Dinners with the Readmans

To start off winter break, I got to eat dinner with the Readmans a couple of evenings. The first night I made Mushroom Lasagna (slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen). It was slightly labor-intensive with the bechemel sauce, but I liked how I could prep and assemble it earlier in the day, throw it in the fridge, and pull it out to cook at the Readmans' house. This way we could enjoy the lasagna straight out of the oven, and we could basically relax right before dinner. Or sew...or play video games...or learn how much you have missed about the logistics of helping almost-2-year-old boys go to the bathroom when you didn't grow up with any brothers... Can you guess who was doing which activities?

Year of Yum Rating: 4 1/2 STARS (Joel liked it, too!)

INGREDIENTS
salt
olive oil
3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup (12 tablespoons or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 pounds baby portobello mushrooms
1 cup freshly grated parmesan

DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Bring a large, wide pot of water to boil with salt and a splash of oil, that will help keep your noodles from sticking together as they drain. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Make béchamel: Bring the milk and garlic to simmer in a saucepan, or heat it in your microwave, and set it aside. Melt 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons or 1 stick) butter in a large saucepan. If your name is Deb, you will probably brown this butter, too. Add the flour and cook for one minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon. Pour in the hot milk, a little at a time at first and stirring until combined. Once you’ve added half of it, you can add the second half all at once, along with 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring or whisking frequently, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thick. Set aside.

Prepare mushrooms: Trim the ends of the mushroom stems. Slice mushrooms 1/4-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium in the bottom of the large, wide pot you used to cook the noodles earlier, or in a large sauté pan. Cook half the mushrooms with a couple pinches of salt for about 5 minutes, or until they are tender and release some of their juices, tossing to make sure they cook evenly. Repeat with additional oil and butter, and remaining mushrooms.

Assemble lasagna: Spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 x 12 or 9 x 13 baking dish. (Ina recommends the former, I only had the latter; if you’d like to freeze or give this dish as a gift, remember to use a foil pan). Arrange a layer of noodles on top*, then more sauce (about 1/4 of what remains), 1/3 of the mushrooms and 1/4 cup grated parmesan. Repeat two more times then top with a final layer of noodles, your remaning sauce and last 1/4 cup of parmesan.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. To freeze for future use, allow it to cool completely and wrap two to three times in plastic wrap before freezing.

The next night was a Thursday, which means pizza in the Readman house. I suggested a recipe that I had been interested from Annie's Eats for Mexican Pizza. Lisa has a great, easy crust that she makes, and Lucas is in charge of the grill (I don't know if you were aware of this, but grilling pizza pretty much always raises the level of deliciousness).

I really liked this pizza for what it was. If you are craving traditional pizza with tomato sauce, this might not be the thing to make, but if it's Mexican flavors that you're in the mood for, this fresh, hearty pizza fits the bill! I especially liked the black bean puree that was used for a sauce.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 1/2 STARS


INGREDIENTS
Pizza dough
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (we used 1 2/3 c. cooked dried beans)
½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. cayenne
3 tbsp. chicken broth, veggie broth or water
3 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
3 oz. shredded monterey jack cheese
1 jalapeño, seeded, ribs removed, and diced
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup tomato, seeded and diced
1/3 cup corn (we used frozen)
3-4 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the grill, and roll out the pizza crust dough. Our dough was square! Put the crust on the grill, cook the bottom until slightly golden, and then bring back inside, flip it over, and get ready to top it. Make sure to put the toppings on the side of the crust that's already been cooked.

Combine the black beans, cumin, paprika and cayenne in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until ground into a paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the chicken broth to the food processor and run until a smooth mixture is formed. Spread the bean puree onto the shaped pizza crust in an even layer. Layer evenly with the cheddar and monterey jack cheese. Sprinkle the jalapeño, red onion, tomato, corn and cilantro over the cheese layer.

Put back on the grill. The pizza is done when the side of the crust that's on the grill is cooked, and the cheese is melty. Enjoy!