I have found that making your own lasagne isn't thet expensive, maybe the
opposite. When I'm feel in the mood to knead I make my own lasagne with 2
eggs, 400 grams flour and a fistful of pressed cooked spinach, and some
water if necessary to knead it well.
If I'm not in the mood to knead I go to the "pasta fresca" shop and buy
uncooked green lasagne, fresh ones, again about 400 grams. If I'm not in the
mood to nkead nor to go to the pasta fresca shop, I go to the bearby
stupidmarket and buy dry lasagne sheets. Since these are dry, I'll be using
just half of a 250 grams package instead of 400 grams.
Ragu': finely mince a stalk of celery, a medium sized white onion and a
carrot, saute' them in EVO oil over low fire for at least 10 minutes, then
add 400 grams of ground lean beef and 400 grams of shredded sausage (just
pork salt and black/white pepper). Stir up until all the meat gets browned,
then add 250 grams of tomato sauce and a glass of white dry wine. Bring to a
slow boil and let uncovered for about 2 hours and covered for another hour.
Since it will soon dry-up, you'll need to keep up the moistu do this by
adding milk. I used both whole and partly defatted milk and I didn't feel
much difference. So, the ragu' must be prepared in time to be ready for the
assembly of the lasagne dish.
Bechamel: melt 75 grams of butter and add 75 grams of all purpose flour and
mix them well over medium-low fire for at least a couple of minutes, then
slowly add about 0,5 litres of cold milk and mix slowly and mix it in well,
stir continuously for about 5 minutes always over medium-low fire. By then,
the mix should start to thicken and look silky, velutee: when this starts to
happen just remove from fire, making sure the mix has cooked for at least 7
minutes (2 without milk and 5 with milk).
Meanwhile you should have readied a pot of boiling salted water: toss the
lasagne in and let them cook for 2-3 minutes if fresh or 6-10 minutes if dry
store-bougth.
Line a oven dish with some bechamel.
Remove the lasagne from the boiling water and lay them over a dry canvas to
drain them well, then put a first layer of lasagne on the oven sheet and
thinly cover it with bechamel and garnish it with ragu'. Add some grated
cheese and proceed with the next layer: lasagne, bechamel, ragu' and grated
cheese. Repeat until you run out of ingredients.
Bake in a 375°F oven for about 25 minutes, and use the oven broiler for some
minutes to get a crusty top.
What to say... last tiem I did this dish it was yesterday. I must ethernally
thank Mum for having kept me by her while she was cooking, so many times
that now I can cook ragu' with the same ease with which I rdie a bike, or
make bechamel as I make coffee. This sure helps when making dishes as
lasagne or other pasta al forno recipe.

"Vilco" > wrote in message
. ..
>I have found that making your own lasagne isn't thet expensive, maybe the
> opposite. When I'm feel in the mood to knead I make my own lasagne with 2
> eggs, 400 grams flour and a fistful of pressed cooked spinach, and some
> water if necessary to knead it well.
> If I'm not in the mood to knead I go to the "pasta fresca" shop and buy
> uncooked green lasagne, fresh ones, again about 400 grams. If I'm not in
> the
> mood to nkead nor to go to the pasta fresca shop, I go to the bearby
> stupidmarket and buy dry lasagne sheets. Since these are dry, I'll be
> using
> just half of a 250 grams package instead of 400 grams.
> Ragu': finely mince a stalk of celery, a medium sized white onion and a
> carrot, saute' them in EVO oil over low fire for at least 10 minutes, then
> add 400 grams of ground lean beef and 400 grams of shredded sausage (just
> pork salt and black/white pepper). Stir up until all the meat gets
> browned,
> then add 250 grams of tomato sauce and a glass of white dry wine. Bring to
> a
> slow boil and let uncovered for about 2 hours and covered for another
> hour.
> Since it will soon dry-up, you'll need to keep up the moistu do this by
> adding milk. I used both whole and partly defatted milk and I didn't feel
> much difference. So, the ragu' must be prepared in time to be ready for
> the
> assembly of the lasagne dish.
> Bechamel: melt 75 grams of butter and add 75 grams of all purpose flour
> and
> mix them well over medium-low fire for at least a couple of minutes, then
> slowly add about 0,5 litres of cold milk and mix slowly and mix it in
> well,
> stir continuously for about 5 minutes always over medium-low fire. By
> then,
> the mix should start to thicken and look silky, velutee: when this starts
> to
> happen just remove from fire, making sure the mix has cooked for at least
> 7
> minutes (2 without milk and 5 with milk).
> Meanwhile you should have readied a pot of boiling salted water: toss the
> lasagne in and let them cook for 2-3 minutes if fresh or 6-10 minutes if
> dry
> store-bougth.
> Line a oven dish with some bechamel.
> Remove the lasagne from the boiling water and lay them over a dry canvas
> to
> drain them well, then put a first layer of lasagne on the oven sheet and
> thinly cover it with bechamel and garnish it with ragu'. Add some grated
> cheese and proceed with the next layer: lasagne, bechamel, ragu' and
> grated
> cheese. Repeat until you run out of ingredients.
> Bake in a 375°F oven for about 25 minutes, and use the oven broiler for
> some
> minutes to get a crusty top.
> What to say... last tiem I did this dish it was yesterday. I must
> ethernally
> thank Mum for having kept me by her while she was cooking, so many times
> that now I can cook ragu' with the same ease with which I rdie a bike, or
> make bechamel as I make coffee. This sure helps when making dishes as
> lasagne or other pasta al forno recipe.
>
>
>
An excellent looking recipe. I've always followed Marcella Hazan's recipe
for ragu, in
Classic Italian Cooking. She only cooks the ground meat until it's done and
avoids
browning the meat. I think this makes for a smoother sauce. As we know,
using fresh
pasta makes all the difference in the world. We usually use ricotta, or
ricotta combined with mozarella cheese. As you well know, lasagne is a fair
effort.

Cheers,

Ed

Theron wrote:

> As we know, using fresh
> pasta makes all the difference in the world.

Very true!

> We usually use ricotta, or ricotta combined with mozarella cheese.

Try substituting ricotta and mozzarella with a good bechamel, you won't
regret that

> As you well know, lasagne is a fair effort.

Quoted

"Vilco" > wrote in message
. ..
> Theron wrote:
>
>> As we know, using fresh
>> pasta makes all the difference in the world.
>
> Very true!
>
>> We usually use ricotta, or ricotta combined with mozarella cheese.
>
> Try substituting ricotta and mozzarella with a good bechamel, you won't
> regret that
>
I have thoughts of this but I'm concerned that would make the dish "thick".
Ricotta
avoids that. Do you flavor the bechamel, or just add milk, salt and roux.
How much roux
per cup of liquid do you add? I'd guess it would have to be pretty thick,
like
2-3TB flour per cup. You can also make a sauce mornay by adding cheese to
the bechamel, as you know.

Ed

"Theron" ha scritto nel messaggio >
> "Vilco" wrote in message
>> Theron wrote:

>>> We usually use ricotta, or ricotta combined with mozarella cheese.
>>
>> Try substituting ricotta and mozzarella with a good bechamel, you won't>>
>> regret that
>>
> I have thoughts of this but I'm concerned that would make the dish
> "thick". > Ricotta
> avoids that. Do you flavor the bechamel, or just add milk, salt and roux.
> > How much roux
> per cup of liquid do you add? I'd guess it would have to be pretty thick,
> > like> 2-3TB flour per cup. You can also make a sauce mornay by adding
> cheese to
> the bechamel, as you know.
>
> Ed
>
We do know those things, but lasagne in Italy is lighter, less calorific and
doesn't have all those extra things Americans put in. Since its origins are
Italian, you will have to let us have it with our bechamel. The thickness
is up to you, but very runny won't do.

Giusi wrote:

> Since its origins are Italian, you will have to let us have it with
> our bechamel. The thickness is up to you, but very runny won't do.

The recipe for bechamel on one package of "Don't precook!" lasagne I bougth
not too long ago, and I remember it well due to my stupor, said something
like 50 g butter and 50 g flour and 0,9 litres milk, which is a very runny
bechamel. When I use 75 + 75 butter and flour and I use just half a liter of
milk, the result is the expected velutee creamy bechamel I got to know.
They tend to recommend a runnier bechamel because they say lasagne aren't to
be boiled, while boiling them makes always a great difference: the starch
stays in the pot and the dish results yummier, not sticky or "heavy".

Theron wrote:

>> Try substituting ricotta and mozzarella with a good bechamel, you
>> won't regret that

> I have thoughts of this but I'm concerned that would make the dish
> "thick". Ricotta avoids that.

This is mostly true with non cooked lasagne sheets. If you don't cook them,
they retain all of the starch and make the dish "thick", or too dense. If
you cook the lasagne, a well made bechamel doesn't make it "thick".

> Do you flavor the bechamel, or just add milk, salt and
> roux. How much roux
> per cup of liquid do you add? I'd guess it would have to be pretty
> thick, like
> 2-3TB flour per cup.

I posted the ingredients I used saturday, anywway they we 75 grams of
butter, 75 grams of flour and 0,5 litres cold milk. Whole milk, not
defatted.

Vilco wrote:

>> Do you flavor the bechamel, or just add milk, salt and
>> roux.

I forgot: I add a pinch of salt and some finely grated nutmeg. Bechamel
without nutmeg is unknown to me