, cut brunoise
• Mirepoix ( half of a red onion, one carrot and one piece of celery all cut brunoise; depending on what flavor I want to really stand out, I vary the amounts of the vegetables in my sauce.)
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes
• Fresh Basil and Oregano, shredded and added to taste
• Sugar and Salt, to taste

1. Heat the oil over medium/high heat in a saucepan and add the garlic, cooking until the aroma is potent and sweet.
2. Add the mirepoix, cooking 1-2 minutes. Then add the tomatoes, sugar, salt, basil and oregano.
   
3. Cook for approximately 30 minutes on low/medium heat, stirring occasionally and adding more oil as desired.
4. Place in a blender or food processor (I prefer a blender) and blend until desired consistency.
   

What I needed for the lasagnas:

• Freshly made pasta sauce
  
• 1 pkg Lasagna Noodles
• 1 head Broccoli
• 1 Small Bag Fresh Spinach or Half Bag of Frozen Spinach, thawed and drained
  
• 1 bag Boca Meatless Ground Crumbles
• 1 Eggplant
• 8 oz Ricotta Cheese
• 8 oz Mozzarella Cheese
• 4 oz Parmesan Cheese, shredded
  

1. Cook the pasta according to directions (fresh pasta is even more delightful, but that's a few more steps that I really should not discuss here...). While the pasta is cooking, steam the broccoli and thaw the Boca crumbles.
2. Slice the eggplant 1/2 inch thick, cutting off the skin to obtain perfectly rectangular pieces. ***All the steps with the two lasagnas are the same, just instead of pasta, replace with eggplant slices.
   
3. Place sauce on the bottom of a 9" by 11" casserole dish. Place the first layer of pasta down.
4. Add another layer of sauce, then a layer of ricotta cheese and the broccoli (I prefer to mash it so it spreads more evenly).
5. After adding another layer of the pasta, add the sauce, a second layer of ricotta cheese and the Boca crumbles.
6. Place a third layer of pasta, then a mixture of the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and the spinach.
7. Placing your last layer of pasta, cover with remaining mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with remaining chopped herbs.
   
8. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F, then remove foil and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese browns.

Being the last one to the party, since I still needed to dress after cooking, I asked someone to bring the food over to the house for me. By the time I arrived, a majority of the pasta was gone and I was unable to take a picture of my final product. Instead, I added a photograph of the almonds and dried cranberries that I used on the salad.
After heating approx. 2 tbsp honey in a frying pan, I cooked sliced almonds and the dried cranberries, stirring constantly, over high heat to help them caramelize. My secret ingredient? Nutmeg. When added to the top of a salad, this sweet and nutty mixture give the salad exactly what it always wanted; irresistibly and the chance to be the perfect eye candy!!