Lasagna

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Lasagna.


The first thing to know is that in Italy lasagna has more than one version, every one of them with a different filling. The most famous one is lasagna alla Bolognese, with meat sauce. But very common is also lasagna with artichoke, mushrooms or fish. In reality you can use any filling! One of the fundamental characteristics of Italian cooking is simplicity; once understood the basics of the recipe, you can get creative and use the ingredients you like!

Lasagna are sheets of egg-pasta. The best and easiest ones are the ready-to-use, soft sheets, because you can use them without boiling them first, it’s important that on the packaging in some way is indicated that you can put them directly into the oven ! But if these are not available in your supermarket you need to use the dry sheets. I will explain later on how to prepare these.

At this point, let’s start with the recipe of the most famous lasagna in the world; lasagna alla Bolognese. Bologna is one of those Italian cities with a great gastronomical tradition, giving name to a world famous dish. Every region of Italy has a different recipe for the “Bolognese” meat sauce, and they are all ok. In one way or another it’s all “Italian cooking”. The recipe that I will teach you now is from north Italy, from venice. It’s the recipe my mother taught me, with a moderate amount of béchamel sauce and butter, very different from the naples recipe, where they use more butter and let the meat simmer for 24!! hours.

Ingredients for 4 persons.

One package lasagna or 7 – 10 home made egg pasta sheets

300 grams Béchamel sauce (homemade or from the supermarket)

350 grams minced meat (mixed pork, beef and a piece of salami)

One big carrot

One big onion

One large piece of celery

500 grams good quality tomato sauce (passata)

100 grams grated parmesan cheese

20 grams butter, 2 spoons olive oil, salt, chilly pepper, 4 cloves, 5 juniper berries, 2 laurel leafs, rosemary (fresh or dried), parsley, 500 cl. water.

MEAT SAUCE (RAGU’)


Chop the onion, carrot and celery in very small pieces. Melt the butter and the olive oil and add the vegetables together with a little salt and chilly pepper (powder). Roast golden brown for a couple of minutes. Add the meat and all the spices and roast until the meat has lost its red color. Add the tomato sauce and 150 cl. of water. When everything boils lower the flame and let simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes and adding a little water. When done, the sauce should be sufficiently liquid. (See picture1)

PREPARING THE LASAGNA:

Heat up the oven to 150/160 degrees. (Celsius) or 300/320 Fahrenheit.

If you haven’t found the ready- to-use lasagna sheets in your local supermarket, but only the dry sheets, this is what you do; Take a wide pan and bring some water and 2 table spoons olive oil to boiling point. Boil the sheets one at the time for 1 minute but take care that they don’t stick together once you lay them out on a plate and that they don’t break.

Take an oven-pan, grease the bottom with oil or butter. Lay out the first pasta sheet on the bottom and cover with 4/5 tablespoons meat sauce and 4/5 spoons of béchamel sauce. Cover with next pasta sheet and the cover with 4/5 table spoons parmesan cheese and 4/5 spoons béchamel. Cover with another pasta sheet and cover with meat sauce and béchamel and so on. On top put the last meat sauce, béchamel and cheese.

Be careful to cover the edges of the pasta sheets well with béchamel sauce. This will prevent the pasta from becoming crunchy. Cook 20 to 30 minutes in the oven until golden brown.

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This is how it should look!  Try it and tell us your experiences.
Marzia.

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