Help me make a better lasagne.

Cafe Society
1

So, I tried my hand at making lasagne today, and whilst it wasn’t the best that I’ve ever had, (that honour goes to a lovely little pub in Cambridge called the Maypole!), it didn’t turn out too badly.
I softened a chopped onion and a clove of mashed garlic in olive oil, before adding some beef mince, salt, pepper, and chilli. Once that was cooked, I added pulped tomatoes, a bit of water, and some basil. I did forget to add some oregano to the tomato mixture, but despite that it was OK. However, I think the white sauce just wasn’t quite right – it was essentially mascapone and a bit of parmesan, it just seemed a bit bland.

So, how do I improve this then? Help!

2

I always add seasoning to my white layer, which consists of Ricotta (or well drained cottage cheese in a pinch), mozzarella, parmesan, chopped oregeno, and black pepper. Sometimes I add an egg, but usually only if I’m making the **Vat o’Lasagne **[sup]tm[/sup].

But I also add a little red pepper to my red sauce. So YMMV.

3

If you really want a knock-your-socks-off good lasagne, try making the noodles.
It’s not that hard – just flour and egg mixed, kneaded for just a couple of minutes, then rolled out and put right in the dish with the sauce and cheese. So you even save the hassle of cooking the noodles (fresh ones will cook fine when you put the complete lasagne in the oven). If you have a fancy pasta-maker it makes the rolling easier, but not a huge deal.

You’lll be surprised how much lighter the lasagne is with fresh egg pasta.
For the filling, the standard is a mix of ricotta and mozarella cheese, with some parmesan grated into it.

4

I never measure spices, so you’ll just have use what amount seems good to you)

Soften some onion and 2 or 3 cloves of garlic in olive oil
add 1lb of italian sausage and brown
add one large can tomatoes
add one 12oz can tamoto passte
basil
oregeno
pepper
parsely

Allow to simmer while you prepare the rest

boil lasagna noodles

beat 1 egg
add 24 oz ricotta or cottage cheese (I prefer cottage cheese since it has a lighter flavor which doesn’t overwhelm the lasagna like ricotta can, plus it has a firmer texture)
1/2 cup grated parmegan cheese (fresh if you can afford it)
pepper
parsely
slice 1 lb mozzerella cheese

When noodles are ready layer half the noodles, half the white mixture, half the mozerella and half the sauce then repeat.

Bake at 325 for 30 minutes and allow to cool 15 minutes before serving to set the cheese.

People have demanded I make it when they come visit.

5

I have my recipe online at http://www.geocities.com/bigbadvoodoolou/food.html

I really love the way it comes out, and everyone else seems to as well.

6

If your grocer has it, use a “meatloaf” mix for the meat portion of your lasagna; 1/3 lb. beef, 1/3 lb. sausage and 1/3 lb. <gasp>** VEAL ** </gasp>. Veal makes it better. Put veal in your lasagna. Eat veal.

7

Thanks guys! They all sound great – please keep them coming! However, I’ll probably have to try these out when the little brat, sorry, brother, isn’t around, apparantly, its “too cheesy” for him. Heathen, say I!

8

I do the simple storebought kind: jar of spaghetti sauce, ground beef, ricotta, eggs, mozerella, noodles.

There’s no reason to boil the noodles.

Brown beef with onion and any spices you want. Mix ricotta with egg.

Layer: sauce, beef, noodles, ricotta, sauce, noodles, etc. Top with lots of cheese.

(sometimes I add cooked mushrooms and zucchini, nummy.)

Bake, devour.

9

I think your weak point might be the sauce. You can make marinara from scratch or you can cheat by using prepared spaghetti sauce from a bottle. Empty the jar into a pan and put on the stove. Stirr occasionally adding all the herbs and small chopped veggies you want *and * a can of tomato paste.
I also recommend adding olives (if you like them) to your veggie layer and some pesto sauce in the middle sauce layer.

10

How do I make marinara from scratch? I’m a perfectionist in the kitchen, and don’t like cheating if I can help it. :wink:

11

Clarification, please. Do you consider it cheating to open a can of processed tomato sauce, or tomato paste (I think we can all agree that a jar of Ragu[sup]TM[/sup] is cheating)?

Also, what are the British terms for tomato sauce and tomato paste? I ask because I learned a couple of years ago that in NZ, when they say “Tomato sauce,” they’re talking about what we here in the States call catsup (or ketchup). This encourages me to not make assumptions.

12

Opening a can of processed tomatoes or tomato paste/puree is not cheating in my book – in fact that’s what I did today. We do tend to say “tomato sauce” for ketchup, but not that often.

If tomato sauce is a smoothed, thick liquid mushed up tomatoes, then that tends to go by the name of passata here (or at least in the Sainsbury’s it does!). Tomato paste is called tomato puree.

13

I really don’t like ground beef so I’ll usually go with a vegetable lasagna.

My marinara recipe goes like this:

Soften the onions and / or garlic in olive oil. Add a teaspoon of honey until the onions caramelise (careful, don’t want them getting too brown here). Add some red wine (if you don’t want to use alcohol, just skip that step) - just a dash, though, not the whole bottle. Then add canned tomatoes (you can use the pre-chopped ones or the passata, I prefer to use the whole ones and chop them up in the pan using a long kitchen knife). Add some tomato paste and just a teeny bit of ketchup (I know but it’s really tasty, believe me!). Simmer. Then simmer some more. Italians let their marinara simmer for whole days or so I’m told. The more it simmers, the tastier it will be - though you can also eat it as soon as it’s hot. Just before you’re ready to eat, season with salt, ground black pepper, oregano and basil (oregano will turn bitter if cooked for too long).

If you want a vegetable marinara, add some vegetables after adding the tomatoes. When you add them depends on the vegetable: If you want carrots add them soon because they’ll take some time to soften. If it’s zucchini you’ll want to wait a little bit. Usually I just chop the vegetables into smallish pieces, but you can also try grating the carrots, which will give them a texture that somewhat emulates the texture of ground beef if you’re so inclined.

In my lasagna I usually use carrots, green, red and yellow peppers and something green like broccoli or zucchini, but you can basically use whatever suits your fancy.

For the “white sauce” I’ll prepare a roux: melt butter, put a tablespoon of flour in until it’s brown, then add milk. Use flour to thicken, use milk to thin until it’s somewhat creamy. Season with salt, pepper and a little bit of nutmeg. I’ll put mozzarella into the lasagna but not directly in the sauce, I’ll chop it up and scatter it throughout the layers, on top of the lasagna goes a layer of white sauce and no mozzarella but gouda or something like that.

14

I have posted my recipe here a few times but I’m too lazy to look for it. It is a classic Americanized version of lasagna, it’s big, it’s fat, and it isn’t real good for you but damn it tastes good.

Anniversary 12 Cheese Lasagna
You hold in your hands the most powerful and revered lasagna recipe known to man. Around 250 people have enjoyed this Italian favorite made by yours truly. Each year it is made for my wife and enjoyed by friends and family members on that one day each year. Now the recipe it being made available to the public. When I make my lasagna I don’t measure anything so most measurements are by estimates. Be creative and experiment with different amounts or add other ingredients not listed to your taste preferences. With all the possible alternatives, this recipe can be used for years and you may never serve the same lasagna twice.

In order for this lasagna to be properly prepared, a pan of at least 4” deep in needed. I found a 16” x 12” pan that is 4” deep at a restaurant supply store. Attempting to make this in anything shallower may not work.

The Sauce.
1 lb. Ground beef
1 lb. Ground pork
1 small or ½ large onion finely chopped I prefer sweet onions
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 26 oz. Jar spaghetti sauce Most flavors work well.
1 14½ oz. Can chopped tomatoes, drained. Italian style is best.
1 15 oz. Can tomato paste

Brown the meats in a large covered pan. Drain off all grease. Add the onions and garlic and cook till the onions are tender. Add sauce, drained tomatoes and the tomato paste. Season with commercial Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Other items that can be added include chopped pepperoni, sliced or chopped black olives, bell peppers or mushrooms. Liquid flavoring such a wine may be used sparingly; you want a very thick sauce.
Let the sauce simmer on medium low stirring occasionally.

The Noodles.
1 lb. Box lasagna noodles or you can use homemade noodles. You will need about 20 12 x 2 inch noodles. I have made my own noodles using beet, carrot or V8 juice, and spinach. Adds color to the lasagna and even more flavor, like it needs it.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Adding a few splashes of olive or vegetable oil will help the noodles from sticking. I also like to add about a ¼ cup of garlic-flavored vinegar to the water. Cook the noodles stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Do not over cook the noodles; they will be cooked more later. When done, strain in colander and rinse in cold water.

The Cheeses.
The soft cheeses
16 oz. (2 cups) shredded Mozzarella cheese
8 oz. (1 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese
4 oz. (½ cup) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 oz. (½ cup) shredded Colby cheese
4 oz. (½ cup) shredded Provolone cheese
4 oz. (½ cup) shredded Fontina cheese
2 to 4 oz. of any cheese that you desire not listed in this recipe. Some I have used with success include Havarti, Feta, Swiss, and yes, even Velveeta.
My secret here is using preshredded cheeses if possible. Saves time and some brands carry combinations (Co Jack, Italian combination, etc.) Shredding the cheese before starting anything works best.

The hard cheeses
¼ cup each shredded or grated Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago cheeses.
Purchased pre shredded or grated is the best way.

The Creamy cheeses
1 lb. Ricotta cheese
8 oz. Cream cheese, softened.
Mix together the two cheeses until mixed. A small amount of milk may be added if the mixture is too thick. Other items that can be added include depending on your preference include a small amount of any of the soft or hard cheeses, Italian seasoning, or chopped spinach.

The Assembly process.
The easiest way to assemble the lasagna is to lay out each item in the order it is layered into the pan. First should be the sauce, then the noodles, the creamy cheese mixture, then and the soft and hard cheeses.
Spoon about ½” sauce into the pan. Cover the sauce with a layer of noodles. Start at the sides and work towards the center. Spread about half creamy cheese over the noodles. Cover the creamy cheese with half the mozzarella and cheddar and any two of the other soft cheeses. Cover all of this with another layer of sauce. Then lay in another layer of noodles. Then add the rest of the soft cheeses and dust the top with each of the hard cheeses. Your 12th cheese may be added at the same time as any of the cheese layers. Cover and bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 325 degrees. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes to take a set. This will allow serving without the lasagna falling. This will serve 8. This should be enough for 12 but most will want seconds. Serve with salad and bread. I like to use French bread split length wise, drizzled with garlic butter and placed under a broiler till the bread starts to brown. To make garlic butter, chopped up a couple cloves of garlic into small pieces then smash them into a paste. Add to a quarter pound of melted butter or margarine. Enjoy.

15

For the Marinara sauce, my personal preference tends to be that it be very simple and rustic.

I take one of the big cans of diced tomatoes, one big can of tomato puree, about half of a little can of tomato paste, 2 to three cloves of fresh hand diced garlic (crushing garlic or, God forbid, buying it in a jar is a big no-no, or so my mother taught me)and some sea salt and pepper. I simmer this on a low heat for a couple of hours and then kill the heat and add about a quarter cup of fresh chopped basil.

For the white layer I get a tub of ricotta cheese and blend in some fresh spinach that has been chopped, cooked and very well drained (I squeeze the water out by hand and save it for soups or just to drink) as well as a little pepper and perhaps some oregano.

Second the notion that there is no need to cook the pasta.

16

I’ve tried the not cooking the pasta thing and it didn’t work out.

I mean the pasta was soft, but it didn’t have the right texture to it.

Guess I’m just used to the cooked variety.

A couple of hints I’ll give you is that…

  1. Italian sausage makes a much better meat lasagna than ground beef. My wife can’t even eat her sister’s lasagna anymore since she uses beef.

  2. You get enough salt from the cheeses, you don’t need any more in the sauce.

  3. It’s best to put the cheese within in the middle, not on the top. That way it melts without getting stiff. (although some people have told me that the stiff cheese is their favorite part)

17

I agree – another vote for “no need to pre-cook the noodles”. I’ve always done it without pre-cooking, and it turns out fine.

Just have to make sure enough moisture surrounding each layer (on the noodles). I use cottage cheese (instead of ricotta) mixed with a couple of eggs for that part.

18

Ok, Marinara sauce:

Doesn’t anybody else make sure they do the 3 meats in the sauce? That’s like a cardinal sin in my family (dad’s italian)!

The whole begining of the sauce starts with browning the meatballs, veal & (pork) sausage in olive oil.

Then adding diced onions and garlic just at the last minute

Then adding part of the sauce right into the mixture & bringing it to a boil

Then adding the rest of the sauce (crushed tomatos, small can of sauce, sometimes a can of tomato soup + water

Plus spices, bay leaf and let the whole thing simmer for about half a day with the lid off (to thicken the sauce)

I can eat out of the pot all day.

19

Quick question – I don’t eat pork, so what can I substitute for that in the recipes?

20

Well the Americans might cringe but I always add a big spoon of marmite to my mince - trust me. It goes in my gravies too.