By Editor/Contributor Lauren Licona
There are few things more comforting than a warm plate of lasagna. This pasta staple is cheesy, savory, satisfying, and is perfect for any day of the week. In honor of National Lasagna Day, here are three must-try recipes.
Lasagne Alla Melanzane ( Lasagna with Eggplant)
(from the winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards-The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions)
Ingredients
1 pound of fresh pasta for lasagna
2 lbs fresh eggplant- sliced and grilled
1 lb fresh mozzarella or scamorza
1 handful of fresh basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 lbs fresh tomatoes or 2-16 ounce cans of plum tomatoes
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp of grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese
2 cloves garlic-whole
- In saute pan, place in olive oil, 2 cloves garlic. Saute for 1 minute or until garlic is just turning golden. Remove garlic. Add in tomatoes and oregano. Stir and cook for 20 minutes.
- In a baking pan, place a thin layer of sauce, one layer of pasta, one layer of eggplant slices, then thinly sliced mozzarella, sauce, freshly chopped basil. Repeat till all ingredients are used up ending with slices of eggplant, mozzarella, sauce on top. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then sprinkle grated parmigiana cheese on top and bake for another 20 minutes. Put under broiler for the last 5 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Serve hot.
Lasagna with Porcini Mushrooms and Truffle oil
from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style, copyright 2011, Art of Living, PrimaMedia, Inc/Maria Liberati
Ingredients
*Lasagna Pasta
*2 dried ounces porcini mushrooms
*2 tsp black truffle oil
*¼ cup Parmigiana Reggiano cheese or grana padano
*1/4 cup Santa Margherita Prosecco wine
*3 tsps plain breadcrumbs
*Bechamel sauce (See recipe below)
*2 tsps chopped fresh parsley
*1 tblsp butter to butter pan
*1 tblsp olive oil
Lasagna Dough
*3 1/3 cup fine white or 00 flour
*4 eggs
*pinch of salt
Make a mound on a wooden work surface with the flour. Make a well in the center of flour and place in eggs broken one at a time, add in a pinch of salt. Begin mixing the dough with your hands until dough is smooth. Knead for about 10-15 minutes, if the dough is too thick add a few drops of water. Don’t skimp on kneading or dough will tear easily.
*When smooth, roll into a ball, then divide into 2 balls.
*Flour a wooden or marble board and place one ball on it. Roll it out, sprinkling some flour on it, flipping as it becomes thinner. The dough should be almost transparent.
*cut dough into desired equal sizes for lasagna layers. Roll out the second ball of dough and do the same. Let pasta stand for about 10 minutes.
When ready to use, boil each layer of lasagna pasta for about 15 seconds in boiling salted water, dry on a paper towel, and then layer with bechamel sauce, then a few porcini mushrooms, then grated parmigiana reggiano cheese. Top final layer with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes covered, then uncover and place under broil for 5-10 minutes until top is golden.
Bechamel Sauce
2 tablespoons of butter
1 ½ tbsp of flour
2 ½ cups milk
Place butter in a saucepan, let it melt, stir in flour, and little by little stir in milk. Use a wire whisk to blend all together in clockwise motion till the liquid is creamy. Remove from heat,
Dried Porcini Mushrooms
Soak porcini mushrooms in ½ cup warm water for 30 minutes. Place 1 tbsp of olive oil in saute pan with mushrooms, liquid, and ¼ cup Santa Margherita Prosecco wine. Saute till liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with ½ tsp chopped parsley
Classic Lasagna
Ingredients
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 pound ground chuck 80/20
½ cup diced onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
12 ounces tomato paste
15 ounces tomato sauce
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
½ cup freshly chopped basil
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
1 large egg
dash nutmeg
1 pound whole milk mozzarella shredded
9-10 slices provolone cheese
½ cup freshly grated romano cheese
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
In a large saucepan, cook the sausage, beef, onion and garlic until cooked through. Drain the fat.
Add the tomatoes, paste, sauce, water, sugar basil, fennel, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and parsley. Stir well.
Simmer, covered, over low heat for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.*
Place the lasagna noodles in a pan of hot water and make certain they are completely covered. Allow them to sit for 30 minutes to soften, then drain the water.
In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, egg and nutmeg.
In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan and Romano cheeses.
Let’s put together the lasagna!
Spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce on the bottom of the lasagna pan.
Place 4 lasagna noodles over the sauce.
Spoon half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles.
Top with 2 cups of shredded mozzarella.
Spread another 1 1/2 cups of sauce over the mozzarella, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the Parmesan mixture.
Lay another 4 noodles over the cheese.
Top with the remaining ricotta mixture.
Lay 9-10 slices of provolone cheese over the ricotta, then top with 1 1/2 cups meat sauce.
Sprinkle 1/3 cup Parmesan mixture over the sauce.
Top with 4 more noodles, the remaining sauce, 2 cups of mozzarella, and the remaining Parmesan mixture.
Bake immediately if desired at 375 degrees for 25 minutes (covered with foil**) and then an additional 30 minutes with the foil removed.
OR…cover the unbaked casserole and refrigerate to save baking until the next day. If you choose to do this, remove the lasagna from the refrigerator 45 minutes before baking, then bake the same as above.
Allow the lasagna to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
