Getting a good meal can be tough here at Wesleyan: Usdan is crowded and sterile, WesWings is ridiculously overpriced, Red and Black is a long walk away and the epic wait to be seated at the Star and Crescent makes it feel like a trendy New York restaurant—and not in a good way. My solution to this problem? I try as often as I can to cook my own food. I’d much rather spend my points on the ingredients for a simple but satisfying dish than on a Bon Appétit-produced meal that, more often than not, fails to deliver.
As much as I enjoy cooking, though, I don’t usually have a lot of time for it—especially not on weeknights. So I gravitate towards recipes that don’t require a lot of preparation. And I would like to share those recipes with you, dear reader. The message of this column is that it is possible to whip up a tasty and filling meal for yourself in a relatively short amount of time and with a minimum of effort. And the payoff is a lot greater than what you get in return for a swipe of your card at the University Center.
The recipes that I’ll feature in this column will be:
1. Made entirely from ingredients that you can get at Weshop.
2. Quick to make, requiring no more than about a half hour of preparation.
3. Simple—you don’t need to be an experienced cook to make these meals.
And, like the recipe below, they will serve 4-6 people, so you can feed your housemates and friends and still have some leftovers.
Everyone knows that when feeding a crowd, pasta is the way to go: it’s easy to make in large quantities, and different kinds of sauces and cheeses keep it from getting too boring. When I have friends over for dinner, I often make lasagna: I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t like it, and I enjoy the methodical process of layering the noodles, filling and cheese. But, as delicious as ordinary lasagna is, I wanted to try something new. Looking at those logs of polenta they sell in Weshop one day, I thought to replace the noodle layer in lasagna with a layer of polenta. To keep it interesting (and to please all of my vegetarian friends), I added some veggies to the mix. I like to use spinach and red peppers, but you can use anything you like. Canned artichoke hearts (drained and chopped) and frozen peas (thawed) are another delicious combination.
Stay tuned for more quick and easy recipes, and feel free to email me at lrothman@wesleyan.edu if you have any cooking queries. Happy eating!
Polenta “lasagna” with spinach and roasted red peppers
Ingredients:
– 2 logs of prepared polenta
– 1 container (16 oz.) ricotta cheese
– 2 eggs, beaten
– 1 bag (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
– 1 small jar roasted red pepper strips, drained
– 1 package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and well-
drained
– 2 jars tomato sauce of any type
– Salt and pepper
Other items needed:
– 1 deep lasagna pan
– Tin foil
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Slice the polenta into rounds that are about ¼ – ½ in. thick. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, red peppers and spinach. Add some salt and pepper.
4. Cover the bottom of the lasagna pan with a thin layer of tomato sauce (about ¾ cup sauce).
5. Cover the tomato sauce with a layer of polenta rounds, fitting them together as closely as possible.
6. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the layer of polenta.
7. Spoon one cup sauce over the ricotta layer and spread evenly.
8. Cover with another layer of polenta rounds.
9. Spread the other half of the ricotta mixture over the polenta, followed by another one cup of sauce.
10. Cover with one final layer of polenta rounds and one more cup of sauce.
11. Sprinkle the entire bag of mozzarella evenly over the top of the sauce. Cover the pan with a sheet of tin foil.
12. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned, about 10-15 more minutes. Let it cool for about 10 minutes, then slice and enjoy!
Leave a Reply