In article . com,
"mom0f4boys" wrote:

I add tomato paste and cheese to the cooked pork/hamburg. I use
montery jack cheese (not just mozzarella) in the filling, also I only
cook the pasta halfway before assembling the lasagna. I put tons of
parmesan in the ricotta. Those are my special touches... what are
yours?

Mom always added a light sprinkling of cinnamon to the top of the
ricotta cheese. She also made the meat very rich with the addition if
italian seasonings and a light marinara type sauce.
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

On Wed, 05 Jul 2006 07:53:37 GMT, "Paul M. Cook"
wrote:


"-L." wrote in message
oups.com...

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:

Cottage cheese and fennel.


I actually prefer cottage cheese to ricotta (creamier texture), but DH
likes ricotta so I give in...
-L.

I see this all the time; a low-fat substitute in a dish that is a monument
to fat. Like using half-and-half in place of cream in an Alfredo. Or
low-fat turkey chorizo. Alcohol-free wine. Low-carb pasta. Eggless eggs.
Caffeine-free coffee.

What's the point of living forever if you can't enjoy it?

Who said anything about low-fat? EG It's just a throw-back to the
days when it was difficult or impossible to find ricotta in some
areas.

Carol

"Damsel in dis Dress" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 05 Jul 2006 07:53:37 GMT, "Paul M. Cook"
wrote:


"-L." wrote in message
oups.com...

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:

Cottage cheese and fennel.


I actually prefer cottage cheese to ricotta (creamier texture), but DH
likes ricotta so I give in...
-L.

I see this all the time; a low-fat substitute in a dish that is a
monument
to fat. Like using half-and-half in place of cream in an Alfredo. Or
low-fat turkey chorizo. Alcohol-free wine. Low-carb pasta. Eggless
eggs.
Caffeine-free coffee.

What's the point of living forever if you can't enjoy it?

Who said anything about low-fat? EG It's just a throw-back to the
days when it was difficult or impossible to find ricotta in some
areas.


It still is for the most part. One of the things I find that is hard to
duplicate in an Italian recipe is real moz and ricotta. Since they are
traditionally made from buffalo milk its very hard to locate where I live.
It makes a considerable difference in the recipe.

Paul

I've gone back to more simple traditional Italian style meals rather than
excessive Italian American regional varieties. I think there is a lesson
in the approach of multiple simple dishes rather than one gordo-fest on the
Meat and Dairy that we do. Of all the Italian cook books I have I like
Mario Batali's best, probably because I like his show. "Molto Italian" has
two very nice recipes for Lasagna. I especially like the Lasagna alla
Bolognese al Forno. It is a welcome break from the "Italian Cheese Burger
pie" we so favor to make here in the States. This is a simple layering of
Pasta, Ragu, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Besciamella.

I make a batch of Ragu Bolognese up on the appointed cooking day, usually
right after a meat sale day. refrig some, freeze some. In adapting to
local ingredients for the Ragu Bolognese I do caramelize my onions a bit
heavily and then add the other veggies. I then fry my tomato paste with
them in it immediately afterward. Actually, also caramelizing it somewhat,
just be careful and not to let it burn. Add the garlic towards the last 1-2
minutes of cooking. . For the pancetta I often use a Hog Jowl bacon slab I
find in the local Fred Meyers (Krogers). if you want it leaner, use a
Canadian style Bacon if you cannot find the more favorable, & astronomically
expensive Prosciutto . But above all you have to use a quality Parmigiano-
Reggiano. Like animals, no canned pre ground fluffy white stuff is
allowed in the Kitchen when machinery, knives and/or stoves are in
operation. our Local Costcos have good Parmigiano & Romano cheese at a good
price.
The nice thing about this lasagna is the Ragu can be made ahead of time
and the besciamella is just simple, easy to make, white sauce that you can
personalize easily.
One other thing I do is make really wide noodles where on will fit inside a
9x13. put two of those on the bottom edge to edge so they lie over the sides
of the dish like flaps, then build it up inside layer by layer. lastly
use the flaps to fold over the top and seal the whole thing with a last
layer of paste, dress the top with a small amount of besciamella & ragu,
lightly sprinkle some cheese, cook 45-50 minutes @ 375-400, take out to
rest but shave some P-R cheese on it and throw some torn basil as well
while hot so as to meld it together while resting. As always: very good
reheated the next day .

Wine pairing: In the Venato we drank a Soave if an afternoon meal, some red
varieties like a Valpolicella in the evening. The theory was a White was to
energize you , a Red to make you sleep.

"mom0f4boys" wrote in message
ups.com...
I add tomato paste and cheese to the cooked pork/hamburg. I use
montery jack cheese (not just mozzarella) in the filling, also I only
cook the pasta halfway before assembling the lasagna. I put tons of
parmesan in the ricotta. Those are my special touches... what are
yours?

All of this and ... a bit of lemon zest in the ricotta.

Paul M. Cook wrote:
"mom0f4boys" wrote in message
ups.com...
I add tomato paste and cheese to the cooked pork/hamburg. I use
montery jack cheese (not just mozzarella) in the filling, also I only
cook the pasta halfway before assembling the lasagna. I put tons of
parmesan in the ricotta. Those are my special touches... what are
yours?


Since we aren't talking exactly diet food he

Keep it all raw. Let all the ingredients cook in the oven. This makes for
the freshest and most lively lasagna I can think of.

Add a base layer of raw hot Italian sausage that you have removed from the
casing. The sausage will cook in the lasagna and season it quite
splendidly. Yes, there is excess fat. But this dish is all about fat and
that's what makes it great. Don't use hamburger. It adds nothing to the
flavor of the dish.

Make another layer of ricotta cheese mixed with freshly grated parmesan,
romano and provolone cheese. Add a couple raw eggs, salt and a dash of
nutmeg.

Use raw fresh pasta sheets if you can find them. Not the hard dried stuff,
the real whole egg pasta. Trader Joe's has them often. If you cannot do
this, by all means just blanch the pasta long enough to make it pliable yet
still very firm.

Use fresh, chopped herbs. I tend to use just basil and oregano.

Keep the tomato sauce simple and fresh. While I like tomato paste, it
doesn't work well in a dish such as this. Too - I dunno - too canned taste.
I use it more for ragouts and stews that have long cooking times.

And do be sure to liberally brush your baking dish with olive oil. It adds
a lot of flavor and makes the lasagna more easy to remove from the pan.

Paul

I always found spruce to be a bit too overwhelming for lasagne...
I tend to favour a bit of rosemary instead...

~R~

Abe wrote:

NO NO NO nutmeg in a traditional meat lasagna - ever.

I LIKE the dash of nutmeg in my cheese layer, thankyouverymuch.
Goomba

Serene wrote:


On 4 Jul 2006 19:00:00 -0700, "mom0f4boys" wrote:

I add tomato paste and cheese to the cooked pork/hamburg. I use
montery jack cheese (not just mozzarella) in the filling, also I only
cook the pasta halfway before assembling the lasagna. I put tons of
parmesan in the ricotta. Those are my special touches... what are
yours?

My mom's lasagna has egg, salt, and pepper in the ricotta; an equal
mix of ground beef and italian sausage in the meat layer; and parmesan
in the sauce.



That sounds like mine. I make a homemade sauce with meatballs and
Italian sausage,onion, garlic, basil, fennel, and oregano, then cut up
the meat and put it in one or two of the cheese layers. Lots of
fresh-grated real Parmesan in the ricotta, too.

gloria p

Wow... what a great array of lasagna tips in these posts! I am going
on vacation with extended family next week, and I am in charge of the
lasagna for the first night. My mom used to make it so yucky.... the
cheapest pasta boiled limp, plain hamburg, cottage cheese with an egg
thrown in, one jar of cheap sauce and one pack of pre-grated cheese. I
never liked it. My mom means well, but just isn't a cook.
Thanks for all these tips!

mom0f4boys wrote:
Wow... what a great array of lasagna tips in these posts! I am going
on vacation with extended family next week, and I am in charge of the
lasagna for the first night. My mom used to make it so yucky.... the
cheapest pasta boiled limp, plain hamburg, cottage cheese with an egg
thrown in, one jar of cheap sauce and one pack of pre-grated cheese. I
never liked it. My mom means well, but just isn't a cook.
Thanks for all these tips!

Don't forget the mushrooms.

-L.