Seasoned Cooking has been published since 1998. And, since we have a soft spot for holidays and seasonal happenings, that means that there's a treasure trove of great articles on special events, like our upcoming year-end holidays. So, this month, I'm offering a quick look back at some Christmas-themed articles from past issues. Won't you join me in exploring everything from gift ideas for cooks to decorating the Christmas tree over the years? To begin, let's start with something new. Here's a recipe for One-Step Lasagna with Fresh Tomato Sauce that comes to you from Victoria Smith:
Crumble the sausage in a 2-quart microproof casserole dish. Cover the dish with a casserole lid and microwave on High, 5 minutes, stirring once during cooking time. Add spaghetti sauce and water; mix well.
Spread one-third of the vegetarian meat sauce in 12x7-inch microproof baking dish. Arrange half the uncooked noodles over sauce. Spread with one-third of the ricotta. Top with one-third of the vegetarian meat sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella. Repeat the layers, with the remaining noodles, ricotta and vegetarian meat sauce. Top with the parmesan cheese.
Double wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap. Cook on High for 15 minutes. Cook on 50% power for 12 to 15 minutes.
Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Cook on High 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese if desired.
In a large saucepan, fry the onion in the oil for 10 minutes, until soft but not browned. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, until they are soft but still bright in color and fresh in flavor. Season the sauce with salt, garlic, and pepper freeze until required.
Usually I serve this sauce just as it is, which is fine for pasta and simple dishes, although it can be pureed in a food processor and then strained quickly though a sieve if you want a smooth sauce. Ideally it would be useful to keep both types, the chunky and the smooth, in the freeze.
