Lasagna is one of my favorite meals to make because it’s rich, fulfilling
and complex. There are so many different
ways of preparing it, lasagna screams noisy food. Preparation can take a while to make if it is
good but a large lasagna can last for several meals. The basic lasagna recipe calls for layers of pasta,
interspersed with tomato sauce, and melted cheese but with a few more added
ingredients a lasagna will come alive.
The tomato sauce is the most important part of a good lasagna. I believe the sauce is noisier if it is made
fresh but it can also be store bought and meat can be added such as sausage,
chicken or as I prefer grass fed ground beef to liven it up. The beauty of a lasagna is that many
different vegetable and or fruits could be incorporated into the recipe without
throwing it off. I add local fruits and
vegetables such as spinach, eggplant, pears, or apples to add subtle flavor and
textural elements to the sauce. My other
secret ingredient in tomato sauce is adding a little unsweetened cocoa powder
for richness and color. Tomato sauce is
often best when cooked the day before and allowing extra time for the flavor to
develop before using.
To prepare the sauce start by small dicing a large yellow onion. Dial in the stove top burner to medium high heat
and put a large sauce pot preferably with a thick insulated bottom to ensure
even heat distribution on it. Add ¼ cup
of olive oil to the pot when it’s hot and sauté the diced onion with one tablespoon
of minced garlic until translucent and then add 16 ounces of grass fed ground
beef. Continue cooking, stirring until
the beef is broken up and browned. Peel
and chop two carrots, two stalks of celery and four button mushrooms then add
them to the pot. Reduce the stove top heat
to medium and continue stirring with a wooden spoon to avoid anything burning
to the bottom of the pan. Once the carrots
have become tender add 72 ounces of diced tomato and 12 ounces of tomato
paste. Set the burner on low heat and
simmer the sauce for 1 hour while it reduces.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of sea
salt and 1 tablespoon of savory herbs including thyme, parsley, and oregano. In a food processor puree and pulse the thick
sauce to help break down any large pieces.
Cool down the tomato sauce in a separate container surrounded by an ice
bath.
Heat up a cast iron pan on high heat and add ¼ cup of olive oil. Medium dice two Thai eggplants and two red
pears. Sauté the eggplant and pear until
tender and brown along the edges. Set the pear and eggplant aside until ready
to use.
Prepare 1 pound spinach by blanching it in a boiling pot of water for 1
minute. Remove the spinach from the
water and place it in a bucket of ice water to preserve its color. Squeeze out the excess water from the spinach
and reserve until ready to use.
In a large bowl combine four cups of all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons salt,
4 tablespoons olive oil, and 8 eggs.
Form the dough into a ball and press it flat on a smooth surface. Use extra flour to dust the surface so the
dough will not stick. Using a rolling
pin flatten the dough to 1/8 inch thick.
Using a knife cut strips 13 inches long and 3 inches wide. Cut 9 or 12 strips depending on how many
layers of pasta you want in the lasagna, I usually do four layers. Chill the pasta in the refrigerator separate
the strips with pieces of parchment paper until ready to use.
Grate 1 pound of mozzarella cheese, reserve half of it and combine the
other half with ricotta cheese.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Use
a 9” x 13” glass baking dish and ladle a layer of tomato meat sauce on the
bottom. Cover the sauce with three strips
of pasta. Spread of the eggplant and
pears over the pasta then cover it with a layer of ricotta cheese. Cover the ricotta with another layer of
pasta. Spread out the spinach and cover
it with a layer of ricotta cheese. Add a
layer of pasta over the ricotta and then cover it with another layer of meat
sauce. Cover the meat sauce with a layer
of grated mozzarella and minced chives, oregano, and thyme. If you have meat sauce leftover, reserve it
and serve it on top of the baked lasagna.
Cover the lasagna with tin foil. To
avoid the foil sticking to the melted cheese, place a skewer straight up out of
the lasagna to hold the foil up. Bake
for one hour but remove the tin foil 15 minutes before removing the lasagna
from the oven so the cheese gets golden brown and bubbly.
Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
72 Ounces of Diced Roma Tomato
12 Ounces Tomato Paste
1 Large Yellow Onion
36 Ounces Ground Beef
2 Celery Sticks
2 Carrots
4 Large Cremini Mushrooms
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
¼ Cup Olive Oil
2 Tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Tablespoon Oregano, Thyme, and Chives
1 Teaspoon Salt
Lasagna Filling
1 Pound Spinach
32 Ounces Ricotta Cheese
1 Pound Mozzarella
2 Large Pears
2 Long Thai Eggplants
¼ Cup Olive Oil
Pasta Ingredients
4 Cups Flour
8 Eggs
¼ Cup Olive Oil
4 Teaspoon Salt
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