LASAGNA

Reheating time: 7-12 minutes

Conceptualizing vs. executing- both incredibly important pieces of the process, both equally challenging in their own ways. I can’t decide which part is more fun, so I won’t! The whole thing is awesome. This is such a cool job. Basically, tonight’s dinner came into existence one afternoon when Rachel said “what about like a squash and sausage and kale lasagna type thing”- and we ran with it. The idea? Simple. The execution? Not so much- but when something comes together, and turns out even better than you thought, it’s a big win for everyone involved. When we were portioning the lasagnas this morning, the kitchen was filled with “oooohs” and “aaaaahs” as we reveled in the layers of deliciousness. With some bad-ass focaccia, and a simple-but-delicious tomato salad, tonight’s dinner is sure to impress. Take a deep breath, preheat that oven, and get in there!

For the lasagna:

There’s the quick and easy way, and the longer-but-more-rewarding way to heat this up. Both require your oven preheated to 375F. Quick way starts in the *gasp* microwave- place the pieces of lasagna on a microwave safe plate, and nuke ‘em for 2-3 minutes to take the chill off. I recommend stabbing the lasagna pieces with toothpicks to hold the layers together and prevent them from falling apart/sliding around. Carefully transfer them to a casserole dish, and bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes till they are gooey and hot. Make sure to give it a test to see if the inside is hot- times can take longer depending on the strength/type of oven you have at home. The longer way is simple, just takes a bit, well, longer. Place the pieces in a casserole dish and bake them in the oven for 10-15 minutes. They will crisp up on the edges, and the longer time in the oven will make everything all caramelly and delicious. Once they’re hot, set them aside till you’re ready to plate!

For the tomato salad:

Greenhouse tomatoes! Not even close to the fresh, summer offerings, but hey. Locally grown, and still delicious. These ain’t no California tomatoes. Empty the contents of your box into a mixing bowl, dress it with the shallot balsamic vinaigrette, season with some salt and fresh cracked pepper, and give it a toss! 

For the focaccia:

I would recommend toasting up these pillows of glutenous goodness, and definitely don’t skimp on the butter. Nothing better than fresh baked, toasted focaccia smothered in butter. I’m a big fan of tomato sandwiches (breakfast of champions), so feel free to follow my lead and jam a few pieces of tomato and mozz in between your focacch. You will not be disappointed!

To plate:

Seems simple, because it is. I would actually call this bowling, not plating, because if you ask me, bowls are better than plates. Especially for stuff like this. Lasagna? Bowl. Tomato salad? Another bowl. Focaccia? Well, if you made it this long and you haven’t eaten all the focaccia yet, good job. It’s the perfect vessel for wiping your plates clean. Or bowls, rather.

Don’t forget to snap a pic and share it on social media 🙂

CURRIED ORZO BOWL

Thanks for ordering!

This past weekend I was made aware of a pretty funny remark that was made about me- I’m sure you will know who you are, and this is in no way a bad thing- it’s actually hilarious. I forget what we were talking about, but somehow Rach mentioned to me how I like eating everything cold- and when I denied this fact, she was like “look, even this person agrees” and basically showed me some instagram conversation where she and some member of the WECO fam were laughing about how “oh, Gavin would probably just eat this cold”. I didn’t really think about it before, but yes, I think there is merit to eating some things cold. The same way heat can emphasize certain flavors, eating cold food can bring out more subtle ones. Tonight’s orzo bowl is a good example of this- how textures and flavors, when cold, can have a completely different feeling than hot. With that said, you can always heat it up- but, continuing with my alleged mantra here, “I would probably enjoy this cold”. I’m going to get that tattooed on my forehead. So, mix everything up in a bowl (Gavin-style), dollop the tahini on top, and delve into a (cold) bowl of deliciousness. Or heat it up. I don’t even know anymore.