Friday, January 28, 2011 "Repurposing" My Three Compartment Lasagna Pan

I got this awesome pan way back in August when Arcane Malevolence first came to dinner. And, to be honest, I don't think I've used it since! It sure came in handy, though, in that first usage. Three kinds of lasagna - regular, pesto and zucchini! But what else could I use it for? Of course the idea of using it as a TV dinner tray crossed my mind, but I had yet to try baking mac n cheese, peas with pearl onions and a brownie all at once.

Does anyone actually cook the TV dinner brownie, or do we all eat it raw like children?

I actually haven't eaten a TV dinner in decades. Literally.

So last night, as I was figuring out how to cook our dinner, I jumped on the possibility of using my relatively unused pan. Just a little forethought and I could have a perfectly timed, perfectly cooked meal.

I started by cutting up the potatoes and boiling them into submission. I steamed the broccoli only for a minute or two. The fish I seasoned with salt and pepper and then coated it with some flour. In the microwave I melted half a stick of butter and then I added some fresh squeezed lemon juice.

I cut the fish into smaller pieces and placed them in two of the pans compartments. Drizzled them with the butter and lemon and then dusted it all with some good Hungarian paprika. The potatoes found themselves in the last compartment, covered with the broccoli. I poured some olive oil over the broccoli and sprinkled it with salt, pepper and sesame seeds.

A little foil to cover the veg, 20 minutes at 350 and WOO FRIGGIN' HOO! A super tasty dinner worthy of a top-notch seafood restaurant.

The size of the pan helped me out. The fish was doused with the butter and lemon and the sauce had no where to go! So all that goodness was cooked right into the fish. Moist and flavorful, it was simply delicious.

Check out the pics on Flickr!

-HH