Four Lasagna Recipes

Spicy Sweet Italian Sausage and Pepperoni Lasagna, with Sangiovese Tomato Sauce.

Recipe courtesy of Karl Anthony Moore

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of Sangiovese or another Italian red wine.
• 1 pound pepperoni, cut thin.
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 1 large sweet Walla Walla onion
• 4 hot cherry peppers
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 fresh bunch of parsley
• 1 fresh bunch of basil
• ½ fresh bunch of oregano
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 2 24 oz. cans diced tomatoes
• 1 box lasagna noodles
• 16 oz mozzarella
• 16 oz parmesan
• 16 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp pepper

First, heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the Italian sausage and break up in to small pieces. Dice the garlic and onion and add to the skillet , along with a ¼ cup of olive oil.  Dice the hot peppers and add them to the skillet.  Finely chop the parsley, basil and oregano and set aside for later.

Once the onion is cooked down, after about five minutes, add the two cans of tomatoes, draining all excess water before adding to the skillet. Add about one cup of the red wine. Next add the tomato paste and salt and pepper and stir to combine.  Turn heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes.

Now, bring water to boil cook lasagna noodles for eight minutes. You do not want to cook all the way, per package directions, as the noodles will cook further once in the oven.

While the water is boiling and noodles cooking, heat up another pan and add the pepperoni slices in a single layer and fry for about one minute per side, to render out some of the grease from the meat. This is an important step as the grease from the pepperoni needs to be removed or your pepperoni will not hold its shape once removed from the oven and cut for serving.

Place the cooked pepperoni on paper towels to remove more grease once done frying.  Set aside. By now, your noodles should be done. Strain and run cold water over the noodles to stop cooking and make easier to handle for the construction phase of the lasagna.

Next, make the cheese mixture. Grate the parmesan and mozzarella and add 2/3 of each to a bowl along with the ricotta cheese. Add the egg and the parsley, salt and pepper and combine and set aside.  Take the remaining cheese and mix together and set aside.

Turn on the oven and set to 450 degrees. Check on the Tomato sauce. It should be somewhat reduced. Add the chopped basil and oregano and stir to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

It’s time to construct the lasagna. First, add cooking spray to the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch pan, to prevent the noodles from sticking. Next, add lasagna noodles to the bottom, covering the pan. Then add 1/3 of the tomato sauce and then a layer of pepperoni, using half of it. Next add 1/2 of the cheese mixture and then cover with lasagna noodles. Then repeat the same layers, making sure not to put the noodles and pepperoni next to each other. The pepperoni will add more rigidity to the dish, so make sure to add more separate layers of noodles and pepperoni, so as to have more stability. It should go like this: N.S.P.C.N.S.P.C.N.S

Once you get to the top of the pan, you will have a layer of tomato sauce. At this point you should have used all the pepperoni, noodles, and cheese mixture and tomato sauce. To top, add the remaining layer of cheese and place in the oven for 30 minutes, until heated through.

Remove from oven and let cool for about five minutes. Cut, serve and enjoy with a nice glass of Sangiovese!

Terry Bliesner’s King Crab Lasagna

Ingredients:

3 Cups Semolina Flour

3 Eggs, Beaten (room temperature)

1 ½ Tbsp Olive Oil

1 ½ Tbsp Water

3 Small Bulbs of Garlic, Roasted

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 ½ Cup Fresh Mozzarella, Grated

1 Cup Fresh Gruyere Cheese, Grated

1 Cup Fresh Parmesan Cheese, Grated

1 Cup Ricotta Cheese

2 Eggs, Beaten

2 Tbsp Butter

½  Cup Sweet Onion, Minced

½ Cup Fennel, Minced

1 Cup Artichoke Hearts, Chopped

1 Cup Cremini Mushrooms, Chopped

Kosher Salt and White Pepper to taste

2 lb King Crab legs (Meat and Shell Weight), Chopped

½ Cup Butter

½ Cup Flour

4 Cups Whole Milk

½ Teaspoon Nutmeg

1 Teaspoon of Lemon Juice

Dash Sea Salt

Dash White Pepper

Place 2 cups flour in food processor and turn on. Through the spout on top, slowly add the eggs, 1 T. oil and 1 T. water. Dough should begin to form a wet ball. Stop blade, scrape the work bowl sides and pulse mix. Slowly add remaining flour, but you may not need all of it. Add additional water or oil if needed until dough forms a soft ball and starts to clean the sides of the bowl. Remove air and seal in plastic bag for 30-45 minutes.

Fill 8 qt pot ¾ full of water. Add ¼ t. salt and 1 T. of olive oil and bring to a boil.

Cut dough into thirds and place 2 balls back in the bag and reseal. Follow instruction on your pasta machine, rolling out dough to the 5^th setting (not too thin). Cut to length of your pan and hang on a pasta drying rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

Next, cut tops off 3 bulbs of garlic and place in roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap with foil and bake in 400 degree oven until soft (depending on the size 30 to 40 minutes).  Allow to cool and then remove the cloves and smash into small pieces.

In separate bowl, carefully stir together the mozzarella, gruyere, and parmesan. Set aside approximately a fourth of this mixture to use to top the finished lasagna.  To the remainder, add the ricotta cheese and roasted garlic and set aside.

In small pan, melt butter and sauté onions, fennel, artichoke hearts and cremini mushrooms until softened. Cool, then combine with mixed ricotta and cheese mixture and stir in crab meat.

For the Bechamel Sauce, in a medium saucepan, heat ½ cup butter over medium-low heat until melted.  Slowly add flour and whisk until smooth, continue cooking until mixture is golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Heat the milk in a separate pan until near boiling.  Add the hot milk to the butter flour mixture and whisk one cup at a time until sauce is smooth and creamy. Simmer until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, lemon juice and sea salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a  9 x 13 inch baking dish, cover the bottom of the dish with ¼ of the béchamel sauce, then cover with lasagna noodles, then lightly spread half of the cheese mixture over the lasagna noodles, then sprinkle half sautéed vegetables and crab over the cheese mixture. Repeat the layers, finishing with remaining Béchamel Sauce. Sprinkle the shredded cheese mixture on top. Cover the lasagna with foil, cook in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Let cool for 15 minutes for the lasagna to set up prior to serving. Top with freshly chopped basil.

The Peoples Lasagna

Recipe Courtesy of Matt Kloster

Meat Sauce:

In a pot add:

1.5-2lb of Italian sausage (hot was used in my recipe)

1-1.5lb of Ground beef

3/4 cup of chopped onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

Brown the ground beef, sausage, onions and garlic in a pot until they start to cook.  Remove the grease.

Add the following:

1 can of crushed tomatoes (28oz)

2 cans of tomato sauce (8oz)

2 cans of tomato paste (6oz)

½ cup of water

Stir this in the cooking meat

Add the following:

2 tablespoons of white sugar

1seaspoon of fennel seed

2 teaspoons of basil leaves chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon of ground pepper

Stir this into the sauce

Cover the pot and let meat sauce simmer for 90min

Soak 12 lasagna noodles in hot water for 15min

Cheese Mixture

Put the following in a mixing bowl

23 oz of ricotta cheese

½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

1 egg

Mix together

Special Bonus Layer:

Cook 1lb of chopped bacon

In a bowl mix:

2 blocks of Cream cheese, approximately 1.5 tablespoon of Pesto, and the pound of chopped bacon (add pesto to taste).

Directions:

Using a 9×13 pan spread a 2.5 cup layer of the meat sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Cover that sauce with 6 noodles

Spread a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles

Spread 1/2lb of mozzarella cheese over the ricotta

Spread 1 cup of parmesan over the mozzarella

Spread 2.5 cups of the meat sauce over the cheese layer

Lay down another 6moodles

Spread the Cream Cheese/Pesto/Bacon mixture over the noodles

Spread more mozzarella

Put the last layer of meat sauce on the cheeses.

Sprinkle any remaining Mozzarella to the top.

Cover with foil

Bake in oven at 350F for 25min and remove foil and bake uncovered for another 25min

Remove from oven and cool for 15min before serving

Sit back, relax and gloat.

Veal Lasagne Perfection

Recipe Courtesy of Ryan Messer

Ingredients:

Marinara Sauce:

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion

3 medium celery stalks

1 large carrot – peeled

6 lb. Italian tomatoes (whole, peeled – fresh are better, but canned will work)

6-8 cloves garlic – finely minced

1 cup red wine

2 T. fresh oregano – finely chopped

2 T. fresh basil – finely chopped

4 T. pesto (see below)

2 t. salt

2 t. fresh ground pepper

Pesto Sauce:

1 cup fresh basil leaves (packed)

1 T. pine nuts

3 cloves garlic – crushed

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

6 oz freshly grated pecorino romano

¼ t. white pepper

Pasta:

3 eggs (room temperature)

3 cups semolina flour

1+ T. extra virgin olive oil

1+ T. water

Béchamel Sauce:

3 T. unsalted butter

2 T. flour

1 ¾ cups heated whole milk

Salt to taste

Fresh ground white pepper to taste

Other:

10 oz fresh pecorino romano (15 very thin slices, grate the rest)

1 lb freshly grated mozzarella

12 oz thin cut veal cutlets

4 oz marsala

15 whole fresh basil leaves

Instructions:

(Read fully beforehand as some items must be started before others are finished.)

Pesto:

Wash and dry basil leaves and place in food processor. Add all other ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. You may need to scrape the sides a few times and mix again. Refrigerate until ready to add to marinara.

Marinara:

If using fresh tomatoes, wash and boil in a 10 qt stockpot until the skins begin to split and peel off. Run under cool water and peel all skins. Remove stem cores and set aside.

Place onion, carrot and celery in a food processor and stop just before turning to a puree. Heat the olive oil in a 10 qt. pot over medium heat. Once heated, add the vegetables. Sauté for 3 minutes or until the onions become translucent.

Add the tomatoes and mix with the vegetables. Let tomatoes heat through then mash with a potato masher in the pan (to speed up the process, you can blend in a food processor before pouring in to the veggies). You will need to mash the tomatoes again after 10-15 minutes and continue until they have fully lost their shape and size.

After 30-45 minutes from starting, continue to simmer the tomato sauce and add the remaining ingredients. Continue to simmer for 2 more hours to reduce the liquid in the sauce. Check the taste every 30 minutes as it may need more pepper, salt or wine for your taste. Once complete, turn off heat and cover until needed to prepare lasagne.

Pasta:

Start pasta when marinara is 30 minutes from being done. Place 2 cups flour in food processor and turn on. Through the spout on top, slowly add the eggs, 1 T. oil and 1 T. water. Dough should begin to form a wet ball. Stop blade, scrape the work bowl sides and pulse mix. Slowly add remaining flour, but you may not need all of it. Add additional water or oil if needed until dough forms a soft ball and starts to clean the sides of the bowl. Remove air and seal in plastic bag for 30-45 minutes.

Fill 8 qt pot ¾ full of water. Add ¼ t. salt and 1 T. of olive oil and bring to a boil.

Cut dough into thirds and place 2 balls back in the bag and reseal. Follow instruction on your pasta machine, rolling out dough to the 5^th setting (not too thin). Cut to length of your pan and hang on a pasta drying rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bechamel Sauce:

Melt butter in medium size pan over medium heat and add flour. Stir to a paste and slowly add milk. Stir with a whisk until sauce begins to thicken to a cream. Add salt and pepper and remove from heat. Cover until ready to use.

Assembly:

Spread 1-2 cups marinara in bottom of 11” x 17” lasagne pan. Boil 2 sheets of pasta for approximately 1 minute. Make sure not to over cook the pasta, it should be al dente.  Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and to make it easier to work with. Place over the sauce in pan. Sprinkle ¼ of both cheeses (grated romano and mozzarella) over the pasta. Add enough marinara to barely cover the pasta and cheese (approximately 2-3 cups). Drizzle béchamel from a ladle in 3 stripes over the marinara (approximately ½ cup). Repeat all steps 2-3 more times. The top of the lasagne should be just beneath the rim of the pan. If 3 total layers are right at the lip, eliminate the 4^th layer.

Cut veal into 2” squares and lightly salt and pepper both sides. Pan fry over medium heat. When lightly browned on one side, add marsala and flip. Deglaze in marsala for 2-3 minutes. The meat does not need to be cooked through as it will bake in the oven on top of the lasagne.

Remove from pan and place 15 pieces on top of your lasagne in even rows (more if your pan is wider). Place one thin slice of romano over each piece of veal.

Cook in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes (cover with foil if edges start to burn). Test with knife in center of lasagne for doneness. All ingredients have been cooked, they just need to be reheated. Let lasagne rest for 15 minutes before serving so the sauce does not run when you cut the slices. Immediately before serving, add one medium size fresh basil leaf to the top of each piece of cheese covered veal.

Lasagne may be prepared early and refrigerated up to 48 hours before cooking or frozen if well covered.