With the holidays coming up and lots of entertaining in the offing, this is a special dish to feed a crowd. There is nothing ordinary about this lasagna. The grilled pepper saffron sauce can be prepared a day or two in advance. The zucchini can be grilled the day before, making the assembly easy on the day of the party. Sometimes I vary this with the addition of grilled eggplant slices.
Grilled Zucchini and Saffron Sauced Lasagna
Serves 8 - 10
Ingredients for the Sauce:
- 700 gr. red bell peppers, about 4 peppers
- 1 Tbl. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 tsp. saffron threads, soaked in 1 Tbl. of hot water
- 2/3 cup soup stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- a pinch of cayenne
Ingredients for the Lasagna :
- 700 gr zucchini, about 6 medium zucchini
- 1-2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 9 sheets of dried lasagna pasta
- 21 fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Directions for the Sauce:
Roast the peppers over a flame until blackened. Set aside until cool enough to handle and then remove the blacked skin. Cut the peppers in half and discard the seeds. Coarsely chop the peppers.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. When hot add the chopped onions and garlic. Sauté stirring for about four minutes or until soft. Set aside.
In a food processor put the roasted bell peppers, the sautéed onion and garlic, and the bread crumbs. Run the processor until you have a finely chopped mixture. Now add the balsamic vinegar, saffron, and it’s soaking water. Turn the processor on and while it is running slowly add the soup stock until you have a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and a pinch of cayenne.
If you are making this ahead of time, refrigerate the sauce up to two days until ready to use. If you are making the lasagna the same day just set it aside, covered, at room temperature.
Wash the zucchini and discard the ends. Slice them length wise so you have long slices about 1/2 cm thick. Brush the zucchini with olive oil on both sides and grill or broil until they are soft and a little browned for 2-4 minutes. Turn the slices to grill the other side. Set aside.
Bring about 4 liters of water and a teaspoon of salt to a boil in a large pot. Add the sheets of lasagna making sure they are separated. Carefully stir from time to time being careful not to tear the sheets. Boil until al dente, about 8 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water.
Heat the oven to 350 F. degrees. Oil a rectangular glass or ceramic oven dish 20 cm x 30 cm. Cover the bottom of the dish with three sheets of lasagna putting them up against each other but not overlapping. Lay a third of the grilled zucchini slices on top of the lasagna. Sprinkle a third of the basil leaves evenly over this and a third of the feta. Pour one third of the roasted pepper saffron sauce on top.
Make two more layers starting with the lasagna sheets, adding the zucchini, basil, feta, and sauce.
Bake for 30-40 minutes in a 350 f. degree oven or until it is bubbling.
Serve with a bowl of grated Parmesan cheese on the table to sprinkle over each serving.
Note: For easy grilling of vegetables and fish I use a device called a “Grill Plate for Gas Stove”. It fits over the burner on my stove. I bought this at Tiara Dewata.
Indonesian Version:
Lasagna Dengan Sukini Pangang dan Saos Saffron
Untuk 8-10 orang
Bahan- bahan :
- 700 gr paprika merah, kira-kira 4 biji paprika merah
- 1 Tbl. minyak olive
- 1 biji bawang bombay, dipotong ukuran sedang, bentuk kotak
- 5 biji bawang putih, dipotong kecil
- 3/4 cangkir roti yang sudah dihaluskan / diblender
- 1 Tbl. cuka balsamik
- 1/4 tsp. saffron, direndam dengan 1 Tbl. air panas
- 2/3 cangkir stok sayur
- garam dan merica secukupnya
- 1 jari bubuk cabe kering
Bahan untuk Lasagna :
- 700 gr sukini, atau kira-kira 6 sukini ukuran medium
- 1-2 tsp minyak olive
- 1 tsp. garam
- 9 lembar mie lasagna
- 21 lembar daun besil segar
- 1 cangkir keju peta dipotong kecil
- 1 cangkir keju Parmesan, diparut halus
Cara Membuat Saosnya:
Panggang paprika sampai matang, kemudian buang kulit dan bijinya dan dipotong sedang. Panaskan minyak dalam wajan yang besar, setelah panas masukkan bawang bombay dan bawang putih, masak kira-kira 4 menit atau masak sampai lemas. Angkat dan biarkan disamping.
Dalam blender besar (food processor), masukkan paprika yang sudah dipanggang, campuran bawang bombay yang sudah digoreng dan roti. Blender sampai halus. Setelah itu tambahkan cuka balsamik, safron dan airnya. Blender lagi, saat blender hidup, masukkan sup stok sedikit demi sedikit sampai semua menjadi mengental atau seperti bubur. Tambahkan garam, merica, dan bubuk cabe.
Bisa bikin saos ini beberapa hari sebelum digunakan, simpan dikulkas.
II. Cuci sukini kemudian potong ujungnya, kemudian potong memanjang dengan tebal ½ cm, olesi dengan minyak olive tiap sisinya, pakai kuas dapur. Kemudian panggang 2-4 menit sampai lemas, panggang kedua sisinya.
Panaskan 4 liter air, tambah 1 tsp. garam. Setelah panas, masukkan lasagna (mie), rebus selama 8 menit sampai lemas. Sekali-sekali aduk. Saring dan bilas dengan air bersih. Jangan robek lasagna.
Panaskan oven 350 derajat F, olesi cetakan yang segi empat dengan minyak olive, kemudian taruh 3 lembar lasagna, taruh 1/3 sukini di atas lasagna, kemudian diatas sukini taruh 1/3 daun besil, 1/3 keju feta ditaburi, dan 1/3 saos paprika.
Kemudian bikin lagi 2 tumpukan yang sama. Biar ada 3 tumpuk, kemudian oven 30-40 menit, harus makan panas.
Parut keju Parmesan 1 cangkir dan taruh disamping.
Catatan: Untuk memanggang makanan saya pakai “Grill Plate for Gas Stove”, bisa dibeli di Tiara Dewata.
All recipes are available on the Bali Advertiser website in both English and Indonesian versions. You can easily copy and paste and print. Paste as unformatted text.
