Lasagna with Smoked Ham and Cabbage

Recipe: Lasagna with Smoked Ham and Cabbage
Page: 136
Date Cooked: April 18, 2011

I love the taste of fresh pasta and try to get it whenever I can. I have however, been intimidated to make it. Quite possibly the reason why it took till recipe #29 to do so. If I wasn't a firm fresh pasta believer before, I most definitely am now!

Ingredients: Spinach, basil, egg yolks, flour, salt, onions, garlic, shallots, red bell peppers, olive oil, pepper, napa cabbage, ginger, ham, butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and mozzarella cheese

Like I previously mentioned, I have never made pasta on my own. Luckily, I was surprised to discover it wasn't as difficult as I assumed. First the spinach was blanched and then completely cooled. The spinach, basil, and egg yolks were all pureed together. Then the flour and salt were added and pulsed together till a ball of dough formed. The dough was kneaded on a floured surface and then set aside to rest for a bit. Since I didn't have a pasta machine (which the instructions call to use), I rolled out the dough to my best ability with a rolling pin. And I think it did the trick!

1. Dough in food processor 2. Kneading on floured surface 3. Rolled out dough

The rolled out dough was then cut into sheets and cooking in boiling water. Once tender they were removed and immersed in cold water to halt the cooking process.

Cooked spinach and basil lasagna sheets

With the pasta done, it was on to the hard part: the filling! Now this recipe is for 8 main course servings and consequently there was a lot of ingredients and a lot of chopping. The onions, garlic, and shallots were thinly sliced. The peppers were stemmed, seeded, and chopped. The ginger was peeled and minced. And finally the cabbage was shredded and ham was sliced into thin strips. *Whew* *Thanks Nathan*

The onions, garlic, and shallots were cooked together until tender. Then the peppers were added to the mix.

Sauteed onions, garlic, shallots, and peppers

The pot was removed from the heat. The cabbage, ginger, and ham were added to the onion mixture. The filling was then salted and peppered.

Smoked ham and cabbage filling

With the pasta and filling ready it was time to layer. A baking pan was buttered and sprinkled with some grated Parmesan cheese. The layers went as follows: noodles --> 1/3 cabbage mixture --> butter --> Parmesan cheese --> 1/3 mozzarella --> and repeat.  The finishing layer of noodles was sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Layers of lasagna

The pan was placed in the oven until the lasagna was golden brown and bubbly.

Lasagna with Smoked Ham and Cabbage

I realize that you may have read this entry screaming at the screen and asking any or all of the following:

• "Ham and cabbage?!?"
• "Where is the tomato?!?!"
• "Where is the ricotta?!?!?"
• "What kind of lasagna is this?!?!?"

My response to you is

• Yes. 
• Not there. 
• Not there. 
• And the amazing kind of lasagna. 

Seriously, I never imagined lasagna would taste soo multi-dimensional. It was different and surprising - but all in a gloriously good way. The filling was phenomenal. I could have just eaten spoons of that. The ginger was also a nice surprise and worked well with the cabbage and ham. It felt fresh and surprisingly light (especially considering the butter, Parmesan, and mozzarella). I would eat and make this again in a heart beat. Oh and the lasagna noodles were perfection - cooked wonderfully and tasted delicious.

Not only am I definitely a fresh pasta convert, but I'm a lasagna convert too!

Enjoy!