Josh’s Culinary Endeavors

Lasagna is one of the quickest easiest dishes that always warrants compliments.

Last night I didn’t want to eat leftovers. I saw an eggplant on the counter and decided to make lasagna

1 small eggplant
Pasta sauce
Packaged lasagna
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Provolone cheese, thinly sliced
Ricotta cheese
Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
Fresh basil, chopped
Garlic powder
Crushed red pepper
Salt & cracked pepper to taste

Season both sides of eggplant slices with salt and pepper (removes bitterness)

Combine cheeses, egg, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper in a large bowl. Thoroughly mix.

Pour a small layer of pasta sauce and spread to cover the bottom of baking dish. Add single layer of lasagna. Add a single layer of egg plant. Evenly spread a cheese mixture layer. Repeat layering as many times as desired.

Bake covered in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Allow 15 minutes to cool before serving.

Last night I felt the need to cook comfort food. I threw a twist on classic fettucini alfredo.

Arrabiata Alfredo Pie

Sauce
1 part butter
3 parts heavy cream

Melt butter in pot, add cream, bring to a boil and reduce heat.

Extras
Few cloves garlic, crushed & chopped
Fistfull of fresh basil, chiffonade
Mushrooms, sliced
Prosciutto, slided
Mozzerella & Provalone cheese, grated
Parmesan cheese
Crushed red pepper
1 egg, beaten

Cook fettuccini, drain and cool.
Add all of your extras into pot with pasta. Stir in sauce. Add Parmesan cheese to the point where it seems just like Alfredo. Throw in a few fist fulls of mozzerella and provalone (these are all exact measurements, by the way).

Put ingredients in a buttered baking dish and cook at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Cut and serve like a pie. If you really want to make it healthy, drizzle some additional alfredo sauce over the top. Clos du Bois is a great wine accompaniment.

Gooey, creamy, cheesy, tasty, artery-clogging Italian comfort food.