Lasagne
Print This Recipe
I am including here a recipe for homemade fresh lasagne noodles if you care to try them. Or, you can use purchased lasagne noodles.
INGREDIENTS
MEAT SAUCE
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced1-1/2 pounds Italian sausage
8-ounces lean ground beef
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes with added purée
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes with added purée
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 to 3 bay leaves
2 to 3 teaspoons sugar, to taste
1 teaspoon fennel seed, coarsely crushed, optional
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
3/4 cup dry red wine
Salt, to taste
Lasagne noodles, fresh or purchased*RICOTTA FILLING
1 egg
1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt12-ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, choppedMEAT SAUCE - Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, then add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes more. Set aside.
In a large skillet, brown the sausage and ground beef over medium heat breaking the meat up as it cooks. Drain off the juices into a fat separator and set aside. Add the meat mixture to the onion mixture in the Dutch oven.
Pour the crushed tomatoes into the Dutch oven. Stir in the basil, oregano, bay leaves, and sugar. Add the fennel and red pepper flakes, if desired. Stir in the red wine. Add the meat juices from the fat separator.
Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for about 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add salt, to taste. Cool the meat sauce to warm before assembling.
Makes about 8 cups of meat sauce
NOTE - If you are going to make the homemade lasagne noodles, make them while the sauce is simmering. *2 pounds, approximately dried lasagne noodles in place of fresh. Prepare the purchased lasagne noodles according to package directions.
RICOTTA FILLING - In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, parsley, and salt.
TO ASSEMBLE - Spoon 2 tablespoons of the meat sauce and a tablespoon of olive oil into the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch or 14 x 11-inch baking dish. Layer the fresh, uncooked, lasagne noodles lengthwise in the baking dish. Spread about 1/3 of the ricotta filling over noodles and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Top with 2 cups of the meat sauce, spreading it evenly over the noodles. Sprinkle some of the mozzarella cheese over the meat sauce. Repeat with 2 more layers. Add a forth layer of noodles, top with the meat sauce and the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano and mozzarella.
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake the lasagne in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about 25 minutes or more, until lightly browned and bubbly. Remove from the oven and immediately garnish with 3 tablespoons fresh parsley. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.
FRESH LASAGNE NOODLES
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
3 large eggsPlace the flour on a smooth countertop. Make a well in the center and add the eggs. With a fork, gently beat the eggs, incorporating some of the flour as you stir, until a paste forms. Using your hands, continue to incorporate as much of the flour as possible, creating a stiff ball of dough. Knead the dough lightly, adding more flour as needed to keep it from becoming sticky. It should be very firm and fairly uniform in texture. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest 15 to 20 minutes before kneading in the pasta machine.
To knead with the pasta machine, divide the rested dough into the same number of parts as eggs used (e.g., 3 parts for 3 eggs). Set the machine on the widest setting. Dust the dough with flour and feed it between the rollers.
With each pass through the machine, fold the dough in thirds, one side overlapping the other, to form a neat square. Dust and repeat as needed to create a pasta of the desired firmness and smoothness. (How much flour you add at this step depends on how firm the dough was in the previous step. Usually, 3 or 4 dustings with a total of ten passes through the machine will produce the proper consistency. Two good indicators are the dough should appear smooth without wrinkles and be light in color).
Before you begin the final stage of stretching and cutting, establish a place to set the pasta while you work. Dusting a large dish towel with flour or using a pasta rack will save a lot of frustration.
Pass the portions of pasta through each setting of the machine. With each pass, the pasta will become thinner and longer. As the pasta lengthens, you may wish to cut the pieces in half for easier handling. The final thickness determines the type of pasta you will make before cutting. For lasagne, use #6, the thinnest setting possible.
To cut the pasta into lasagne noodles, lay a sheet of pasta next to a baking dish and cut it to length. The fresh noodles do not need to be boiled. They will cook as the lasagne bakes.
Makes enough dough for a 4-layer lasagne in a 13 x 9 or 14 x 11-inch baking dish