In order, make the red sauce, fry the layers, assemble the layers and red sauce, make the white sauce and top it. You're gonna do it this way so the white sauce doesn't set in the pan.
The Red Sauce
- Put the onions, garlic, and tofu in a 3-4qt saucepan on medium high, and cook some of the water off before adding oil
- Add 1/2tsp smoked sweet paprika, and keep cooking until the onions start to become translucent
- Add tomato paste and spices and mix thoroughly. Cook another minute or two.
- Deglaze the pan with the juice and vinegar, then add the tomatoes.
- Boil for about 15m uncovered, to get some of the liquid out
- Cover, turn down to low, cook for 1h
The Layers
- Slice the potatoes. Put the slices in a ziploc bag with oil.
- Fry the slices until they start to brown and layer them in the bottom of the lasagne pan as they're done
- Slice the eggplant. Put the slices in a gallon ziploc with water. The water will turn brown as time passes. Don't worry about it, it's supposed to do that.
- Put the slices on the griddle and pour oil on top of them. Cook at about 350F until the oil soaks through and they start to brown. Flip and cook the other side.
- Layer the eggplant on top of the potatoes as it comes off the griddle.
The White Sauce (or, 'aaaaAAAAAaaaaaUGH!')
- Put the red sauce on top of the layers and wash the pan. We're using it again. You also want a 1qt saucepan and a ladle.
- Mix the bean water with the arrowroot and keep it nearby
- Put the water in the 1qt pan with the bay leaves, cover it set it on high, and let it boil for a few minutes while you get the other pan started.
- Put the butter in the 3qt pan on med-high and melt it.
- When it starts to bubble, turn it down to med-low and mix the flour in 1T at a time, until it's smooth.
- KEEP STIRRING WHILE...
- Fish the bay leaves out of the other pot and set them aside
- Turn down the 1qt pan to medium. You want to keep it hot but make it stop boiling.
- Mix one ladleful of water into the 3qt pan and replace the water with cream in the 1qt pan.
- Keep doing that until all the water is blended into the 3qt pan, and there are no lumps. Turn off the heat on the 1qt pan once it's empty
- Add the seasoning and blend it in
- Turn the 3qt pan up to med-high and mix in the bean water
- KEEP. STIRRING. It's going to boil. Keep scraping down the sides and stirring until it feels like a loose pudding.
- Add the parmesan. Keep stirring until it's melted.
- Pour the white sauce on top of the red sauce and even it out with a wooden spoon. Yeah, we're putting all of it on there.
- Take the other half of the bag of parmesan and sprinkle it evenly across the top.
Now, you can put it in the fridge or freezer, if you're going to have it later, or you can put it in the oven for about 45-60m @ 180C/350F. This kind of depends on the climate and how bitchy your oven is. You're waiting for the top to turn golden and the cheese to brown a little.