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Green and White Lasagna

Making lasagna has never been easy for me, even with my Italian stepmother's terrific recipe; either it's too dry or too soupy. Although this recipe uses more dairy than I would like, it comes out deliciously perfect every time. When fresh basil isn't available, I use a tablespoon of pesto from my freezer and add it to the sauce.

Basil Cream Sauce:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons unbleached white flour
1 large clove garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon each: white pepper, nut cayenne pepper
3 cups lowfat or skim milk (1 prefer 1% milk)
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, snipped with a scissors into strips
14 lasagna noodles

Filling:

2 ten-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 fifteen-ounce container lowfat ricotta cheese
1 cup provolone or mozzarella cheese, grated (I used smoked mozzarella for more flavor)
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese*

Topping:

1 cup Provolone or Mozzarella cheese, grated

Sauce: In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour, garlic, and spices. Keep whisking on medium heat for about one minute to cook the flour. Stir in the milk and whisk until smooth. Keel stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened, at least 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and basil. Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the sauce and set aside.

Preliminaries: Preheat oven to 375°F. Boil water in a large soup pot; add the lasagna noodles. Boil until tender; about 10 minutes. Drain and lay the pasta out on a non-terrycloth dishtowel.

Place the spinach in a colander and press out the water. In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta and egg; stir in the cheeses and spinach.

Assembly: Have ready a 9"x13" baking pan. Pour the sauce into a glass measuring cup. Spread 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of the pan. Put down 4 noodles lengthwise, overlapping the edges if necessary. Spread one-third of the filling over the noodles. Repeat the order two more times. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes until the top is lightly browned and the lasagna is bubbly. Don't overcook. Cool for 15 minutes before slicing. Cut into squares and serve.

*I use Pecorino Romano cheese for all my Italian cooking. It has a stronger flavor than Parmesan so less cheese is needed.

Tomato and Mozzarellla Salad (serves 4)

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