Okay, may seem like a silly question, but here goes, basically I'm taking my
lasagna recipe and cooking it for 80 people. Now, I know what all and what
amounts go into cooking ONE pan, but of course I don't want to cook/prepare
things ONE pan at a time. So, here's my question....if I brown all the meat
that I would be using for say 10 pans of lasagna, how do I know how much
goes in each pan? I usually put ~1.5lbs of meat to each pan. So if I've
just cooked 15 lbs of meat, how do I then know how much goes in each? This
may be dumb too, 1.5lb raw is not goign to be the same cooked, I would
think, so I couldn't just way it, so any help???

B-Worthey

bworthey wrote:
> Okay, may seem like a silly question, but here goes, basically I'm taking my
> lasagna recipe and cooking it for 80 people. Now, I know what all and what
> amounts go into cooking ONE pan, but of course I don't want to cook/prepare
> things ONE pan at a time. So, here's my question....if I brown all the meat
> that I would be using for say 10 pans of lasagna, how do I know how much
> goes in each pan? I usually put ~1.5lbs of meat to each pan. So if I've
> just cooked 15 lbs of meat, how do I then know how much goes in each? This
> may be dumb too, 1.5lb raw is not goign to be the same cooked, I would
> think, so I couldn't just way it, so any help???

How big are those pans!? That just seems like a LOT of meat per pan to
me...? You could also make them meatless and serve meatballs on the side
to help simplify things.
Otherwise, why not just cook it up and evenly portion it out? you know..
measure how much you have and divide by desired number of pans of lasagna?

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
...
> bworthey wrote:
>> Okay, may seem like a silly question, but here goes, basically I'm taking
>> my lasagna recipe and cooking it for 80 people. Now, I know what all and
>> what amounts go into cooking ONE pan, but of course I don't want to
>> cook/prepare things ONE pan at a time. So, here's my question....if I
>> brown all the meat that I would be using for say 10 pans of lasagna, how
>> do I know how much goes in each pan? I usually put ~1.5lbs of meat to
>> each pan. So if I've just cooked 15 lbs of meat, how do I then know how
>> much goes in each? This may be dumb too, 1.5lb raw is not goign to be
>> the same cooked, I would think, so I couldn't just way it, so any help???
>
> How big are those pans!? That just seems like a LOT of meat per pan to
> me...? You could also make them meatless and serve meatballs on the side
> to help simplify things.
> Otherwise, why not just cook it up and evenly portion it out? you know..
> measure how much you have and divide by desired number of pans of lasagna?

Hmm, I dunno. I usually use about 1 - 1 1/4 lbs. of bulk sweet sausage for
a 9"x13" pan. 1.5 lbs. would be "extra meaty", but I don't think
excessively so.

But, if the OP is seeking precision, weigh the meat after it's cooked and
drained and divide by 10, then weigh each portion. Me, I'd "eyeball" it.

Paco's Tacos wrote:

> Hmm, I dunno. I usually use about 1 - 1 1/4 lbs. of bulk sweet sausage for
> a 9"x13" pan. 1.5 lbs. would be "extra meaty", but I don't think
> excessively so.

If I worked it out per the OP he gets 8 servings per pan, so to me 1.5
pounds of meat for 8 servings seems like a lot.

"bworthey" > wrote in message
...
> Okay, may seem like a silly question, but here goes, basically I'm taking
> my lasagna recipe and cooking it for 80 people. Now, I know what all and
> what amounts go into cooking ONE pan, but of course I don't want to
> cook/prepare things ONE pan at a time. So, here's my question....if I
> brown all the meat that I would be using for say 10 pans of lasagna, how
> do I know how much goes in each pan? I usually put ~1.5lbs of meat to
> each pan. So if I've just cooked 15 lbs of meat, how do I then know how
> much goes in each? This may be dumb too, 1.5lb raw is not goign to be the
> same cooked, I would think, so I couldn't just way it, so any help???

You could start by cooking 1.5 lb. of meat then weighing or measuring it to
see how much it is after cooking it. Since I'm sure you can't possibly cook
all that meat up at once.

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
. ..
> Paco's Tacos wrote:
>
>> Hmm, I dunno. I usually use about 1 - 1 1/4 lbs. of bulk sweet sausage
>> for a 9"x13" pan. 1.5 lbs. would be "extra meaty", but I don't think
>> excessively so.
>
> If I worked it out per the OP he gets 8 servings per pan, so to me 1.5
> pounds of meat for 8 servings seems like a lot.

That would be 3 oz. per person. Perhaps a lot, especially since there will
also be cheese in there adding to the protein. I generally don't add meat
to lasagna but if I were going to add it, I'd add a little bit to the sauce.

Goomba38 > wrote in
:

> Paco's Tacos wrote:
>
>> Hmm, I dunno. I usually use about 1 - 1 1/4 lbs. of bulk sweet
>> sausage for a 9"x13" pan. 1.5 lbs. would be "extra meaty", but I
>> don't think excessively so.
>
> If I worked it out per the OP he gets 8 servings per pan, so to me 1.5
> pounds of meat for 8 servings seems like a lot.
>

so use a scale and measure by weight.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
news:gxlgi.5006$bj5.2913@trndny07...
>

> You could start by cooking 1.5 lb. of meat then weighing or measuring it
> to see how much it is after cooking it. Since I'm sure you can't possibly
> cook all that meat up at once.

This seemed like one of the easiest solutions, but I"m hoping not one of the
more time consuming, but is probably the one I will do.

Thanks,

B-Worthey

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
...
> How big are those pans!? That just seems like a LOT of meat per pan to
> me...? You could also make them meatless and serve meatballs on the side
> to help simplify things.
> Otherwise, why not just cook it up and evenly portion it out? you know..
> measure how much you have and divide by desired number of pans of lasagna?

9X13 pans....too late in the game to be changing anything here though. I've
seen recipes on the net that used more meat than that, so I dont' know.
Like I said it's up to 1.5 lb, but nothing under 1 lb.

B-Worthey

"Paco's Tacos" > wrote in message
news2lgi.5003$bj5.277@trndny07...
>
>> Hmm, I dunno. I usually use about 1 - 1 1/4 lbs. of bulk sweet sausage
>> for
> a 9"x13" pan. 1.5 lbs. would be "extra meaty", but I don't think
> excessively so.
>
> But, if the OP is seeking precision, weigh the meat after it's cooked and
> drained and divide by 10, then weigh each portion. Me, I'd "eyeball" it.

Ah, so weigh all the meat, and then just divide by the number of pans I need
(10) in this case, that makes senese. So, I also gotta try and figure out
how much onion and bell pepper to add to the mix as well, but I'll probably
eye-ball that too. I would probably eye-ball it, except I have specific
amounts of stuff coming, and time constraint to deal with, and I'm spending
someone elses money on this, so, trying to be as precise as possible with
it.

Thanks!

B-Worthey

Julie Bove wrote:

> That would be 3 oz. per person. Perhaps a lot, especially since there will
> also be cheese in there adding to the protein. I generally don't add meat
> to lasagna but if I were going to add it, I'd add a little bit to the sauce.

I personally dislike "meat sauces" and when I add meat to lasagna I
follow my grandmother's example and make very tiny meatballs (ground
beef,parsley, garlic, parm.cheese, spices/herbs, browned) and scatter
them across the cheese layer as I go. Not a lot of meat by any stretch.
Or perhaps I'll use sliced, cooked sweet and hot Italian sausage. Again
not much as it is a rich enough dish that I don't want the meat to
predominate the flavors.

Goomba38 wrote:

> I personally dislike "meat sauces" and when I add meat to lasagna I
> follow my grandmother's example and make very tiny meatballs (ground
> beef,parsley, garlic, parm.cheese, spices/herbs, browned) and scatter
> them across the cheese layer as I go. Not a lot of meat by any
> stretch. Or perhaps I'll use sliced, cooked sweet and hot Italian
> sausage. Again not much as it is a rich enough dish that I don't want
> the meat to predominate the flavors.

Try dressing lasagne with just bechamel, bolognese ragout and grated
parmigiano. Heaven.
--
Vilco
Think pink, drink rose'

Vilco wrote:

> Try dressing lasagne with just bechamel, bolognese ragout and grated
> parmigiano. Heaven.

Have you a nice bolognese recipe to share? I anxiously await your
reply as I do need to do a nice family dinner tonight and I suspect that
would make the kidlets very happy....
Goomba

bworthey wrote:
>
> Okay, may seem like a silly question, but here goes, basically I'm taking my
> lasagna recipe and cooking it for 80 people. Now, I know what all and what
> amounts go into cooking ONE pan, but of course I don't want to cook/prepare
> things ONE pan at a time. So, here's my question....if I brown all the meat
> that I would be using for say 10 pans of lasagna, how do I know how much
> goes in each pan? I usually put ~1.5lbs of meat to each pan. So if I've
> just cooked 15 lbs of meat, how do I then know how much goes in each? This
> may be dumb too, 1.5lb raw is not goign to be the same cooked, I would
> think, so I couldn't just way it, so any help???


Cook up the meat and transfer it from one container to another with a
measuring cup and count the number of cups of meat you get. Divide by 10.
If you get 30 cups of meat that means 3 cups per pan.

You could also consider buying and cooking extra meat and cooking it up.
Anything left over can be frozen and used another time.

Goomba38 wrote:

>> Try dressing lasagne with just bechamel, bolognese ragout and grated
>> parmigiano. Heaven.

> Have you a nice bolognese recipe to share? I anxiously await your
> reply as I do need to do a nice family dinner tonight and I suspect
> that would make the kidlets very happy....

This evening I'll be at home a little late, maybe in 3 or 4 hours by now.
I'll then post the translation of one recipe for the bolognese ragout, the
one which is deposited in the Chamber of Commerce of Bologna after a long
debate. I usually do this ragout a-la-eye, in the sense that I don't follow
recipes for it and just measure doses at a glance, so it's better if I give
you that full recipe which includes the precise amount of any ingredient.
Following that recipe I did it just once, and it was as good as always.
--
Vilco
Think pink, drink rose'

"bworthey" wrote:
> "Julie Bove" wrote:
>
> > You could start by cooking 1.5 lb. of meat then weighing or measuring it
> > to see how much it is after cooking it. Since I'm sure you can't possibly
> > cook all that meat up at once.

Wtf not... pots are available in all sizes, and no law says you can't
brown meat in as many pans at the same time as you have burners.

> This seemed like one of the easiest solutions, but I"m hoping not one of the
> more time consuming, but is probably the one I will do.

>From the size pot used to brown the meat it should be easy to
interpolate the volume of cooked meat (ie. an 8 qt pot half full = 4
qts... this is cooking, not pharmacy, precision is not very
important... not every portion will contain the same amount of meat
anyway), then divide by how many pans of lasagna and convert to cups,
use a measuing cup or there are ladles that are made in various volume
increments; 2 oz, 4 oz, 8 oz, 16 oz, etc. If you're too stingy to buy
ladles save up a set of variously sized empty tin cans. I would
strongly suggest you obtain a couple three larger/deeper lasagna
pans... it's really quite stupid to prepare so many small pans of
lasagna. If you don't want to invest in large pans there are large
aluminum disposable pans that cost very little... double them up for
strength. When I'm going to be carrying a caserole somewhere I cook
in a disposable aluminum pan placed into a regular roasting pan to
facilitate handling, then I have no dirty pan to bring home and no
clean up.

On Jun 26, 11:44?pm, "Paco's Tacos" > wrote:
> "Goomba38" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
>
>
>
>
> > bworthey wrote:
> >> Okay, may seem like a silly question, but here goes, basically I'm taking
> >> my lasagna recipe and cooking it for 80 people. Now, I know what all and
> >> what amounts go into cooking ONE pan, but of course I don't want to
> >> cook/prepare things ONE pan at a time. So, here's my question....if I
> >> brown all the meat that I would be using for say 10 pans of lasagna, how
> >> do I know how much goes in each pan? I usually put ~1.5lbs of meat to
> >> each pan. So if I've just cooked 15 lbs of meat, how do I then know how
> >> much goes in each? This may be dumb too, 1.5lb raw is not goign to be
> >> the same cooked, I would think, so I couldn't just way it, so any help???
>
> > How big are those pans!? That just seems like a LOT of meat per pan to
> > me...? You could also make them meatless and serve meatballs on the side
> > to help simplify things.
> > Otherwise, why not just cook it up and evenly portion it out? you know..
> > measure how much you have and divide by desired number of pans of lasagna?
>
> Hmm, I dunno. I usually use about 1 - 1 1/4 lbs. of bulk sweet sausage for
> a 9"x13" pan. 1.5 lbs. would be "extra meaty", but I don't think
> excessively so.
>
> But, if the OP is seeking precision, weigh the meat after it's cooked and
> drained and divide by 10, then weigh each portion. Me, I'd "eyeball" it.

Eyeballing is the best way. I hardly measure anything... when I make
lasagna the only thing I measure is the noodles, and not really
measure, I just always use three 1 lb boxes as a benchmark for the
other ingredients to fill my large Farberware pan (17" X 13"). I
usually use a 50-50 mixture of ground beef with bulk pork sausage,
usually just whatever amount I have on hand (but is always quite
generous, like a pound and a half to each pound of noodles), then lots
of riccotta and mozz, and parm... and whatever amount of sauce I deem
necessary. I stop filling the pan just at the point I feel is safe so
it doesn't run over.

Still uncooked.... believe it or not it didn't run over...

http://i15.tinypic.com/4mi553s.jpg
http://i15.tinypic.com/52yzc3p.jpg

Sheldon

bworthey wrote:
> "Paco's Tacos" > wrote in message
> news2lgi.5003$bj5.277@trndny07...
>>
>>> Hmm, I dunno. I usually use about 1 - 1 1/4 lbs. of bulk sweet
>>> sausage for
>> a 9"x13" pan. 1.5 lbs. would be "extra meaty", but I don't think
>> excessively so.
>>
>> But, if the OP is seeking precision, weigh the meat after it's
>> cooked and drained and divide by 10, then weigh each portion. Me,
>> I'd "eyeball" it.
>
> Ah, so weigh all the meat, and then just divide by the number of pans
> I need (10) in this case, that makes senese. So, I also gotta try
> and figure out how much onion and bell pepper to add to the mix as
> well, but I'll probably eye-ball that too. I would probably eye-ball
> it, except I have specific amounts of stuff coming, and time
> constraint to deal with, and I'm spending someone elses money on
> this, so, trying to be as precise as possible with it.
>
> Thanks!
>
> B-Worthey

I don't know if I'd use bell peppers in lasagna, but maybe that's just me.
I find that bell peppers tend to overpower the delicate flavors of a sauce.
Roasted red peppers I could see instead of green bells. What does anyone
else think?

kili

Vilco wrote:
> Goomba38 wrote:
>
>> I personally dislike "meat sauces" and when I add meat to lasagna I
>> follow my grandmother's example and make very tiny meatballs (ground
>> beef,parsley, garlic, parm.cheese, spices/herbs, browned) and scatter
>> them across the cheese layer as I go. Not a lot of meat by any
>> stretch. Or perhaps I'll use sliced, cooked sweet and hot Italian
>> sausage. Again not much as it is a rich enough dish that I don't want
>> the meat to predominate the flavors.
>
> Try dressing lasagne with just bechamel, bolognese ragout and grated
> parmigiano. Heaven.

I've done that before! It's been years, but it was delicious!

kili

Sheldon wrote:
> On Jun 26, 11:44?pm, "Paco's Tacos" > wrote:
>
> Eyeballing is the best way. I hardly measure anything... when I make
> lasagna the only thing I measure is the noodles, and not really
> measure, I just always use three 1 lb boxes as a benchmark for the
> other ingredients to fill my large Farberware pan (17" X 13"). I
> usually use a 50-50 mixture of ground beef with bulk pork sausage,
> usually just whatever amount I have on hand (but is always quite
> generous, like a pound and a half to each pound of noodles), then lots
> of riccotta and mozz, and parm... and whatever amount of sauce I deem
> necessary. I stop filling the pan just at the point I feel is safe so
> it doesn't run over.
>
> Still uncooked.... believe it or not it didn't run over...
>
> http://i15.tinypic.com/4mi553s.jpg
> http://i15.tinypic.com/52yzc3p.jpg
>
> Sheldon

Wow, that looks like a run-over disaster! I'm surprised it didn't. You
must have really drained out your cheese or used a thick, chunky sauce -
ahem. Looks delicious, Sheldon.

kili

kilikini wrote:

> I don't know if I'd use bell peppers in lasagna, but maybe that's just me.
> I find that bell peppers tend to overpower the delicate flavors of a sauce.
> Roasted red peppers I could see instead of green bells. What does anyone
> else think?
>
I agree that bell peppers would ruin lasagna for me. Roasted reds might
be included in the sauce but that would be it.

While Sheldon's lasagna looked wonderful, it just included more meat
than I like in lasagna. I like to bite pieces of meatball or sausage on
the occasional bite but not have so much that they predominate the
flavor and I miss the lovely cheese or sauces.

bworthey wrote:
> Okay, may seem like a silly question, but here goes, basically I'm taking my
> lasagna recipe and cooking it for 80 people. Now, I know what all and what
> amounts go into cooking ONE pan, but of course I don't want to cook/prepare
> things ONE pan at a time. So, here's my question....if I brown all the meat
> that I would be using for say 10 pans of lasagna, how do I know how much
> goes in each pan? I usually put ~1.5lbs of meat to each pan. So if I've
> just cooked 15 lbs of meat, how do I then know how much goes in each? This
> may be dumb too, 1.5lb raw is not goign to be the same cooked, I would
> think, so I couldn't just way it, so any help???
>
> B-Worthey
>
>
Here is a link http://tinyurl.com/27fql3 to a basic, well-tried recipe
for 100 servings of lasagna. You might get some idea of proportions from
this. This comes from the Armed Forces Recipe Service.

On Jun 27, 11:55?am, "kilikini" > wrote:
> Sheldon wrote:
> > On Jun 26, 11:44?pm, "Paco's Tacos" > wrote:
>
> > Eyeballing is the best way. I hardly measure anything... when I make
> > lasagna the only thing I measure is the noodles, and not really
> > measure, I just always use three 1 lb boxes as a benchmark for the
> > other ingredients to fill my large Farberware pan (17" X 13"). I
> > usually use a 50-50 mixture of ground beef with bulk pork sausage,
> > usually just whatever amount I have on hand (but is always quite
> > generous, like a pound and a half to each pound of noodles), then lots
> > of riccotta and mozz, and parm... and whatever amount of sauce I deem
> > necessary. I stop filling the pan just at the point I feel is safe so
> > it doesn't run over.
>
> > Still uncooked.... believe it or not it didn't run over...
>
> >http://i15.tinypic.com/4mi553s.jpg
> >http://i15.tinypic.com/52yzc3p.jpg
>
> > Sheldon
>
> Wow, that looks like a run-over disaster! I'm surprised it didn't. You
> must have really drained out your cheese or used a thick, chunky sauce -
> ahem.

Those Farberware pans have a higher rim than how it looks in the
picture. I know from experience that if I fill just to where the rim
begins it won't boil over. I don't do anything special to the cheese,
I use it straight from the container, I cook the the sauce to just an
average thickness, but I do drain most of the fat from browning the
meat. A little secret to keep lasagna (or any baked pasta dish) from
running over is to cook the pasta only about half way, it will absorb
the extra liquid. It's also much easier to handle very al dente
lasagna noodles. My lasagna comes out moist but firm, it's easy to
slice into square portions... I detest runny falling apart lasagna...
if you need to serve it with a spoon it is NOT lasagna. Then it's
SLopPy WoPPy! <G>

Ahahahahahahahaha. . . .

Sheldon

On Wed, 27 Jun 2007 11:46:33 -0400, "kilikini"
> wrote:

>I don't know if I'd use bell peppers in lasagna, but maybe that's just me.
>I find that bell peppers tend to overpower the delicate flavors of a sauce.
>Roasted red peppers I could see instead of green bells. What does anyone
>else think?
>
I'm fairly sacrilegious when it comes to tomato sauce. I use a can of
stewed tomatoes (Italian style). I add extra garlic, onion and
oregano.... but it has a little extra oomph, to me. I like it and I
think that little touch of green pepper may be what I like.

--
See return address to reply by email

"kilikini" > wrote in message
...

> I don't know if I'd use bell peppers in lasagna, but maybe that's just me.
> I find that bell peppers tend to overpower the delicate flavors of a
> sauce.
> Roasted red peppers I could see instead of green bells. What does anyone
> else think?

I always put red, orange and/or yellow bells in my sauce. I don't roast
them. I just chop them up and then use an immersion blender.

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
...
> Julie Bove wrote:
>
>> That would be 3 oz. per person. Perhaps a lot, especially since there
>> will also be cheese in there adding to the protein. I generally don't
>> add meat to lasagna but if I were going to add it, I'd add a little bit
>> to the sauce.
>
> I personally dislike "meat sauces" and when I add meat to lasagna I follow
> my grandmother's example and make very tiny meatballs (ground
> beef,parsley, garlic, parm.cheese, spices/herbs, browned) and scatter them
> across the cheese layer as I go. Not a lot of meat by any stretch. Or
> perhaps I'll use sliced, cooked sweet and hot Italian sausage. Again not
> much as it is a rich enough dish that I don't want the meat to predominate
> the flavors.

Agreed. I'm not much of a meat lover anyway. And sadly due to my dairy
allergy, no more lasagna for me!

"Sheldon" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> "bworthey" wrote:
>> "Julie Bove" wrote:
>>
>> > You could start by cooking 1.5 lb. of meat then weighing or measuring
>> > it
>> > to see how much it is after cooking it. Since I'm sure you can't
>> > possibly
>> > cook all that meat up at once.
>
> Wtf not... pots are available in all sizes, and no law says you can't
> brown meat in as many pans at the same time as you have burners.

I suppose so if you have that many pans. But I don't. Then again, I
wouldn't have enough pans to cook that much lasagna either.
>
<snip>

Goomba38 > wrote:

> Vilco wrote:
>
> > Try dressing lasagne with just bechamel, bolognese ragout and grated
> > parmigiano. Heaven.
>
> Have you a nice bolognese recipe to share? I anxiously await your
> reply as I do need to do a nice family dinner tonight and I suspect that
> would make the kidlets very happy....

Vilco will surely have a good recipe. Meanwhile, here is what I posted
a while ago about lasagne bolognesi:

I have to say that it is a rather involved recipe if you want to make
everything from scratch... Here is a recipe from _Cucina Italiana_,
compiled by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina.

Victor

Lasagne bolognesi

for the pasta:
2 eggs
250 g (2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour

for the besciamella sauce:
60 g (1/4 cup) butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 l (4 cups) milk

for the meat sauce:
300 g (10 oz) ragù (see below)
50 g (2 oz) dried mushrooms soaked in warm water
1 clove garlic
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons butter
100 g (1/2 cup) Parmesan cheese, grated
40 g (1/4 cup) butter

Prepare the pasta:
Stir the flour into a mound and break the eggs into the centre. Add a
pinch of salt and mix the ingredients together slowly with a fork or
your fingertips. Knead well for about 10 minutes until the dough is
smooth and elastic (you should see air bubbles when you cut the dough).
Leave to stand for 1/4 hour wrapped in a floured cloth. Roll out into a
fairly thin sheet, working from the centre outward, making sure that the
pasta is of even thickness. Leave to dry for up to 1/2 hour. Roll up
the sheet of pasta and cut out the lasagne with a sharp knife.

Make the salsa besciamella:
Cut the butter into small pieces and melt in a heavy saucepan. Stir in
the flour with a wooden spoon, add the salt and mix over medium heat
until smooth. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until the
sauce has thickened.

Make the ragù alla bolognese:
50 g (2 oz) pancetta
1 medium onion
1 small carrot
1 stick celery
50 g (1/4 cup) butter
200 g (3/4 cups) ground mixed meats (pork, veal, beef)
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons tomato sauce (see below)
1 teaspoon meat extract
salt
freshly ground pepper
1 cup milk

Chop the pancetta very finely with the onion, carrot and celery. Melt
the butter in a heavy saucepan; when it is bubbling, add the chopped
vegetables and the ground meats. Brown for a few minutes, turn up the
heat and pour in the red wine. When this has completely evaporated, add
the tomato sauce, diluted in a little hot water, and the dissolved meat
extract. Season with salt and pepper as required. Cover and leave to
simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes until the sauce is quite thick.
Pour in the milk, stir well, cover and simmer over very low heat until
the milk is absorbed.

To make the tomato sauce:
300 g (2 cups) ripe of canned plum tomatoes, chopped
1 small carrot
1 small onion
1 stick celery
2 basil leaves (optional)
1/2 clove garlic
1 1/8 cups olive oil
salt
freshly ground pepper

Choose ripe, plump and juicy summer tomatoes for this sauce. Rinse
thoroughly, chop, salt lightly and leave to sweat in a colander placed
over a bowl. Sauté the chopped vegetables, basil and garlic in a heavy
skillet in a few tablespoons of oil. Add the tomatoes immediately,
bring to a boil and cook over moderate heat for about 1/2 hour. When
the tomatoes are no longer watery, strain in a vegetable mill or blend
in a food processor. If the sauce is too thin, reduce by cooking
briefly over high heat. Check the seasoning and add some more oil and a
little sugar if desired. Pour into a sauceboat when hot.

Now prepare the lasagne:
Drain the soaked mushrooms, squeeze out excess moisture and slice. Peel
1 clove garlic and leave whole. Fry in a small skillet. When it has
browned, discard and add the mushrooms, salt, milk and parsley. Cook
slowly for approximately 1/4 hour. Butter a round pan about 20 cm/8 in
in diameter. Arrange a layer of pasta over the base followed by a layer
of white sauce and one of meat sauce, replacing the meat sauce with the
mushrooms on 2 or 3 layers (this permits the flavour of mushrooms to be
appreciated). Sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Repeat until all the
ingredients have been used up. Finish with a layer of pasta, a few
tablespoons of meat sauce, a few pieces of butter and a sprinkling of
Parmesan. Cook in a hot oven (about 180°C/350°F) for approximately 1
hour until the top is slightly crispy.

(Victor Sack) wrote in news:1i0e50m.1uk6be33q2mf3N%
:

> Victor
>
> Lasagne bolognesi
>
> for the pasta:
> 2 eggs
> 250 g (2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
>

Victor, Victor, Victor. I thought just last year you were of the mind of
1 egg to every 100 grams of flour for the making of pasta was the way to
go. Have you had a change of heart?

Is this recipe valid or is it 1/2 a egg short or 50 grams too heavy in
the flour department?

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

On Jun 27, 3:53 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
> Goomba38 > wrote:
> > Vilco wrote:
>
> > > Try dressing lasagne with just bechamel, bolognese ragout and grated
> > > parmigiano. Heaven.
>
> > Have you a nice bolognese recipe to share? I anxiously await your
> > reply as I do need to do a nice family dinner tonight and I suspect that
> > would make the kidlets very happy....
>
> Vilco will surely have a good recipe. Meanwhile, here is what I posted
> a while ago about lasagne bolognesi:
>
> I have to say that it is a rather involved recipe if you want to make
> everything from scratch... Here is a recipe from _Cucina Italiana_,
> compiled by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina.
>
> Victor
>
> Lasagne bolognesi
>
> for the pasta:
> 2 eggs
> 250 g (2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
>
> for the besciamella sauce:
> 60 g (1/4 cup) butter
> 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
> 1 teaspoon salt
> 1 l (4 cups) milk
>
> for the meat sauce:
> 300 g (10 oz) ragù (see below)
> 50 g (2 oz) dried mushrooms soaked in warm water
> 1 clove garlic
> 1 cup milk
> 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
> 2 tablespoons butter
> 100 g (1/2 cup) Parmesan cheese, grated
> 40 g (1/4 cup) butter
>
> Prepare the pasta:
> Stir the flour into a mound and break the eggs into the centre. Add a
> pinch of salt and mix the ingredients together slowly with a fork or
> your fingertips. Knead well for about 10 minutes until the dough is
> smooth and elastic (you should see air bubbles when you cut the dough).
> Leave to stand for 1/4 hour wrapped in a floured cloth. Roll out into a
> fairly thin sheet, working from the centre outward, making sure that the
> pasta is of even thickness. Leave to dry for up to 1/2 hour. Roll up
> the sheet of pasta and cut out the lasagne with a sharp knife.
>
> Make the salsa besciamella:
> Cut the butter into small pieces and melt in a heavy saucepan. Stir in
> the flour with a wooden spoon, add the salt and mix over medium heat
> until smooth. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until the
> sauce has thickened.
>
> Make the ragù alla bolognese:
> 50 g (2 oz) pancetta
> 1 medium onion
> 1 small carrot
> 1 stick celery
> 50 g (1/4 cup) butter
> 200 g (3/4 cups) ground mixed meats (pork, veal, beef)
> 1/2 cup dry red wine
> 2 tablespoons tomato sauce (see below)
> 1 teaspoon meat extract
> salt
> freshly ground pepper
> 1 cup milk
>
> Chop the pancetta very finely with the onion, carrot and celery. Melt
> the butter in a heavy saucepan; when it is bubbling, add the chopped
> vegetables and the ground meats. Brown for a few minutes, turn up the
> heat and pour in the red wine. When this has completely evaporated, add
> the tomato sauce, diluted in a little hot water, and the dissolved meat
> extract. Season with salt and pepper as required. Cover and leave to
> simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes until the sauce is quite thick.
> Pour in the milk, stir well, cover and simmer over very low heat until
> the milk is absorbed.
>
> To make the tomato sauce:
> 300 g (2 cups) ripe of canned plum tomatoes, chopped
> 1 small carrot
> 1 small onion
> 1 stick celery
> 2 basil leaves (optional)
> 1/2 clove garlic
> 1 1/8 cups olive oil
> salt
> freshly ground pepper
>
> Choose ripe, plump and juicy summer tomatoes for this sauce. Rinse
> thoroughly, chop, salt lightly and leave to sweat in a colander placed
> over a bowl. Sauté the chopped vegetables, basil and garlic in a heavy
> skillet in a few tablespoons of oil. Add the tomatoes immediately,
> bring to a boil and cook over moderate heat for about 1/2 hour. When
> the tomatoes are no longer watery, strain in a vegetable mill or blend
> in a food processor. If the sauce is too thin, reduce by cooking
> briefly over high heat. Check the seasoning and add some more oil and a
> little sugar if desired. Pour into a sauceboat when hot.
>
> Now prepare the lasagne:
> Drain the soaked mushrooms, squeeze out excess moisture and slice. Peel
> 1 clove garlic and leave whole. Fry in a small skillet. When it has
> browned, discard and add the mushrooms, salt, milk and parsley. Cook
> slowly for approximately 1/4 hour. Butter a round pan about 20 cm/8 in
> in diameter. Arrange a layer of pasta over the base followed by a layer
> of white sauce and one of meat sauce, replacing the meat sauce with the
> mushrooms on 2 or 3 layers (this permits the flavour of mushrooms to be
> appreciated). Sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Repeat until all the
> ingredients have been used up. Finish with a layer of pasta, a few
> tablespoons of meat sauce, a few pieces of butter and a sprinkling of
> Parmesan. Cook in a hot oven (about 180°C/350°F) for approximately 1
> hour until the top is slightly crispy.

HEY, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO POST RECIPES THAT ARE THAT GOOD IN THIS
NG! You will make the onion soup packet folks feel badly.

Seriously though, that's about the nicest recipe I've ever seen here,
and amazingly, it's technically a casserole.

I do have one question though. You call for "300 g (2 cups) ripe of
canned plum tomatoes, chopped," then you say, "Choose ripe, plump and
juicy summer tomatoes for this sauce." Which is it? preferably fresh,
but if you can't get them, then canned?
For canned tomatoes, I like these:
http://www.hirzel.com/products_DF.asp?ProductType='Italian%20Style'

--Bryan

hahabogus wrote:
> (Victor Sack) wrote in news:1i0e50m.1uk6be33q2mf3N%
> :
>
>> Victor
>>
>> Lasagne bolognesi
>>
>> for the pasta:
>> 2 eggs
>> 250 g (2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
>>
>
> Victor, Victor, Victor. I thought just last year you were of the mind of
> 1 egg to every 100 grams of flour for the making of pasta was the way to
> go. Have you had a change of heart?
>
> Is this recipe valid or is it 1/2 a egg short or 50 grams too heavy in
> the flour department?
>


It is true that most of use 100 g of flour per large egg, but then we
use some additional flour while kneading and rolling, which may well add
up to 50 grams. There's no finite amount ever, anyway, because the
flour has more moisture on humid days and less on dry days, eggs are
wetter or not. You have to work it until the texture is right. To me
when it is right for thinning it down it feels like damp skin. It will
still need surface flour to prevent it sticking one sheet to the other,
but not worked into the pasta.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

BOBOBOnoBO® wrote:
> On Jun 27, 3:53 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
>> Goomba38 > wrote:
>>> Vilco wrote:
>>>> Try dressing lasagne with just bechamel, bolognese ragout and grated
>>>> parmigiano. Heaven.
>>> Have you a nice bolognese recipe to share? I anxiously await your
>>> reply as I do need to do a nice family dinner tonight and I suspect that
>>> would make the kidlets very happy....
>> Vilco will surely have a good recipe. Meanwhile, here is what I posted
>> a while ago about lasagne bolognesi:
>>
>> I have to say that it is a rather involved recipe if you want to make
>> everything from scratch... Here is a recipe from _Cucina Italiana_,
>> compiled by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina.
>>
>> Victor
Cook in a hot oven (about 180°C/350°F) for approximately 1
>> hour until the top is slightly crispy.
>
> HEY, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO POST RECIPES THAT ARE THAT GOOD IN THIS
> NG! You will make the onion soup packet folks feel badly.
>
> Seriously though, that's about the nicest recipe I've ever seen here,
> and amazingly, it's technically a casserole.
>
> I do have one question though. You call for "300 g (2 cups) ripe of
> canned plum tomatoes, chopped," then you say, "Choose ripe, plump and
> juicy summer tomatoes for this sauce." Which is it? preferably fresh,
> but if you can't get them, then canned?
> For canned tomatoes, I like these:
> http://www.hirzel.com/products_DF.asp?ProductType='Italian%20Style'
>
> --Bryan
>
I am not victor, obviously, but tomatoes in winter aren't a lot better
here than there and good canned ones would be preferable out of season.

There is a lamentable tendency lately to can tomatoes in puree which
throws recipes off in lots of ways, not the least that they are a good
bit less salty.

This is a lasagna from Emilia Romagna, and not like one from another
region, where we don't use the butter and usually don't use meat or meat
sauce. Locally the aim is for the thinnest possible pasta and very
light tomato sauce, the aim being as airy a product as possible.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Victor Sack wrote:

> Vilco will surely have a good recipe. Meanwhile, here is what I
> posted a while ago about lasagne bolognesi:
> I have to say that it is a rather involved recipe if you want to make
> everything from scratch... Here is a recipe from _Cucina Italiana_,
> compiled by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina.

And that's almost identical to the recipe I was going to post.
Yesterday I didn't make it home until late, very late, so... thank you,
Victor, very much.
--
Vilco
Think pink, drink rose'

Victor Sack wrote:

> Vilco will surely have a good recipe. Meanwhile, here is what I posted
> a while ago about lasagne bolognesi:
>
> I have to say that it is a rather involved recipe if you want to make
> everything from scratch... Here is a recipe from _Cucina Italiana_,
> compiled by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina.
>
> Victor

Hmmmmm.. interesting. I think while I might not recreate it exactly per
the recipe, there are some elements I will certainly try.
Thank you for sharing this.

"Whirled Peas" > wrote in message news:bnwgi.27205
>>
>>
> Here is a link http://tinyurl.com/27fql3 to a basic, well-tried recipe for
> 100 servings of lasagna. You might get some idea of proportions from this.
> This comes from the Armed Forces Recipe Service.

What size pan are they doing that in though? I have some at my church that
appear to be around a 18x12, they are not quite 2 9X13 pans, so it might be
an 11X17, not sure. Any idea?

B-Worthey

BOBOBOnoBO® > wrote:

> I do have one question though. You call for "300 g (2 cups) ripe of
> canned plum tomatoes, chopped,"

"Of" is a typo... should be "or".

> then you say, "Choose ripe, plump and
> juicy summer tomatoes for this sauce." Which is it? preferably fresh,
> but if you can't get them, then canned?

Yes, exactly. That said, good canned tomatoes are not really inferior,
just different, rarely substitutable for fresh ones and vice versa. San
Marzano ones are universally regarded as superior, but I find that the
local widely marketed Sonnen-Bassermann brand is nearly as good at a
third of the price. When the weather is hot, I like to eat refrigerated
canned tomatoes right out of the can - such juicy, cool goodness...
Can't really do that with fresh tomatoes.

Victor

hahabogus > wrote:

> (Victor Sack) wrote:
>
> > Lasagne bolognesi
> >
> > for the pasta:
> > 2 eggs
> > 250 g (2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
>
> Victor, Victor, Victor. I thought just last year you were of the mind of
> 1 egg to every 100 grams of flour for the making of pasta was the way to
> go. Have you had a change of heart?

When and where did I write that? If I remember correctly, the only
pasta recipes I ever posted was the above one, one for bigoli in salsa,
and recipes for pelmeni and other dumplings.

> Is this recipe valid or is it 1/2 a egg short or 50 grams too heavy in
> the flour department?

It most certainly is valid. There are even recipes for homemade pasta
with no eggs at all.

Victor

Victor Sack > wrote:
>BOBOBOnoBO® > wrote:
>
>> I do have one question though. You call for "300 g (2 cups) ripe of
>> canned plum tomatoes, chopped,"
>
>"Of" is a typo... should be "or".
>
>> then you say, "Choose ripe, plump and
>> juicy summer tomatoes for this sauce." Which is it? preferably fresh,
>> but if you can't get them, then canned?
>
>Yes, exactly. That said, good canned tomatoes are not really inferior,
>just different, rarely substitutable for fresh ones and vice versa. San

Since they're already skinned, they're a heck of a lot easier
to deal with.

>Marzano ones are universally regarded as superior, but I find that the
>local widely marketed Sonnen-Bassermann brand is nearly as good at a
>third of the price. When the weather is hot, I like to eat refrigerated
>canned tomatoes right out of the can - such juicy, cool goodness...
>Can't really do that with fresh tomatoes.

Sure you can. I often end up eating half of any tomato
I'm slicing.

--Blair

Giusi wrote:

> BOBOBOnoBO® wrote:
> > On Jun 27, 3:53 pm, (Victor Sack) wrote:
> >>Goomba38 > wrote:
> > > > Vilco wrote:
> > > > > Try dressing lasagne with just bechamel, bolognese ragout and
> > > > > grated parmigiano. Heaven.
> > > > Have you a nice bolognese recipe to share? I anxiously await
> > > > your reply as I do need to do a nice family dinner tonight and
> > > > I suspect that would make the kidlets very happy....
> > > Vilco will surely have a good recipe. Meanwhile, here is what I
> > > posted a while ago about lasagne bolognesi:
> > >
> > > I have to say that it is a rather involved recipe if you want to
> > > make everything from scratch... Here is a recipe from _Cucina
> > > Italiana_, compiled by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina.
> > >
> > > Victor
> Cook in a hot oven (about 180°C/350°F) for approximately 1
> > > hour until the top is slightly crispy.
> >
> > HEY, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO POST RECIPES THAT ARE THAT GOOD IN THIS
> > NG! You will make the onion soup packet folks feel badly.
> >
> > Seriously though, that's about the nicest recipe I've ever seen
> > here, and amazingly, it's technically a casserole.
> >
> > I do have one question though. You call for "300 g (2 cups) ripe of
> > canned plum tomatoes, chopped," then you say, "Choose ripe, plump
> > and juicy summer tomatoes for this sauce." Which is it? preferably
> > fresh, but if you can't get them, then canned?
> > For canned tomatoes, I like these:
> > http://www.hirzel.com/products_DF.asp?ProductType='Italian%20Style'
> >
> > --Bryan
> >
> I am not victor, obviously, but tomatoes in winter aren't a lot
> better here than there and good canned ones would be preferable out
> of season.
>

Agreed. The ones here now are heaven. I can't get enough...

I had a pizza Caprese in sorrento last week and I'm still thinking
about the tomatoes on it.

--
-Gina in Italy

Favorite phrase of the day: Messiah-envy

In article >,
Blair P. Houghton > wrote:

> Victor Sack > wrote:

> >Marzano ones are universally regarded as superior, but I find that the
> >local widely marketed Sonnen-Bassermann brand is nearly as good at a
> >third of the price. When the weather is hot, I like to eat refrigerated
> >canned tomatoes right out of the can - such juicy, cool goodness...
> >Can't really do that with fresh tomatoes.
>
> Sure you can. I often end up eating half of any tomato
> I'm slicing.

Both my daughter and I eat whole tomatoes as a snack. Nothing she likes
better than going out to the garden, pick a few tomatoes, wash them, cut
off the stem end, and eat whole, tomato in one hand and salt shaker in
the other. Sometimes this is over the sink, sometimes over a plate and
sometimes just outside with the excess juice dripping on the grass.