mascarpone lasagna (once upon a tart)

mascarpone lasagne for the lazy cook


if you are an italian, you might wanna chop off both my hands and legs, if you read this recipe. this is a recipe for the lazy cook. a lasagne that is pulled together in about 15 minutes ("impossibile!", you might shout). let me mention, that it is - probably not italian - but really good and creamy. the parma ham and the porchinis add a wonderful spicy flavour and make this a wonderful comfort dish, that's done in a dash.
i do it all without a white sauce, but use mascarpone instead (easy, no cookin'!). even though it's not friday yet, it is my contribution for this weeks presto pasta night, hosted by the lovely ruth. girls - now do we like lazy lasagne nor not?



RECIPE

2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 shallots, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
a hand full of dried porchinis, soaked in hot water
about 800g of canned plum tomatoes
a pinch of sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper
a hand full of fresh basil, roughly chopped
250g fresh pasta sheets
5 slices of parma ham
250g mascarpone
about 300g mozzarella, torn in pieces
some parmesan cheese, for "dusting"
fresh basil, to garnish

heat the oven to 190 c°.

heat the olive oil in a pan and cook shallots and garlic until soft, add porchinis and cook for about 2 minutes. then add the plum tomatoes, season with sugar, salt and pepper and simmer for about 15 minutes, then add the chopped basil.
lightly oil a large dish, then add a layer of tomato sauce, then add some of the mozzarella, cover generously with mascarpone and grate some parmesan cheese on top. add layer of parma ham, then cover with fresh pasta sheets. continue - finishing with a layer of tomato sauce, then add some mascarpone & mozzarella. generously season with freshly ground pepper.

bake for about 40 minutes until everything is melted and fragrant. dust with some more parmesan before serving and garnish with fresh basil.