Many years ago, Esther was picked as Achashverosh's new queen - and in the end played an integral part in saving the Jewish people from the evil Haman. As the saying goes, "they tried to kill us, we won - let's eat!" and Purim is no different. As a matter of fact, one of the four Mitzvot of Purim is to take part in a festive Purim meal. Each Purim we put together a menu based on a different type of cuisine - this year we are going Italian. Mmmmm....what is not to love? If you are like me you love pasta and tomato sauce, and olives and anything sprinkled with fresh herbs. One of my all time favorites is my pareve lasagna...and so, we will be rolling up our sleeves and making trays and trays of this dish along with spaghetti and meatballs, herbed chicken breast, roasted veggies, garlic bread and more.
Please accept my wishes for a joyous and delicious Purim! If you are in Hampton Roads, we would love to see you at the Grand Italian Style Purim Festa on Sunday at 4:30 pm..click here for more information.
Pareve Lasagna
3 onions
a few cloves fresh garlic
1 lb button mushrooms
2 red peppers
1 green pepper
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 very small can tomato paste
5 cans Hunt's tomato sauce
Ketchup
Brown sugar
Rice vinegar
Dried oregano
Lasagna noodles
Preheat oven to 375. Dice onions and mince garlic - sautee until soft. Add sliced mushrooms and diced peppers - sautee until soft. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste and a big squirt of ketchup. Mix well. Add the tomato sauce and a little brown sugar and a splash of rice vinegar. Add a few good sprinkles of oregano. Bring to a boil and then allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with Pam and then use a ladle to spread a little sauce on the bottom of the pan. Place lasagna noodles in the pan (raw) and then cover with sauce and veggies. Add another layer of lasagna noodles and cover with sauce once more. Bake covered for about 45 minutes
