x-no-arhive: yes

Evelyn wrote:

> To each lb of ricotta cheese you plan to use, add one egg and 1/2 cup of
> grated Romano cheese.
>
> I always added a box of frozen spinach to this mixture. I microwave
> the spinach till it is done, then squeeze out as much water as possible
> with a small colander before blending it in to the ricotta mixture.

I always do this, too.

>
> I make my lasagna with fresh pasta sheets. My lady friend advised me
> that although they tell you that you can use the sheets of fresh pasta
> without cooking ahead, she likes to dip them into a pan of hot water for
> a moment before putting them into the lasagna pan. This allows the corn
> meal to come off them, and softens them quite nicely. I swear it
> improves the taste somehow!
>
> Of course the layer after the ricotta cheese/spinach layer has only
> sauce and mozzarella cheese in it, and you finish up with that as the
> top layer.
>
> Another tip.... loosely tent some aluminum foil over the top of the
> lasagna throughout the cooking time (varies according to pan size, but
> usually 45 minutes at 350) and only uncover it to brown for a moment at
> the end, or else the cheese on top will burn. In fact my friend only
> adds top layer of mozzarella only after uncovering it, so it just gets
> good and melted, with only minimal browning.

I do the foil thing, too, so it doesn't get dried out and crusty.

>
> Lasagna freezes very well. I assemble the whole thing, top it with
> press and seal, then put a final topper of foil over that. Of course
> before baking you remove the plastic wrap first and replace the foil for
> tenting loosely over the dish.
>
> Don't freeze or bake the lasagna with the aluminum foil touching the
> top. The tomato sauce dissolves some of the foil. You don't want to
> eat that! That is why I use the plastic wrap under it for freezing.
>
> If you can't get fresh pasta sheets, then instead use Barilla no boil
> sheets. They work out very well. The recipe on the box is essentially
> similar to my recipe.

I use Barilla, and I make only two pasta layers, too, in order to cut
the carbs. I used to make three layers and throw out half of mine, but
Tom low carbs now, too.

>
> If you want to make a meat lasagna instead of vegetarian, I have found
> that the best meat for the job is ground turkey, which you would cook
> beforehand, right in the sauce. I always keep some plain sauce aside,
> for the bottom and top of the dish, since you don't want meat on the
> very bottom or on the very top.
>

I hate ground turkey in anything. My favorite meat to add is a lb of
browned Italian sausage, which I mix into the cheese mixture.

Sounds.