With leftover Dominican sazon and sofrito, here’s a little experiment — eggplant lasagna. Light but filling and quite tasty.
SAZÓN:
— 13 garlic cloves
— 1 medium yellow onion
— 2 cubanelle peppers
— 12 Caribbean sweet peppers, ajíes dulces
— 6 leaves culantro
— 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
— 2 tsp salt
— 1 tsp black pepper
— 1 Tbsp vinegar
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor to a coarse paste.
SOFRITO:
— 1/4 cup achiote infused oil or lard
— 1/4 lb bacon, diced
— 1 cup dominican sazón
— 1 cup light tomato sauce
— 2 tsp salt
1. Heat the oil or lard in a skillet, add the bacon and cook until brown.
2. Stir in sazon and tomato paste and cook for another 10 min, or until oil separates.
DOMINICAN SAZON INSPIRED LASAGNA
WHAT WENT IN
— 2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise 1/2” thick
— 2 Tbsp olive oil
— salt
— black pepper
— 1 lb ground pork
— 1 lb Dominican salami, diced 1/2” cubes
— 1 red onion, diced
— 2 cubanelle peppers, diced
— 3 garlic cloves, minced
— ! tsp dried oregano
— 1 tsp dried basil
— 1 tsp hot pepper flakes
— 1/2 cup water
— 4 cups sofrito
— 2 cups shredded Oaxacan cheese
THE PROCESS
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. On a baking sheet, arrange eggplant slices in a single layer, brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes and set aside.
3. In a large skillet cook salami and pork until brown, add onion, cubanelle peppers, garlic, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, 1 tsp salt, black pepper to taste, cook for about 10 min, stirring occasionally.
4. Reserve 1/2 cup sofrito, mix the rest into a meat-vegetable mixture and simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens, about 15 min. Remove from heat and let cool.
5. Spread reserved sofrito on the bottom of the baking dish, and layer 1/3 eggplant—1/2 sauce—1/3 cheese twice. Then, finish with the rest 1/3 eggplant and 1/3 cheese.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, then broil for 3 until the desired color. Let the lasagna rest for a few minutes before serving.