One of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received in my life (I’m sure you’ll think I’m silly), was a phone call from Brian:
“What is this filth? I bit into this store-bought lasagna (if you can even call it that) and could not believe my mind! Where is my homemade New York Spaghetti Pie? You’ve spoiled me!”
Yes, this statement warms my heart.
FOOD is my love language. That’s it.
If I melt your heart with food, you’ll melt mine.
You’ve got me. Forever.
Thus, I thought I’d treat Brian, a bit.
His all-time favorite dessert that I’ve ever made were the Vanilla Fig Rosemary Cheesecake Bars.
He talks about them every so so often, subtly and passively requesting. (What he doesn’t realize is that fresh figs are EXTREMELY rare and hard to come by in Colorado. I’ll buy them when I see them – once every few years! – We really must travel to Italy and Greece, BRIAN – 😉).
Anyway, I did my best with dried figs, this time – capturing the exotic and mystifying aromas and flavors of the fruit of the gods, along with rosemary and Marcona almonds, tangy lemons, spinach, and creamy lemon béchamel sauce for an exquisite vegetarian lasagna!
Lemon Rosemary Almond Fig Lasagna
(Oh, and you’ll see Mr. Brian capturing a long overdue “selfie” while I was away from the camera).
Lemon Rosemary Almond Fig Lasagna
12 sheets ready to bake lasagna noodles
Lemon Béchamel Sauce:
4 Tbs. butter
4 Tbs. flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium to medium-low heat.
Stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes. Stir consistently. Do not burn.
Whisk in the milk until smooth. Keep whisking until smooth.
After a minute or so, add the lemon juice and sprigs of rosemary. Continue to cook over medium to medium-low heat, stirring frequently until desired consistency; just a few minutes more.
Remove the springs of rosemary.
Spinach Fig Mascarpone Filling:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups spinach, chopped
sea salt and pepper
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
1 cup dried or fresh figs, chopped
juice of 1 fresh lemon
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, chopped
In another saucepan (medium to large), heat the oil and sauté the onion until soft. Add the spinach, salt and pepper, and cook again, until the onion is golden brown.
Reduce heat to very low. Add the cheese, figs, lemon juice and rosemary. Stir until well combined.
Cover and cook until everything is soft and super fragrant.
1 cup Marcona almonds
3 cups Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated
zest of 1 fresh lemon
fresh rosemary, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Drizzle about 1/2 cup béchamel sauce over the bottom of a square baking dish.
Top with 3-4 pieces of the oven ready lasagna noodles.
Layer with another few Tbs. of the sauce.
Sprinkle with Parmesan.
Add more noodles.
Next, spread the Spinach Fig Mascarpone Filling.
Top with 1/2 the Marcona Almonds.
Layer with more noodles, sauce, and then cheese.
(I forgot the order) – just keep going and layering until you’re done! That’s the spirit.
Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the top is bubbly and brown.
Chill for several hours and top with fresh lemon zest.
Slice and enjoy (the next day is best – didn’t you know lasagna and soup are ALWAYS better leftover, after flavors meld?) with a garnishing of fresh rosemary sprigs.
