Andrew and Caitlin’s Soppressata Lasagna

Andrew and Caitlin’s Soppressata Lasagna

Serves 8

My co-author, Andrew Friedman, and his wife Caitlin devised this decadent lasagna rather spontaneously, during a trip through their local supermarket. As he tells the tale, they were planning on making lasagna for dinner one night, and got the idea to use slices of soppressata (a slightly-spicy, salami-like Italian cold cut made from cured pork shoulder) in place of ground beef as they strolled past the deli counter. What was to have been a basic lasagna Bolognese (featuring a red meat sauce) became something totally different as they finished shopping, deciding to add mushrooms and spinach in the produce department, and ricotta as they perused the dairy fridge. By the end of their tour, the dish they had in mind no longer included tomatoes at all. The use of a cold cut like soppressata in lasagna is highly unusual, but the flavor it produces tastes familiar because so many lasagnas feature ground meat. It also adds a pleasing saltiness to the entire dish.

 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1¹/₂ cups ricotta cheese

5 tablespoons olive oil

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

12 ounces white mushrooms, cut into small dice

¹/₂ pound fresh spinach, stemmed, well washed, drained, and chopped

12 dried lasagna noodles (about ¹/₂ pound)

¹/₄ pound thinly sliced soppressata

6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, grated (2 cups)

¹/₂ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with the butter.

2. Put the ricotta and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt, black pepper, and the crushed red pepper. Stir and set aside.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Fill a medium bowl halfway with ice water and set aside.

4. While the water is coming to a boil, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until they begin to give off their liquid, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach, and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

5. Add the lasagna noodles to the boiling water and cook until just al dente, about 12 minutes. (You may need to do this in batches.) Drain the pasta and immediately dunk the noodles into the bowl of ice water to cool them and keep them from curling.

6. Drain the cooled mushroom and spinach mixture and add it to the seasoned ricotta.

7. Arrange a layer of pasta in the bottom of the buttered dish (you may need to trim the noodles to fit). Top with one-third of the soppressata, one-third of the ricotta mixture, and one-quarter of the mozzarella. Repeat twice, pressing down each layer gently. Then top with a final layer of pasta, topping it with mozzarella and the parmesan. If not serving immediately, let cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a few days or freeze for up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

8. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the lasagna is golden brown and crispy on top.

9. Remove from the oven, let rest for 10 minutes, cut into individual portions, and serve family style from the center of the table.

VARIATIONS

Salami Lasagna

If you can’t put your hands on soppressata, use a thinly sliced salami in its place.