Sunday night dinner is a big one for Aimée Wimbush-Bourque and her family, and in her fabulous first cookbook BROWN EGGS & JAM JARS she devotes a whole chapter to it. Sunday is for family and friends to hang out, share food and drink wine.
Aimée is an extraordinary chef. Before she left the restaurant industry, she worked at Toqué! one of the best restaurants in Montreal, and her experience translates into brilliant recipes for the home chef. The kitchen is her happy place, and making food is her joy. And I witnessed how true that is for her. We met a few days into her book tour (her latest book THE SIMPLE BITES KITCHEN is another gem) so she hadn’t been cooking for a few days. She immediately relaxed when she started pouring the milk for the ricotta. Check out her award-winning blog, Simple Bites, at: simplebites.net
Recipe for Spinach Lasagna Stuffed Sweet Peppers
If you’re going to make the ricotta, start it first, and then start prepping the stuffed peppers while the milk mixture quietly cooks. You don’t have to stir much, but make sure to watch it, as you don’t want it to burn or boil vigorously.
Ricotta
4 cups (1 L) organic 2% milk
1 cup (250 mL) buttermilk
1 cup (250 mL) half-and-half 10% cream
3/4 tsp (4 mL) fine sea salt
Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and line it with several layers of cheesecloth or a clean tea towel.
If you have a thermometer, attach it to the side of a medium, heavy pot. Make sure the bottom of the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pot. Add the milk, buttermilk, cream and salt to the pot. Place over medium-low heat and slowly bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. This will take 10 to 15 minutes.
As the mixture heats, it will become grainy, and then, somewhere between 195 and 205 degrees F (90 and 96 degrees C), the liquid will separate and small curds will begin to form. When you see cottage cheese-looking curds surrounded by cloudy yellow whey, remove the pot from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
Gently ladle the curds into the cheesecloth. Once most of the curds are in the cloth, tip what remains in the pot into the cheesecloth. Allow the ricotta to drain for 2 minutes for a spreadable cheese. Let the curds drain longer if you want a firmer cheese. Cover and refrigerate in a jar for up to 4 days. The whey can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Spinach Lasagna Stuffed Sweet Peppers
2 tsps (10 mL) unsalted butter
3 ounces (85 g) baby spinach
3/4 cup (175 mL) ricotta
1/2 tsp (2 mL) fine sea salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper
4 medium bell peppers, any colour, washed
1 cup (250 ml) tomato sauce
2 fresh lasagna sheets
1 1/2 (375 ml) grated mozzarella cheese
fresh basil, for garnish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) if you plan on baking the stuffed peppers right away.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook only until it is wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the spinach to a fine-mesh sieve and press out the excess liquid. Chop the cooked spinach and transfer to a small bowl. Add the ricotta, salt and pepper. Mix well and taste for sufficient seasoning.
Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Lightly oil a 13 x 9 inch (3.5 L) baking pan and place the pepper halves in it, cut side up. Spoon 1 tbsp (15 mL) of tomato sauce into each of the peppers . Top that with a small square of lasagna sheet. Divide the spinach mixture amoung the peppers. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella evenly into all the peppers. Repeat with another layer of lasagna noodle and a topping of tomato sauce. Finish with the remaining mozzarella. At this point the peppers can be refrigerated for up to 8 hours.
Bake for 35- 40 minutes or until the peppers are tender when pierced with a knife, and the cheese is melted and bubbling. Allow to cool for a moment before serving as they will be incredibly hot. Top with basil for serving.
