Bucket list Lasagne.Why a pan of Béchamel lasagna al forno is the comfort you need right now.
My relationship with lasagne begins with my sister returning from Italy in the 1960s, a future husband in tow, an Italian policeman who arrested her for riding her bicycle through the streets of Florence at night without any lights. During her time in italy she learnt how to make the best lasagne and made it many times for our family meals. What says Sunday dinner more than lasagne? Fast track to 2022 and I am revisiting my bucket list which now numbers 20 things to do. To make lasagne is still high on the list. I have never made one, can you believe, never featured a lasagna on this blog, and yet it is up there with many of the other favourites I order when eating in an Italian restaurant.
This recipe is not exactly ideal to look at and salivate over in the months that we are all on our low carb, Keto, paleo, weight watchers, cabbage soup, low fat, low carb, rabbit food diets. But what the heck…It’s Lasagne.
A classic recipe of one of the most loved foods in the world. This for me is the ultimate home made comfort food. Family and friends gathering around a dinner table to share a bubbling hot cheesy topped lasagna. A big warm comforting hug within layers of pasta, tomato sauce, béchamel sauce and melted cheese!...and now its finally time for me to lose my lasagne virginity.
In Italian, 'lasagne' is the plural name given to flat, rectangular pieces of pasta. Whereas 'lasagna' is actually the singular form of 'lasagne'. Brits most commonly spell the dish with an E at the end—lasagne. Americans, on the other hand, prefer the A ending—lasagna. Dictionaries usually list both spelling possibilities.so i dont know exactly where that leaves us.
Lasagna can be a heavy cheese bomb waiting to explode. The comfort casserole dish of noodles layered with a tomato-based meat sauce, mozzarella, ricotta and liberal doses of Parmesan is a rich dish that takes time to make. It requires long-cooked meat sauce and, if you are ambitious, handmade pasta. It is good, but it is a project.
My story is not about that kind of lasagna, which has its origins in Naples. It is about lasagne, which is ubiquitous north of Rome. Note the difference in the last letter of the name. Lasagne is plural and refers to the noodles themselves, also plural. Lasagna is Italian American parlance and refers to the aforementioned cheesy composition, the dish in toto. Lasagne-with-an-e is a multi-layered luxurious delivery system for flavour, made with thin egg noodles and bolstered by silken pools of the thickened buttery sauce known as besciamella in Italian, and béchamel in French. White sauce to the layman. Let’s add some history about béchamel. The sauce originated in Tuscany during the Renaissance, and was brought to France by Catherine de Medici’s chefs. It’s milk thickened with a binder of briefly cooked butter and flour, called roux. Béchamel, which is one of the “mother sauces” of French cuisine, is used as a soufflé base, to nap various dishes as a sauce; it’s also the helpful, glorious glue that can hold baked dishes together. Making a true Béchamel is one of those skills that trainee chefs must master at cookery school.Until recently my béchamel making cut corners and did not include the full list of traditional imgredients. Thanks to chef Jorge at cookery school I have now mastered the art of making a true béchamel, so no looking back.A true béchamel once tasted is something be beholden to.
Lasagne al forno as I make it
Especially good with a big green salad and even bettter with an even bigger glass of red wine
Lasagna:
375 grams fresh lasagna sheets
500 grams fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
To Assemble:
Preheat oven to 350°F | 180°F.
Spoon about 1 cup of meat sauce on the base of a 9x13-inch baking dish, then cover with lasagna sheets. (Trim sheets to fit over the meat if needed.) Layer with 2 cups of meat sauce (or enough to cover pasta), 1 cup of white sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers (leaving the remaining cheese for the top).
Pour the remaining meat sauce and white sauce over the last layer of lasagna sheets and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
Let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
ENJOY!
This recipe is not exactly ideal to look at and salivate over in the months that we are all on our low carb, Keto, paleo, weight watchers, cabbage soup, low fat, low carb, rabbit food diets. But what the heck…It’s Lasagne.
A classic recipe of one of the most loved foods in the world. This for me is the ultimate home made comfort food. Family and friends gathering around a dinner table to share a bubbling hot cheesy topped lasagna. A big warm comforting hug within layers of pasta, tomato sauce, béchamel sauce and melted cheese!...and now its finally time for me to lose my lasagne virginity.
In Italian, 'lasagne' is the plural name given to flat, rectangular pieces of pasta. Whereas 'lasagna' is actually the singular form of 'lasagne'. Brits most commonly spell the dish with an E at the end—lasagne. Americans, on the other hand, prefer the A ending—lasagna. Dictionaries usually list both spelling possibilities.so i dont know exactly where that leaves us.
Lasagna can be a heavy cheese bomb waiting to explode. The comfort casserole dish of noodles layered with a tomato-based meat sauce, mozzarella, ricotta and liberal doses of Parmesan is a rich dish that takes time to make. It requires long-cooked meat sauce and, if you are ambitious, handmade pasta. It is good, but it is a project.
My story is not about that kind of lasagna, which has its origins in Naples. It is about lasagne, which is ubiquitous north of Rome. Note the difference in the last letter of the name. Lasagne is plural and refers to the noodles themselves, also plural. Lasagna is Italian American parlance and refers to the aforementioned cheesy composition, the dish in toto. Lasagne-with-an-e is a multi-layered luxurious delivery system for flavour, made with thin egg noodles and bolstered by silken pools of the thickened buttery sauce known as besciamella in Italian, and béchamel in French. White sauce to the layman. Let’s add some history about béchamel. The sauce originated in Tuscany during the Renaissance, and was brought to France by Catherine de Medici’s chefs. It’s milk thickened with a binder of briefly cooked butter and flour, called roux. Béchamel, which is one of the “mother sauces” of French cuisine, is used as a soufflé base, to nap various dishes as a sauce; it’s also the helpful, glorious glue that can hold baked dishes together. Making a true Béchamel is one of those skills that trainee chefs must master at cookery school.Until recently my béchamel making cut corners and did not include the full list of traditional imgredients. Thanks to chef Jorge at cookery school I have now mastered the art of making a true béchamel, so no looking back.A true béchamel once tasted is something be beholden to.
The lasagne of this story is also made with no-boil noodles, which are thin, Italian-engineered noodles, rather than those I recall from my lasagna childhood. A note about the stuff in a box then: My recipe uses no boil pasta sheets, We cooks are conditioned to think that convenience substitutes can’t be as good as the “real” made-from-scratch ingredients. But in this case, the thinness of the noodle is what matters, and the no-boil noodles — pre-cooked then dehydrated at the factory — allow the home cook to whip up a beautiful dish without the complication of a pasta-making project.
Especially good with a big green salad and even bettter with an even bigger glass of red wine
Lasagna:
375 grams fresh lasagna sheets
500 grams fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
Meat sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely diced
1 stick celery,finely diced
4 cloves garlic cloves, minced
24 ounces (700 grams) ground pork mince
300 grams ground beef mince
700 grams Passata
400 grams crushed tomatoes
3 heaped tablespoons tomato paste
4 cloves garlic cloves, minced
24 ounces (700 grams) ground pork mince
300 grams ground beef mince
700 grams Passata
400 grams crushed tomatoes
3 heaped tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup (250ml )full fat milk
grating of nutmeg
1 cup (250ml ) white wine
2 beef or vegetable bouillon cubes, crushed
1 teaspoon each dried oregano and basil
2 beef or vegetable bouillon cubes, crushed
1 teaspoon each dried oregano and basil
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sugar, (if desired)
Salt and pepper, season to your tastes
Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat, then add in the onion carrot and celery. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until softened. Add in the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add pork and beef and cook while breaking it up with the end of your spoon, until browned.add the milk and continue cooking until the milk has been absorbed.Add the white wine and repeat until the wine has completely cooked off.
Pour in the Passata, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, crushed bouillon and dried herbs. Mix well to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Season with desired amount of salt and pepper (I use about 3/4 teaspoon each) and sugar if needed. Cover and cook for about 20-30 minutes, occasionally mixing, until the sauce has thickened slightly and meat is tender.
Adjust salt, pepper and dried herbs to your taste.
White Sauce (Béchamel):
Place pan back onto stove, reduce heat down to low and slowly whisk in 1 cup of the warmed milk until well combined. Once well blended, add the remaining milk in 1 cup increments, mixing well after each addition, until all the milk is used and sauce is free from lumps. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk until it turns into a nice and creamy consistency.
Add the may leaf, a grating of nutmeg and the clove studded onion. Increase heat to medium and continue cooking sauce while stirring occasionally until it thickens (about 6-7 minutes) and coats the back of your wooden spoon.
Add in the parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and mix until the cheese is melted through.
1/2 teaspoon sugar, (if desired)
Salt and pepper, season to your tastes
Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat, then add in the onion carrot and celery. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until softened. Add in the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add pork and beef and cook while breaking it up with the end of your spoon, until browned.add the milk and continue cooking until the milk has been absorbed.Add the white wine and repeat until the wine has completely cooked off.
Pour in the Passata, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, crushed bouillon and dried herbs. Mix well to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Season with desired amount of salt and pepper (I use about 3/4 teaspoon each) and sugar if needed. Cover and cook for about 20-30 minutes, occasionally mixing, until the sauce has thickened slightly and meat is tender.
Adjust salt, pepper and dried herbs to your taste.
White Sauce (Béchamel):
60g butter butter
80g flour cup flour, all purpose or plain
1 litre warm milk
80g flour cup flour, all purpose or plain
1 litre warm milk
nutmeg
bay leaf
1 medium onion peeled and studded with cloves
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from the flame; add the flour and whisk for about 30 seconds, or until well blended.1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
Place pan back onto stove, reduce heat down to low and slowly whisk in 1 cup of the warmed milk until well combined. Once well blended, add the remaining milk in 1 cup increments, mixing well after each addition, until all the milk is used and sauce is free from lumps. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk until it turns into a nice and creamy consistency.
Add the may leaf, a grating of nutmeg and the clove studded onion. Increase heat to medium and continue cooking sauce while stirring occasionally until it thickens (about 6-7 minutes) and coats the back of your wooden spoon.
Add in the parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and mix until the cheese is melted through.
To Assemble:
Preheat oven to 350°F | 180°F.
Spoon about 1 cup of meat sauce on the base of a 9x13-inch baking dish, then cover with lasagna sheets. (Trim sheets to fit over the meat if needed.) Layer with 2 cups of meat sauce (or enough to cover pasta), 1 cup of white sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers (leaving the remaining cheese for the top).
Pour the remaining meat sauce and white sauce over the last layer of lasagna sheets and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
Let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
ENJOY!
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