Lasagna with vegetables and beef with Soubise sauce

One of the restaurants where I had the "opportunity" to work recently, in his letter had several pasta dishes accompanied by sauce Soubise. I was pleasantly surprised to find in the letter because it is a classic little used, and made the next day at work was excited, thinking I would find the truth in the kitchen I think. But to get there I realized that this restaurant was not just another "VIP" or other "Ginosa" more: almost everything was pre-cooked and the sauce Soubise was just a cheese sauce. So I decided to put the recipe here with one of my favorite dishes.

Sauce Soubise

Two onions
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
500 ml of milk
Nutmeg
1 / 2 teaspoon sugar
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
6 tablespoons crème fraîche

Soubise sauce created in the eighteenth century, Bertrand, the cook of Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise. It consists of melting the butter in a small pot on the fire, then add flour and cook one minute. Then add the milk stirring constantly to avoid lumps are created and enter the onions cut in half or quarters. After ten minutes remove the onions and saute in butter. When tender, shred and add to the sauce with a little sugar, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Then we let it boil another 10 minutes to thicken and then add the crème fraîche.

Tomato reduction

1 kg of crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
Oregano or basil (preferably fresh)
1 clove garlic
1 / 4 olive oil
Salt

Pour oil in large skillet with the garlic. When you throw a little gold crushed tomatoes with remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat, stirring for about an hour. Add a little more oil if necessary.

Lasagna

1 eggplant
1 zucchini
1 package pasta plates
Sauce Soubise
Ketchup
300 g minced beef
Olive oil
Salt

Peel eggplant and cut into slices. Do the same with the zucchini without peeling. Normally I prefer to leave the vegetables with skin, unless they have been in direct contact with the earth, but for cutting lasagna is then more comfortable, I prefer removing the skin of the eggplant for this development. Make the vegetables to Grilled with a little oil and a pinch of salt. Reserve the vegetables for later use.

In a skillet with a little oil, cook ground beef with a little salt and, when well done, add 4 tablespoons of tomato we've already developed.

Then, in a baking pan approximately 30cm x 20cm with about 6 cm deep, into the bottom base of tomato sauce on top, covering the bottom, a layer of pasta plates. Place a layer over the vegetables to the plate and behind it, a layer of meat. Repeat the operation several times, layer pasta, vegetables, layer, layer of meat and final layer of pasta and cover with sauce Soubise.
The get in the oven to 150 º C for 20-30 minutes.

Spanish food

Many of you have asked simple recipes, ours, so here goes one.

Tomato Beef

1 onion
1 green pepper
2 garlic cloves
500 g of crushed tomatoes
300 gr pork / veal
salt
oil
pepper

Cut the garlic and onion in brunoise (diced small), put them into a pot with a little oil, add a little salt (to sweat the onion and brown better), and both expect to take a golden color . So also add pepper cut into small pieces and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add the meat cut into 2x2 cm cubes and season. When meat is browned add the tomatoes with a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt.
It will be only cook over medium heat until meat is tender. By then the tomato will be on your point and you just have to dip bread.

The sun's energy

When he was just a few months I gave my nephew half a cherry tomato. At first, when tested, closed her eyes tightly and thought I had not liked too much, but the latter, as I was still holding the fruit, took my hand and began to eat. Then I said: "Of course you like, in tomatoes is all the sun's energy."
For if the Church forbade its consumption by a fruit considered satanic, that it must be good. The apple of love, as he was known, became popular for their supposed aphrodisiac properties, but until the seventeenth century did not become common in European tables.
Tomato sauce, tomato sauce, crushed, ketchup, gazpacho, tomato jam ... I think I can not imagine what our kitchen before the Spanish conquistadors brought us American. So today I dedicate this space, but I will talk about a way to use tomatoes still apparently has not spread too much: the dried tomatoes or dried.

The dried tomatoes, concentrating on it all its properties, is extremely tasty. Regrettably in our country are very difficult (if you travel to Italy do not forget to buy!). It is easier to find and hydrated and oil ... but you know: if we can make ourselves better.
Dry them is not too complicated, in summer we can harness the sun to dry (sun-dried are much good) but in winter we have to resort to the oven.

How to oven dry tomatoes?

Use a medium-sized tomato. I like pear tomatoes, but there are so many that the issue is just to test. In a baking tray open put all the tomatoes in half and we add a little salt and sugar. We put in an oven at 60 º C and leave them until they are dry. This process is very long (about 4 or 5 hours, it all depends on the size of tomato), so I advise to do too much at once, so take advantage of energy. Where are dry and cold can be used for anything. I like to take 3 or 4 in my tomato sauces before shred or cut into four fish stews.
But a great option is to keep putting them in oil and vacuum. The first thing to do is rehydrate the tomatoes about 15 minutes in warm water to 1 hour in cold water. After the secaremos well, will be entered into a canning pot and we add fresh basil leaves, some oregano, some peppercorns, salt and if you will, a few grains of cumin and a crushed whole garlic (a matter of taste , I love garlic) or the boats we'll enter the water bath for 1 hour after the water begins to boil.

Salad with dried tomatoes, caramelized apple and walnut vinaigrette and ham

Finally I advise you to cultivate your own tomatoes ever, see how they are slowly putting red is a wonderful thing.

I'm staying with my favorite tomato recipe, a good tomato of Los Palacios with salt and Arbequina olive oil. There is nothing good.