INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Pompano Grille, named after the superb Florida fish, fuses tropical
Cuba with ultra-hip South Miami Beach. Located in a renovated bank
building at 6th and Bainbridge streets, the restaurant has what may  be
the only rooftop dining in the city. Chef/owner Bill Beck sent us  his
recipe for vegetarian Black Bean Lasagna. Like many restaurant  dishes,
you first prepare several component recipes, then assemble  them before
serving. Serve this modern lasagna for your next buffet  party, or
bring it to a potluck. This recipe serves eight people; I  would double
it, making one lasagna to share with guests and another  to save for my
family.  If you make only one lasagna, you will have extra black bean
caviar  and sofrito, which would be delicious served with tortilla
chips.  Preparing the Black Bean Caviar: Drain and rinse the black
beans and  cover again with cold water by 2 inches. Bring to the boil,
reduce  heat to a simmer and cook till soft but not mushy. Drain and
discard  any excess liquid from the beans and cool. Combine all the
``caviar''  ingredients and puree. Taste for seasoning, adding more
lime juice  and salt as needed and reserve. (May be made 1-2 days ahead
if well  chilled.)  Preparing the sofrito: Cook the onion, garlic and
poblano in the  olive oil till softened but not browned. Add the white
wine, bring to  the boil and cook till the liquid has evaporated. Add
the fresh and  canned tomatoes, then cook over medium heat for 10
minutes. Stir in  the chipotle peppers, green chiles, scallions and
herbs. Season to  taste with kosher salt and reserve.  Assembling the
lasagna: Lightly butter an 8-by-6-inch casserole. Coat  the bottom with
a layer of sofrito. Cover with a layer of pasta  sheets, overlapping as
necessary. Spread with a light coating of  black bean caviar. Sprinkle
the black bean mixture first with  scallions, then with diced tomato.
Spread lightly with half the  ricotta and sprinkle with one-third of
the mozzarella.  Repeat the layers, starting with a layer of pasta
sheets, covering  with black bean mixture, then scallions, tomatoes,
the remaining half  of the ricotta and one-third more mozzarella. For
the top layer, dip  a pasta sheet in the sofrito and place over the
lasagna. Spread with  more sofrito, and then sprinkle with tomatoes,
scallions and  remaining mozzarella.  Either bake right away or cover
the lasagna with plastic wrap and  refrigerate up to one day before
baking.  When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover
the  casserole first with plastic wrap, then with foil (the foil
protects  the wrap), and bake for 45 minutes, or until hot in the
center. Allow  lasagna to cool for 20 minutes before cutting into
portions.  continued in part 2

A Message from our Provider:

“Faith without works is empty – and vica versa.”