Seafood Lasagna with Roasted Fennel Tomato Sauce

 

I've tried quite a few seafood lasagnas in restaurants over the years but it is difficult to find one where the seafood is not overcooked because of the cooking method. Some others have had quite heavy sauces with far too much garlic or herbs which overpower the delicate taste of the seafood. When adding herbs, I usually do it at the last minute so as not to over-saturate the flavor of the sauce. Truthfully, the mellow anise-like flavor of the roasted fennel is enough in this sauce and you can leave out the herbs if you like.

In this recipe the sweet, rich flavor and perfectly cooked texture of the seafood is what is important. Get all the individual elements right and this is simply the perfect seafood lasagna.

 

Serves 4-6

Roasted Fennel Tomato Sauce

1 to 2 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes diced
1/2 large fennel bulb diced
1/2 medium red onion diced
2 cloves chopped garlic
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp crushed chillies (optional)
Salt and pepper to season

Toss all ingredients together in a shallow baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F. Cook for about 50 -60 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the fennel pieces are very soft and most of the liquid has cooked off and the sauce reaches a good chunky consistency. Puree the sauce in a blender or food processor and transfer to a saucepan.

Add:

2 1/2 cups plain tomato sauce

2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon or dill (optional)

Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Pasta

4- 6 sheets fresh lasagna pasta, cooked

You can use store bought fresh pasta or make your own fresh pasta.
Find a good basic fresh pasta recipe (along with a great recipe for Parmesan Chicken Lasagna) here:
http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/11/parmesan-chicken-lasagne.html

Cut the cooked pasta into about 3x4 inch rectangles. You will need 4 rectangles per serving.

Seafood

Use whatever combination of seafood that you like or is in season. Practically any seafood works in this recipe. In this version, to make about 6 servings I've used:

1 pound cooked lobster, sliced or chunked

1 pound large scallops
1 pound shelled, de-veined  shrimp

I steamed a 1 1/2 to 2 pound lobster for about 15 minutes, let it cool slightly, then removed the meat carefully from the shell and cut it into slices or chunks.

The scallops are lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and pan seared in a hot cast iron pan for just a couple of minutes per side.

I sauteed the shrimp quickly  for only a few minutes with a half clove of minced garlic and a couple of tablespoons of  salted butter.

To construct the lasagna, spoon some sauce onto the individual serving plates and lay down the first layer of pasta. Add a layer of scallops, cover with sauce and add another layer of pasta. Next add a layer of shrimp, more sauce and another layer of pasta. Finally add a layer of pasta, more sauce and the final layer of pasta.

Spoon a little more sauce over the lasagna and top with a 1/4 inch thick slice or two of fresh mozzarella. Melt cheese under the broiler for just a minute or so and serve.

Chicken Chorizo Lasagna

Chicken Chorizo Lasagna

This recipe comes courtesy of Spouse (who I'm told by my 9 year old, doesn't get enough credit for her part in contributing to this blog). Spouse is an excellent cook in her own right and kitchen collaborations are a rule rather than an exception at our house. There are few collaborations in the clean-up department though, as my participation in tidying up the considerable mess I can inflict on a kitchen is rather lacking. She gets full credit for that part of the process! ;)

It was her idea to add chorizo to a lasagna recipe and this one is the result. I love chorizo sausage and it does add great flavor to this delicious lasagna. You can use either fresh chorizo or finely chopped cured chorizo. Other spicy sausage can also be substituted too. (You can also very easily make your own just click here for our easy homemade Chorizo Sausage recipe.) Sometimes like in the photo above, we even use leftover diced grilled chicken instead of ground chicken which I actually prefer.

You can use store bought lasagna noodles (fresh if possible) or make your own from the recipe provided below. If using dry lasagna noodles, I par boil them for 5 minutes before assembling the dish.

Homemade Pasta

4 cups durum semolina

2 cup all purpose flour

8 large eggs, room temperature

Combine flour and durum semolina and make a well in the center. Crack your eggs into the well and using a fork to beat the eggs, slowly begin to incorporate the flour into the eggs until everything is combined into a very stiff dough. You may add a little water to incorporate the dry ingredients if necessary but be careful not to make your dough too loose; it should still be quite a dense dough. Add a little extra flour if the dough is too sticky. The dough should be slightly stiffer than play dough.

Knead for 5 -10 minutes on a bread board, cover in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes , then knead again and allow to rest again.You can use a pasta machine to roll the dough into sheets about 1/8 inch thickness or just a regular rolling pin on a well floured surface.

Boil pasta sheets for 1-2 minutes in salted water before using in the lasagna assembly.

For the sauce:
In a large saucepan sauté for 1 minute:

3 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic

Add:

1 ½ pounds ground chicken (or pork or beef if you prefer)
½ pound chorizo sausage
1 small red onion finely diced

Cook until the meat has slightly browned. Add:

2 large cans (32 oz can) crushed roma tomatoes
½ bunch fresh basil
1 tbsp ground or crushed fennel seed
1 tbsp oregano
1 whole bay leaf
1 large carrot finely grated
½ cup finely diced celery
2 tbsp brown sugar
Salt and pepper to season
½ tsp chili flakes (optional)

Slowly simmer for about 30-40 minutes or until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf.

Ricotta Filling:
16 oz tub ricotta cheese
1 beaten egg
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Mix together well.

Start constructing the lasagna by adding a cup of sauce to the bottom of a large lasagna pan. Add a layer of pasta, half the remaining sauce, another layer of pasta, then the ricotta filling, another layer of pasta and the remaining sauce. Top with a final layer of pasta and

1 pound grated part skim mozzarella cheese

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour depending on the size of your lasagna pan. Let stand for 15- 20 minutes before cutting and serving.