8 to 10 servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ cup finely chopped yellow or white onion
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup dry white wine
3 cups low-fat milk
½ cup clam juice
1 ¼ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves, divided1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley, divided
1/3 pound cooked crab meat
2/3 pound small cooked shrimp
12 no-boil pasta rectangles for lasagna (see note)
8 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1. To prepare the sauce: In a 3 ½-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and slowly saute until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes; stir 30 seconds. Add butter and let it melt. Then sprinkle flour into the pan, mixing with a whisk. Let cook 4 minutes. Increase the heat to medium. Pour the wine into the pan, whisking well. Cook 30 seconds.
2. Heat the milk with the clam juice and broth on top of the stove or in the microwave just until warm. Slowly whisk the mixture into the flour mixture. Continue whisking until smooth. Add ½ teaspoon rosemary, bay leaf, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Simmer slowly 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to cool the sauce slightly.
3. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Spread a thin layer of the sauce in the pan. Stir the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon parsley, crab and shrimp into the remaining sauce.
4. Place four of the pasta rectangles, slightly overlapping, in the bottom of the baking dish. Spread a third of the sauce on top; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Parmesan; repeat the layers twice. Cover with aluminum foil. (The dish can be made one day in advance. Refrigerate until cool, then cover with foil and leave in refrigerator.)
5. Remove the dish from the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Discard foil. Much of the sauce will have pooled in the center of the dish. Redistribute by spooning it around the edges. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes. The pasta will expand as it begins to absorb the sauce. Gently press it back into the sauce with a spoon and continue cooking 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 5 tablespoons cheese. The dish will not cut like lasagna, but should be served with a large spoon.
Note: We used no-boil pasta from Barilla for this recipe.
Adapted from "The Il Fornaio Pasta Book" by Maurizio Mazzon
© 2002, The Seattle Times.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
