Best 2 Lasagne Al Forno Recipes
Lasagna al Forno, a traditional Italian dish, is a delightful baked lasagna made with layers of pasta, a rich meat sauce, creamy béchamel, and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. This classic dish has numerous variations, each offering a unique culinary experience. From the traditional lasagna Bolognese, known for its hearty meat sauce, to the lighter vegetarian lasagna with layers of colorful vegetables, there's a lasagna for every taste. Discover the art of preparing this iconic Italian dish with our comprehensive guide, featuring a collection of lasagna recipes that cater to diverse preferences and dietary restrictions. Embark on a culinary journey as we delve into the secrets of crafting the perfect lasagna al forno, ensuring a flavorful and visually stunning dish that will impress your family and friends.
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LASAGNE AL FORNO
Lasagne, as everyone knows, is a dish of wide flat noodles, sometimes green from spinach (lasagne Verdi), sometimes with ruffled edges (lasagne ricce). The classic, austere version from Bologna alternates layers of lasagne with meat sauce (ragu) and bechamel. I am giving a more exuberant example below. There are many others, including the lasagne di vigilia, Christmas Eve lasagne, involving very wide noodles that remind the faithful of the baby Jesus's swaddling clothes. Lasagne (Lasagne is the singular but it is almost never use. Ditto for other pasta types: who would ever lapse into speaking of a single spaghetto, except in humor) is first and foremost a noodle, not a specific dish, It may be the primordial Italian pasta noodle, or at least the oldest known word in the modern pasta vocabulary. In one way or another, lasagne seems to derive from the classical Latin laganum. But what was laganum? Something made of flour and oil, a cake. The word itself derived from a Greek word for chamber pot, which was humorously applied to cooking pots. And like many other, better-known cases of synecdochical food names, the container came to stand for the thing it contained. And eventually, by a process no one knows with any certainly, laganum emerged as a word for a flat noodle in very early modern, southern Italy. If you are persuaded by all the evidence collected by Clifford A. Wright, you will be ready to believe that in Sicily, an Arab noodle cuisine collided with the Italian kitchen vocabulary and co-opted laganum and its variant lasanon to describe the new "cakes" coming in from North Africa. Would you be happier about this theory if you had evidence of a survival of an "oriental" Arab pasta in Sicily? Mary Taylor Simeti provides one in Pomp and Sustenance, Twenty-Five Centuries of Sicilian Food. Sciabbo, a Christmas noodle dish eaten in Enna in central Sicily, combines ruffled lasagna (sciabbo-jabot, French for a ruffled shirtfront) with cinnamon and sugar, typical Near Eastern spices then and now.
Provided by Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 1h30m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the beef, milk, parsley, salt, and pepper. Form into balls the size of olives. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs in small batches. Remove from the pan as they brown and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is lightly browned. Then stir in the tomato puree and tomato paste. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Bring 6 quarts of water to boil in a large pot.
- Add the meatballs to the tomato mixture and continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, liberally salt the boiling water and add the lasagna. Cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain in colander.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a shallow ovenproof pan, roughly 13 by 9 by 2 inches, spread a thin layer of the sauce (no meatballs). Then spread a layer of overlapping lasagna 1 strip thick (don't let the strips run up the side of the dish). Cover that with mozzarella slices and then 5 tablespoons ricotta. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and then spread on 1/4 of the sauce and meatballs. Begin again with a layer of lasagna and continue as above until all the ingredients are used up, ending with the Parmesan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. If the cheese on top hasn't melted, run under the broiler briefly. Then let the dish rest at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.
LASAGNA AL FORNO
Provided by Tyler Florence
Categories main-dish
Time 2h40m
Yield 12 servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly, coat with olive oil keep them moist and easy to work with.
- Coat a large skillet with olive oil. Saute over medium heat, onion, garlic and herbs. Cook 5 minutes. Brown beef and sausage until no longer pink, about 15 minutes. Drain fat into a small container and discard. Stir in the tomato paste completely. Set aside to cool.
- In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, parsley and oregano. Stir in beaten eggs. Add Parmesan, season with salt and pepper.
- To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch pan with a ladle full of tomato sauce. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the pasta. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the meat, spread to the edges with a spatula. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of tomato sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, meat, cheeses and sauce. Top last layer with noodles, sauce and shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.
Tips:
- Use fresh ingredients: Fresh ingredients will give your lasagna the best flavor. If you can, use homemade pasta sauce and béchamel sauce.
- Don't overcook the pasta: The pasta should be cooked al dente, or slightly firm to the bite. If you overcook it, it will become mushy and the lasagna will be difficult to hold together.
- Let the lasagna rest before slicing: After the lasagna is baked, let it rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing. This will allow the flavors to meld and the lasagna to set.
- Serve the lasagna with a side of salad or vegetables: Lasagna is a rich and hearty dish, so it's a good idea to serve it with a side of something light and refreshing, such as a salad or roasted vegetables.
Conclusion:
Lasagna is a classic Italian dish that is perfect for any occasion. It's a delicious and hearty meal that is sure to please everyone at the table. With a little planning and preparation, you can make a lasagna that will impress your friends and family. So what are you waiting for? Give this lasagna recipe a try today!
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