This week, I want to dedicate this space to my non-meat eating friends. I thought that it would be a nice gesture after the super meat packed recipe from last week. I borrowed recipe from the premiere Italian cooking magazine, La Cucina Italiana and personalized it, like anyone should with recipes. It is definitely a cool-climate recipe and one best suited for winter; let’s call it veggie lasagna, shall we?
Ingredients 4 – 6 people
1 medium sized savoy cabbage
4 large leeks (cleaned, julienned)
7 oz blue cheese (gorgonzola, Cambozola or saga blue preferred. not Roquefort nor stilton)
1 package shredded mozzarella
1 package shredded Monterey jack or parm-mozz blend
4 oz dry white wine
1 small bunch fresh tarragon leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper to taste
Take large, tall pot, fill with water and put to boil. Rinse cabbage and separate leaves, careful not to break them. Add tsp of olive oil to the boiling water and salt. Gently place cabbage leaves, 3 to 4 leaves at a time and scald them for a few minutes. Remove cabbage leaves and place on a flat plate, making sure you rinse them well.
Warm up a non-stick skillet or sautéing pan, add olive oil and half of the tarragon leaves, lower flame to medium, add julienned leeks. Sautee them, when the leeks turn golden (not brown) add wine and remaining tarragon, salt and pepper. Let cook until soft. Let cool.
Pre-heat oven at 350.
In a lasagna pan, coat with a little olive oil (just enough as if you were prepping for baking). Place the first layer of cabbage leaves, add mix of cheese (not the blue), then layer of leeks. Follow with a layer of cabbage, blue, cabbage, cheese (not blue), leeks. Repeat until you have finished the cabbage leaves and leeks. Top with remaining mozzarella and sprinkle with parmesan (you can add plain bread crumbs if you like). Put in oven at 350 for 20 minutes; the last five minutes put on broil setting to brown the top.
Serve as a main course or side with a dry white wine (preferably the one you used for cooking).
Wine suggestions: Pinot Grigio, Verdicchio for a refreshing experience. Pouilly Fuisse’ or Pouilly Fume’ to enhance the blue cheese and tarragon notes. Cabernet Sauvingnon (red) or Shiraz (red) if you prefer reds.
Buon Appetito!