Lasagne

This lasagne got high marks and praise from the person posting it... see below.  I was not all that impressed. I like another recipe better and it is posted below this one.  This one took all afternoon to make. The one I like better has a rich bechamel sauce.

 If there were central casting for casseroles, this one deserved the leading role. But its beauty was more than cheese deep. This was the best lasagna I had ever eaten. The sauce was intensely flavored, the cheeses melted into creaminess as if they were bechamel, the meat was just chunky enough, and the noodles put up no resistance to the fork. Most important, the balance of pasta and sauce was positively Italian.

At last I could understand why my neighbor Geoff had told me, as I dragged home more bags in our elevator, that all-day lasagna is the only kind worth making.

I might even do it again.

LASAGNA

Time: About 4 hours

For the sauce:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 medium red onions, finely diced

2 large cloves minced garlic

8 ounces pancetta, diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups good red wine, preferably Italian

2 28-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes

3 tablespoons tomato paste

3/4 pound ground sirloin

1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano

2 eggs

10 sprigs fresh parsley, leaves only, washed and dried

2 large whole cloves garlic

1/2 cup flour

1 pound Italian sausage, a mix of hot and sweet

Cooking

Daily inspiration, delicious recipes, and other updates from Sam Sifton and The New York Times, right to your inbox.

For the lasagna:

1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese

2 extra-large eggs

2 cups freshly grated pecorino Romano

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 pound mozzarella, grated

16 sheets fresh lasagna noodles, preferably Antica Pasteria.

1. For the sauce, heat 1/2 cup oil in a large heavy Dutch oven or kettle over low heat. Add the onions, minced garlic and pancetta, and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, until the onions are wilted. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Raise heat slightly, add the wine and cook until it is mostly reduced, about 20 minutes. Crush the tomatoes into the pan, and add their juice. Add the tomato paste and 2 cups lukewarm water. Simmer for 1 hour.

2. Combine the sirloin, cheese and eggs in a large bowl. Chop the parsley with the whole garlic until fine, then stir into the beef mixture. Season lavishly with salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix until all the ingredients are well blended. Shape into meatballs and set aside.

3. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dust the meatballs lightly with flour, shaking off excess, and lay into the hot oil. Brown the meatballs on all sides (do not cook through) and transfer to the sauce.

4. In a clean skillet, brown the sausages over medium-high heat. Transfer to the sauce. Simmer 1 1/2 hours.

5. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, pecorino Romano, parsley and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella. Season well with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

6. Remove the meatballs and sausage from the sauce, and set aside to cool slightly, then chop coarsely. Spoon a thick layer of sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-12-inch lasagna pan. Cover with a layer of noodles. Spoon more sauce on top, then add a third of the meat and a third of the cheese mixture. Repeat for 2 more layers, using all the meat and cheese. Top with a layer of noodles, and cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle reserved mozzarella evenly over the top. Bake 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Norm’s variation on Patsy’s lasagna 

Bechamel sauce for Lasagna

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups chicken stock

           4T butter

           4T flour

           Coarse salt

Melt butter and stir in flour, cook a couple of mintues.  Add chicken stock a littl at a time, then add cream.  Let thicken. Add Wondra if too thin, some more cream or stock if too thick. Let cool to room temperature.

 MEAT FILLING FOR LASAGNA

 1medium onions, finely chopped

 3 cloves cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 pounds sweet or mild bulk Italian sausage Don’t use Eckridge

 1 1/2  pounds ground beef

  3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano

 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

 Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Olive oil, for frying

Heat oil and add onions, garlic and cook until soft. Add meats and cook until done but not browned.  Remove from heat and set aside.  

Cheese filling for lasagna

 1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, ( used 1/4 C. dried)

 1 package Philadelphia/ mozzarella,

 30 oz Kroger whole milk  ricotta cheese

...............................

 1  package lasagna sheets (4 inches-by-8 inches) or two boxes store bought, cooked according to package directions........ Coarse salt

1 bottle Barelli marinara pasta sauce

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil; season with salt. Add lasagna sheets, and cook until pliable about 10 minutes

 Preheat oven to 400°. Pour 1/4C. sauce into a shallow baking dish

Like bottom with three or 4 sheets lasagna noodles

add half of meat sauce to top of noodles, add 1/3 of cheese mixture, 1/2 of white sauce and 1/3 of remaining tomato sauce.

Repeat layers ending with noodles, top with remaining cheese mixture, remaining tomato sauce and a full package of regular mozzarella cheese