How To Make A Great Italian Lasagna
How To Make A Great Italian Lasagna
For many Italian-Americans, a lasagna dish is the centerpiece of every Christmas meal. It is a layer of sauce, noodles, meat and cheeses, making every bite come alive with flavor.
Most are classically prepared with meat and modern Italian chefs have started spicing up lasagna by substituting everything from spaghetti to vegetables. The key to making successful lasagna is by making sure your pan is big enough to fit all layers. Here are the steps.
1. For meat sauce, crumble ground beef into a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Brown until meat loses its pink color. Spoon off and discard fat. Stir in spices. Cook until soft.
2. Press tomatoes and juice through sieve into meat mixture; discard seeds. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and continue to simmer until sauce thickens. Set aside.
3. Add lasagna noodles to boiling salted water, allowing noodles to soften and fit inside the pot. Cook until al dente.
4. Drain noodles. Rinse it with cold water afterwards. Drain a second time and stack individually over pot rim to prevent sticking. Set aside.
5. Grease 12 X 8-inch baking dish with butter. Spread noodles in a single layer on clean kitchen (not paper) towel. Pat noodles dry.
6. Arrange three lasagna noodles on a baking dish, in a single layer, while overlapping slightly.
7. Spread evenly half of your meat sauce to your noodles. Spread half the cheese over meat sauce in an even layer. Repeat layers once.
8. Arrange three lasagna noodles on top. Sprinkle grated cheese evenly on your lasagna to completely cover lasagna noodles.
9. Bake in preheated oven as directed. Let stand before you serve it.
Here is a recipe at its simplest. Modify it to your own taste by adding any extra ingredients to its sauce. It serves six to eight people. You may substitute the different cheeses for other kinds you like, in order to change the flavor.
Crush basil leaves by breaking or tearing them with your fingers. Set aside. Warm extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepan, and add one garlic clove cut in half. Allow clove to sizzle for three to four minutes without letting it get too brown. Remove the garlic.
Add tomato sauce to the hot oil and stir. Add crushed basil leaves. Put on very low heat, cover and allow simmering for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. As the tomato sauce simmers, fill a large pasta pot with 4 to 5 quarts water and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a boil.
Carefully place lasagna noodles on a boiling water and stir occasionally to ensure noodles do not stick together. Cook until al dente (slightly chewy). Drain the noodles, but do not rinse them. Generously oil your 10-by-18-inch baking dish. Cover pan with lasagna noodles. Spread your prepared sauce onto the noodles with a spoon and top with a little of each type of cheese.
Repeat layers until pan is full, saving most cheese for the topmost layer. Top with remaining sauce and cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. (You may need to cover it for the 10 minutes to melt the cheese then uncover it for the last 10 minutes to brown it.). Let stand for about 10 min., and serve.