Riste d’ Aubergine Lasagne with Bacon and Creamy Bechamel Sauce

One veggie that goes best with lasagna is eggplant.  Organic or regular eggplants may be grilled, mashed or flaked then mixed with staple vegetables like tomatoes, onions and mushrooms.  In France, the famous way of cooking eggplants is Riste d’Aubergine, in which eggplant mixture is simmered for 3 long hours to extract the flavors.   Unless, you have that luxury of time, you may opt to buy bottled Riste d’ Aubergine which is made in France.  In the Philippines, bottles of Riste d’ Aubergine are usually found in the imported section of Rustan’s Supermarket.  I think these could also be found in duty free shops.

French Riste d' Aubergine

As a post- New Year celebration, I baked lasagna (for the first time!).  I usually cook all kinds of pasta except lasagna.  But some 2 months ago, when I saw this Casino Riste d’ Aubergine 650g. bottle, which was on sale at 50% off, I bought it with the thought that aubergines go well with lasagna.  Notwithstanding that I have nil experience in baking lasagna, I just bought it, with a side-thought that “bahala na (leave it to the stars), I can do it”.

Surprise of all surprises!  I baked my first lasagna and it was a huge success!  When it comes to cooking and baking, I noticed that I am blessed with “beginner’s luck”.  When I baked my first cream puffs some 2 years ago, it was also a success.  I was able to create a choux pastry, and it did not deflate when I baked it.  That’s the baker’s dilemma with cream puffs, they tend to deflate.  So much for cream puffs.  My béchamel sauce was also a first and it was good.  I remember Audrey Hepburn in the classic movie, Sabrina, she went to Paris to study baking and one of her tests was to make a béchamel sauce.  When I was watching the DVD, I thought béchamel sauce is complicated to prepare.  But I did it!

My whole family loved my lasagna dish, which I called Riste d’ Aubergine Lasagne with Bacon and Creamy Béchamel Sauce.   A lot of my friends requested for the recipe when they saw the pictures I posted in Facebook and Instagram.

Here’s the recipe and I hope you’ll be blessed with beginner’s luck with Riste d’Aubergine.

Riste d’ Aubergine Lasagne with Bacon and Creamy Béchamel Sauce

Ingredients:

650 g bottle  Riste d’ Aubergine (any French or Spanish brand or you can make your own)

1 big head garlic, chopped

1 big onion, chopped

Salt

Brown sugar

Pure olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil

Dried Rosemary

250 g bacon (preferably with little fat and honey maple syrup but regular bacons will do)

500 g lasagna noodles (any French or Spanish brand cooked al dente)

Bechamel Sauce:

5 tbsp salted butter

5 tbsp all purpose flour

250 ml all purpose cream

250 ml evaporated filled milk

1 tsp brown sugar

Ready to bake!

Let’s Do It:

Lasagna Noodles

1.    Cook lasagna in boiling water with 1 tsp vegetable oil and 1 tsp salt until al dente (firm to the bite).  Set aside.

Bacon

In a large flat pan, lay the strips of bacon over low to medium heat, wait until the strips are fried in their own oil.  Let them sizzle until they turn medium brown.  Set aside.

Frying the bacon

Riste d’ Aubergine Sauce

1. In the same pan, add 2 tbsp pure olive oil to the bacon oil.  Saute the chopped garlic and onion until onions are transparent.
2. Pour the Riste d’ Aubergine Sauce and simmer for 5 minutes over low heat, stir occasionally. 
3. Add 1 tsp of salt and 3 tsps of brown sugar, stir for a minute.
4. Sprinkle with approx. 1 tsp of dried rosemary.
5. Drizzle 2 tsps extra virgin olive oil over the mixture, stir and simmer for another 2 minutes.
6. Remove from heat.

Bechamel Sauce

1. In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat (be careful not to burn).
2. Pour flour and stir until the mixture turns sandy in texture and medium brown.  Set aside.
3. In a medium casserole, mix all purpose cream and evaporated filled milk, stir until well blended.  Add brown sugar and stir well.  Now turn on the stove to low heat, wait until the mixture is just about to boil.  Quickly turn off the stove.
4. Put the saucepan containing the flour mixture over low heat then pour approx 1 cup of the cream-milk mixture.  Mix and stir well.  Do this process repeatedly until all the cream-milk mixture is poured into the flour mixture.  Stir well.  (You may use an electric mixer for this if you want a finer texture.  But an egg whisker would be just as fine.  Do not worry about tiny lumps, they’ll disappear once the lasagna is baked).  Adjust heat to medium and let the mixture boil for 5-8 minutes with constant stirring until it thickens.  Turn off the stove once mixture thickens to avoid burning.
5. The bechamel sauce should be a thicker mixture, test this by dipping a fork into the mixture, if there are no drippings, then the béchamel is already creamy.  You may add more flour if the mixture is quite liquid.   

Flour and butter mixture

Cream and milk make the bechamel creamier

  

Assembling:

1.  In a greased 9x11 baking dish, lay flat the first batch of lasagna noodles horizontally, then layer with another batch vertically (as if you are weaving). 
2. Pour part of the Riste d’ Aubergine Sauce and spread until the lasagna noodles are covered.  Arrange the strips of bacon on top.  Then, pour part of the creamy béchamel sauce.  Spread until only the béchamel sauce is seen. 
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 in order.
4. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. 

Bake!

1. Pre-heat oven at 175 F for 5 minutes.
2. Bake the lasagna over 175 F for 20 minutes.
3. Remove the foil then bake for another 5 minutes. 

Voila! Riste d' Aubergine Lasagne with Bacon and Creamy Bechamel Sauce

My creamy slice of heaven

There, you now have a festive pasta dish that your family and friends will love.  Riste d’ Aubergine Lasagne with Bacon and Creamy Bechamel Sauce, You’re So Beautifood!