Mediocre recipes anonymous: Lenny needs your help!

My name is Lenny, and I am a casserole.

I know I'm good looking, but I seem to have this problem connecting with people. I guess I'm just afraid of committment - so I try to reject people before they reject me. My good looks mean that I get approached a lot - in the grocery store, at the gym, when I'm minding my own business just sitting having a cup of coffee. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the attention and I'd really love to have a lasting relationship, but I'm really afraid of taking things to the next level.

I know I've got it in me to be assertive about my needs and confident enough to go out and get what I want out of life, but I've just fallen into this pattern of underselling myself. I protect myself from dissapointment by being aloof...bland and, truthfully, kind of bitter. I guess I think that it will make people leave me alone so that I don't get hurt. I think it'd really help if I could find a special person who chould see beyond the act and realize my potential. I really think that underneath there's a nurturing, comforting soul, maybe with just a hint of heat, if you catch my drift. So, anyway, I'm Lenny, and I just thought you should know this about me.

I found this great-looking recipe for cabbage, parmesan and pasta layer bake in issue 22 of Donna Hay that I thought I'd try for supper. I doctored it a little bit by adding leeks, using ziti instead of macaroni, using savoy cabbage (because that's what I had) and adding some crispy fried crumbled proscuitto. I don't think any of these changes were damaging or even critical.

I've gotta say though, although the dish really looked great , just like in Donnay Hay (I'm sure you'll agree) it really didn't taste very good. It was bland, kind of bitter and really un-special. I LOVE the way it looks (especially with the #8 ziti which is really just fat macaroni as long as your standard spaghetti noodles) and how easy it was. I think it has great potential.  I've posted the recipe below (without my changes) and welcome any and all suggestions for improving on this concept. I really want this to work!

Some of my brief thoughts on the matter are:

• a more assertive cheese - mozzarella is just not tasty enough
• more garlic.
• ditch the cabbage and replace it with something like roasted eggplant slices or portobello slices, already cooked.
• thoroughly coat the top layer of cabbage with cheese to prevent it from getting so brown - I think the browned leaves at the top contribute to the bitter taste.
• make it in a deep silicon cake pan rather than a springform pan as the egg kind of managed to circumnavigate the baking paper and butter and ooze out the bottom a little.

Let me know what you think. Lenny's waiting for someone to show him some love.

Cabbage, parmesan and pasta layer bake

• ½ tablespoon olive oil
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 250g macaroni, cooked
• 2 cups finely grated parmesan cheese
• sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 1.5 kg (3 lb) green cabbage, leaves separated
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup cream
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 160C (320F). Heat a medium non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the oil, onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute or until the onion is tender. Add to the cooked pasta with half the parmesan, salt and pepper Mix well and set aside.

Bring a large saucepan of cold salted water to the boil. Add the cabbage leaves a few at a time and cook for 1-2 minutes or until tender, drain well and pat dry.  Grease and line the base of a 22cm (8 in) springform tin with baking paper. Cover the base of the tin with a layer of cabbage leaves. sprinkle over a little of the parmesan and mozzarella and top with a layer of pasta. Repeat with remaining ingredients finishing with a layer of cabbage leaves. Top with any remaining cheese. Place the tin on a baking tray. Whisk together the cream and eggs and carefully pour over the cabbage layers.  Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden and the egg is set Serves 6.

Comments

[davesteel]

add bacon? bacon makes most things better. also more cheeses might be a help. perhaps even a white cheese sauce with cheddar?

[Lindy]

Like dave said, plus aleppo pepper flakes or smoked spanish paprika?

[Lyn]

Dave, Lindy
MMMMM... bacon. also, Mmmmm...cheddar.

[Lenny]

Finally, people who love me and believe in me.... I just know I can become the dinner i was meant to be.

[paula]

Bacon or pancetta would be lovely - baked carbonara. I tried this recipe and made Lenny's cousin with roasted eggplant, a layer of panfried cremini mushrooms and a variety of cheeses -whatever I had on hand -parm /asiago/emmental and a wee bit of mozzarella. The eggplant gave it a wonderful flavour. It was a success. Thanks Lenny.

[Lyn]

Thanks Paula. Lenny appreciates your faith. I'm going to have another go with the eggplant and mushies I think!

[Heath]

What about a couple of tablespoons of coarse-grained spicy mustard (or dry mustard) in the sauce? It's good with both cheese and cabbage and it seems to add depth without mustardy flavor unless you use a lot.

And mozzarella is kind of boring - up the Parmesan and throw in some fontina or asiago or something more flavorful in addition to mozzarella (for the goo-factor)?

[chance]

hi! call me chance!

thinking about what i've just read...
the "being bland, kind of bitter and un-special..."
since everyone have their own sense of taste, or so they say everyone has a different opinion...

mine is simple.

i will base my answer from my experience...

the reason being bland is lack of salt.
salt is very helpful and gives out the flavor of the food, in spite of being helpful, it can also be very fatal if you put too little or too many.

regarding on your recipe direction, seeing that you only put salt on the cooked pasta with half of the parmesan cheese, even though you added the rest of your cheeses... you forgot to put salt on the cream and eggs.

basically, the cream and the eggs caused your pasta to taste bland.

if i were you, i'd prefer not to add any fat, if you want this recipe to be healthy for everyone.

if you need any help or anything, please do not hesitate to ask.. and i insist!

so i hope this will help you, cause, i know it will.. TM ;)