Grilled Eggplant, Broccoli and Sausage Individual Lasagna & Pine Nut Spinach Sauce

As I wrote up the description of the individual lasagnas the other day, I was really enjoying the memory of making them about 10 days earlier. Sometimes these "journal" entries fall behind the timeframe of when the dish was actually cooked.

So last night I made the lasagnas again - this time using slices of grilled eggplant, Italian sausage grilled then sliced, and grill-roasted broccoli. These were just the vegetables and meats I had on hand, so that's where the combination came from. I used mozzarella and topped them with the all-important provolone slice. No ricotta on hand, so I skipped it.

For the kids, a put a spoonful of tomato sauce onto each layer. For the adults, a Pine Nut Spinach cream sauce that Pierre Franey recommended in his book Cooking in America. Of course from a cookbook that old, you usually have to cut any specified amount of cream or butter in half.

Results?.....Delicious again.

Now we have extra grilled eggplant slices, which will go nicely in a sandwich with mozzarella and sliced plum tomato.

Pine Nut Spinach Sauce
3 strip of bacon
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
3/4 cup cooked spinach, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup white wine
Fresh ground nutmeg, salt and pepper.

1. Cook bacon, nuts, spinach and onions to soften.
2. Add flour to incorporate.
3. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add wine and spices.

Grill Roasted Broccoli
What is grill roasted broccoli? Cut some broccoli crowns into smaller pieces and place them on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Fold up the foil into a package, then place on the grill. When the top of the foil is warm to the touch the veg is almost done. Open the packet, test for doneness. If not cooked all the way to you taste, allow them to cook a little longer with the foil open. When you take the packet off the grill, open it a bit, so the beg doesn't continue to steam inside and overcook.