ingredients
black beans – 1 can
frozen corn – 1 bag
cilantro – 1/3 to ½ of the bunch
scallions – 3 or 4
celery – 3 stalks
lemon – 1
vinegar – a couple of shakes
olive oil – a drizzle
salt – just a pinch

directions

-- empty the can of beans in a colander and rinse well

-- put the frozen corn in a bowl with some water and microwave 1-2 minutes to thaw (don’t cook the corn)

-- finely chop the cilantro.

-- slice the scallions lengthwise and chop into small pieces.

-- slice the celery lengthwise 3 times and chop into small pieces.

-- put everything into a bowl. Juice the lemon and add to bowl. Add the oil, vinegar and salt. Mix well and enjoy! It keeps for 3 days (it’s better the second day).

serving suggestion

grill an onion and a veggie burger, slice an avacado and a tomato for a quick dinner on a warm summer night.

RECIPE: Jen's famous lasagna

thoughts on lasagna -- a labor of love

Lasagna might be my favorite thing to cook, and it's certainly one of my favorite things to eat. I've been making them for years and every time I make one a little differently, but and below is recipe for a basic lasagna. Sometimes I make it with hot Italian sausage or with sliced meatballs. In the summer I make my sauce with fresh tomatoes.

Basically my theory is that a lasagna is only as good its ingredients. This isn't a meal I can make on the fly, I have to go to the farmers market for the artisan cheese, to the fancy grocery store to get good-quality tomatoes and pasta, and to the liquor store for a nice bottle of red. Also, it's not cheap (the cheese alone costs me over $20)! But you can get lots of meals out of it -- it freezes awesome.

First is my recipe for a basic sauce -- make sure you add the wine, it really makes a difference!



sauce ingredients:

-- large saucepan (6+ quarts)

-- olive oil

-- can of whole tomatoes

-- can of crushed tomatoes

-- can of pureed tomatoes

-- garlic

-- bay leaves

-- crushed red pepper

-- glass of good red wine

add olive oil to the saucepan

-- add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan, maybe about a quarter of an inch deep

-- warm the oil on low/med heat

peel and chop the garlic

-- use as much garlic as you like
-- I used about half a head



add the garlic and red pepper to the oil
-- I like a spicy sauce, so I use a fair amount of crushed red pepper

cook the garlic and pepper

-- cook for about 5-10 minutes, stop cooking just as the garlic is starting to brown a little
-- be careful not to overcook, and make sure there's enough oil -- the garlic should be swimming

add the tomatoes

-- to stop the garlic from cooking, immediately add the sauce, starting with the puree & crushed tomatoes

-- for the whole tomatoes, squish each tomato in your hand

add salt, bay leaves, wine

-- about a teaspoon of sea salt, about 3 bay leaves and a glass of good red wine

-- (make sure the wine is good enough to drink -- don't using cooking wine)

stir occasionally

-- cook the sauce for about 2 hours, or until it smells so good you can't take it anymore

lasagna ingredients

-- fresh ricotta cheese (I used 2 15oz. containers)

-- fresh mozzarella cheese (I used 2 8oz. balls)

-- box of DeCecco lasagna

-- something to cook it in (I used my new Le Creuset pan, but a Pyrex also works well)

cook and drain the pasta

-- follow the directions on the box

set up your lasagna station

-- take a minute to set up your counter so that you can enjoy the process

-- make sure you don't forget to pour yourself a glass of wine and drink as necessary!

add sauce

-- enough to cover the bottom to prevent noodles from sticking

add noodles
-- enough to cover, overlap if necessary

add ricotta cheese
-- 1/3 of the quantity of cheese you have
-- don't worry about spreading it evenly

add mozzarella cheese

-- 1/4 of the quantity of cheese you have

-- just tear up the mozzarella ball, and again, don't worry if it's evenly distributed

add sauce

-- the amount of sauce you add is a personal decision, some people like a very saucy lasagna (Ricardo!)

repeat

-- repeat so that you have 3 layers, then add a final layer of noodles, followed by sauce and the remaining motz cheese

Cook

cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for about an hour, or until someone in the living room shouts "that sure does smell good!"

Samantha Kitty

sam1
Originally uploaded by Dupont Knitter.

Here's our girl, lounging in the middle of the bed.

Ricardo in Dupont Circle

ric_dupont
Originally uploaded by Dupont Knitter.

We spent Saturday and Sunday checking out the scene at the circle.