Pinterest inspires me almost daily. Whether it's decorations, recipes, or beautiful photos, Pinterest sparks my imagination. This brings me to today's post: Lasagne Wie Gemalt. The beautiful artistry of the dish, along with its use of crepes, peaked my desire to make the recipe. And, of course, I found it on Pinterest!
The original recipe can be found at Chefclub Network: https://www.chefclub.tv/de/Rezepte/original/f768cda2-6595-4f9d-b384-ef5043d3abeb/lasagne-wie-gemalt-werden-sie-zum-k%C3%BCnstler-in-der-k%C3%BCche/ (Use Google Translate, if you can't read German. I can't, so I needed to!) Thanks, Chefclub!
In all honesty, this was not a quick recipe to make, but it was worth the effort. First, I made the crepes following the recipe verbatim. I must have made my crepes a bit too thick, because I didn't have enough of the mixture to make all that were needed. I remade half of the recipe and cooked the remaining crepes.
Next, I chopped the onion and carrots and sauteed them in about a tablespoon of olive oil with ground turkey instead of ground beef. The recipe called for salt and pepper. I thought it needed a bit more flavor, so I added a teaspoon of Italian seasoning, a sprinkling of Seasoned salt, a dash of Montreal seasoning, and a tablespoon of parsley.
The Bechamel Sauce was next, and was something new to me. I found this recipe on Epicurious.com. https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/white-sauce-or-bechamel-sauce-40046 After making it, I decided that it reminded me of making a roux for gumbo. I followed the recipe exactly, except I substituted parmesan for cheddar cheese. Thanks, Epicurious!
Time for the assembly! I lined the dish with crepes, letting the corners hang over the sides to wrap the lasagna. The instructions indicated putting half of the meat mixture and half of the bechamel sauce on the bottom layer of crepes, along with half a cup of mozzarella.
Lay two more crepes on top of that layer.
Add the remaining meat sauce and bechamel sauce with another half cup of mozzarella. Top with two crepes. Fold in the four corner crepes, and add two more crepes on top.
Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and decorate, if desired.
Since the artistry of the dish was the biggest reason I wanted to make it, I tried to decorate the top with ingredients I had on hand: sliced carrots, basil, and rosemary. I just couldn't justify spending another ten dollars or so on decorating ingredients.
The artistry of my final product was not in the same league as the original recipe, but it tasted great! My hubby and son loved it, too.
German lasagna is definitely something I'll make again, adding extra mozzarella on top, and maybe next time I'll do a better job on the decorations!
Take a chance and try something new, have a great Labor Day, and please remember that kindness has the power to change the world!