OK I am doing my second attempt at Lasagna! I’d like a kiss ass recipe.
Way off Topic
- Thread starter Intriguedbyu
- Start date
Thanks!!!
Apparently no one her knows now to make it, me either.
For give spelling
Daedalus
Zooville Settler
Nah you're good, we love the off-topic shit like this. It can't all be knots and flares, spades and moo muffs every day.
So how'd it come out? I might be a Texas redneck now, but that don't change the fact I grew up in an italian family on the east coast. @Bloodwolf and I are damn yankees-turned-southerners but I bet we still take our sauces serious. 'Cause that's roots, son.
And that's where a good lasagna begins: good sauce and good ricotta make the foundation of this, then good mozzarella puts a roof on that house. If you put garbage in, you get garbage out, so pay attention to quality. What did you use for a red sauce? If it came prefab out of a jar, toss it. Make your own rudimentary one easy, 'cause basic is best: 1 lg can crushed tomatoes, 1 lg can diced or petite diced, 1 small can paste, onion (yellow or white but not red), olive oil, basil, oregano, black pepper, bay leaf (optional). Hint: if you like chunky sauce like I do, chop the onions coarse and use the big diced tomatoes not the petites. I'm not above adding a second smaller can of diced near the end just to get it extra-chunky in the finish, but not for this dish since it makes my noodle layers all fubar-y. Sautee the onion in olive oil til translucent, dump the tomatoes in and stir in the herbs. Bring close to a boil but not quite, then simmer low and slow approx 1hr, stirring frequently so it don't scald to the bottom of the pot else its ruined. You cannot salvage a burnt pot of sauce. Remember Goodfellas? Dude's getting chased by fed helicopters and his empire is about to implode, but he don't forget to warn them about stirring the sauce, because, priorities. First pot of sauce you scald, you'll understand why. Also noteworthy is that sometimes I'll put black olives and capers in mine, other times a few shots of balsamic to give it depth & character. Depends on mood. Just like some nights I take the knot, while other times I smash that spade ?
Ricotta: depending on where you live, this is easy or impossible. Back home you could find good authentic ricotta at any corner grocery. Even in cheapo generic brands it was still excellent. Down here? Fuggeddaboutit, you need the top-shelf stuff just to get mediocre. American cuisine is very, very regional. Open it and fork some up for a consistency check -- it should be fine-grain crumbly somewhere between feta and small-curd cottage. It should NOT be a smooth solid dense paste like butter or cream cheese, which is what I end up with too often in TX. If its paste, its no good, toss the shit. Grainy crumbles, always.
Mozzarella: I like my mozz like I like my cow's pussy -- wet. If its dry like a brick of cheddar, its no good. The best down here (ahem gourmet) is packed in its own whey-ey water, but expensive. Cheaper and not in water is acceptable, but it should look smooth and shiny, high-gloss, feel rubbery to the hand and be somewhat difficult to grate. If it grates easy like any of the hard brick cheeses, you're in trouble.
Zipper's spot-on with pasta -- do not boil the noodles, they'll turn to mush by the time the baking process is done. Put 'em in raw without worry; the moisture in the other ingredients is going to cook them down. Pasta is supposed to be al dente, "firm to the teeth", never mushy. You're supposed to have to chew it. If pasta doesn't get stuck in your molars or you can swallow it without chewing entirely, its overcooked. Cook time comes down to the literal minute with a good pasta dish, and those minutes will vary by shape, so it'll be on the box. That is the #1 overlooked aspect of pasta making. Everyone overdoes it, even good restaurants (because they know their patrons expect a plate of porridge oatmeal mush). You have control when its you making it, so don't overlook it. I used to live on pasta when I was a poor 20-something struggling, so I learned the finer points of not merely making it, but making it well. And if this weren't going in a lasagna, I'd remind you that SOP dictates we run it under cold water immediately after it comes off the stove, to halt it from overcooking by itself. Yeah, its that important.
Rest is a cakewalk so long as quality ingredients went in. Blend your ricotta with eggs and salt/pepper to taste. Spread a layer of sauce in the baking pan first, then start layering your raw noodles, then ricotta, sauce, repeat. Top layer is mozzarella, bake it til its golden browned ? If I wanted to add heat, I'll have put cayenne in the ricotta and crushed red pepper flakes & seeds on the mozz.
Vegetables are optional in this dish; the purists will say No way, but I make it both ways depending on mood. If I didn't put vegetables into it, then you bet I'm making a salad on the side. Pair to garlic bread & sauvignon, finissimo ?
Now I'm hungry, damn it!
So how'd it come out? I might be a Texas redneck now, but that don't change the fact I grew up in an italian family on the east coast. @Bloodwolf and I are damn yankees-turned-southerners but I bet we still take our sauces serious. 'Cause that's roots, son.
And that's where a good lasagna begins: good sauce and good ricotta make the foundation of this, then good mozzarella puts a roof on that house. If you put garbage in, you get garbage out, so pay attention to quality. What did you use for a red sauce? If it came prefab out of a jar, toss it. Make your own rudimentary one easy, 'cause basic is best: 1 lg can crushed tomatoes, 1 lg can diced or petite diced, 1 small can paste, onion (yellow or white but not red), olive oil, basil, oregano, black pepper, bay leaf (optional). Hint: if you like chunky sauce like I do, chop the onions coarse and use the big diced tomatoes not the petites. I'm not above adding a second smaller can of diced near the end just to get it extra-chunky in the finish, but not for this dish since it makes my noodle layers all fubar-y. Sautee the onion in olive oil til translucent, dump the tomatoes in and stir in the herbs. Bring close to a boil but not quite, then simmer low and slow approx 1hr, stirring frequently so it don't scald to the bottom of the pot else its ruined. You cannot salvage a burnt pot of sauce. Remember Goodfellas? Dude's getting chased by fed helicopters and his empire is about to implode, but he don't forget to warn them about stirring the sauce, because, priorities. First pot of sauce you scald, you'll understand why. Also noteworthy is that sometimes I'll put black olives and capers in mine, other times a few shots of balsamic to give it depth & character. Depends on mood. Just like some nights I take the knot, while other times I smash that spade ?
Ricotta: depending on where you live, this is easy or impossible. Back home you could find good authentic ricotta at any corner grocery. Even in cheapo generic brands it was still excellent. Down here? Fuggeddaboutit, you need the top-shelf stuff just to get mediocre. American cuisine is very, very regional. Open it and fork some up for a consistency check -- it should be fine-grain crumbly somewhere between feta and small-curd cottage. It should NOT be a smooth solid dense paste like butter or cream cheese, which is what I end up with too often in TX. If its paste, its no good, toss the shit. Grainy crumbles, always.
Mozzarella: I like my mozz like I like my cow's pussy -- wet. If its dry like a brick of cheddar, its no good. The best down here (ahem gourmet) is packed in its own whey-ey water, but expensive. Cheaper and not in water is acceptable, but it should look smooth and shiny, high-gloss, feel rubbery to the hand and be somewhat difficult to grate. If it grates easy like any of the hard brick cheeses, you're in trouble.
Zipper's spot-on with pasta -- do not boil the noodles, they'll turn to mush by the time the baking process is done. Put 'em in raw without worry; the moisture in the other ingredients is going to cook them down. Pasta is supposed to be al dente, "firm to the teeth", never mushy. You're supposed to have to chew it. If pasta doesn't get stuck in your molars or you can swallow it without chewing entirely, its overcooked. Cook time comes down to the literal minute with a good pasta dish, and those minutes will vary by shape, so it'll be on the box. That is the #1 overlooked aspect of pasta making. Everyone overdoes it, even good restaurants (because they know their patrons expect a plate of porridge oatmeal mush). You have control when its you making it, so don't overlook it. I used to live on pasta when I was a poor 20-something struggling, so I learned the finer points of not merely making it, but making it well. And if this weren't going in a lasagna, I'd remind you that SOP dictates we run it under cold water immediately after it comes off the stove, to halt it from overcooking by itself. Yeah, its that important.
Rest is a cakewalk so long as quality ingredients went in. Blend your ricotta with eggs and salt/pepper to taste. Spread a layer of sauce in the baking pan first, then start layering your raw noodles, then ricotta, sauce, repeat. Top layer is mozzarella, bake it til its golden browned ? If I wanted to add heat, I'll have put cayenne in the ricotta and crushed red pepper flakes & seeds on the mozz.
Vegetables are optional in this dish; the purists will say No way, but I make it both ways depending on mood. If I didn't put vegetables into it, then you bet I'm making a salad on the side. Pair to garlic bread & sauvignon, finissimo ?
Now I'm hungry, damn it!
TY
TheRodofGod
Tourist
Lmaooooo
Actually my second attempt a Lasenga. I didn’t use any tomato paste but it came out pretty good. I need to tweak it a bit but I sure chowed down on it last night. I maybe crazy but next time I am going to add tomato paste and a bit of honey.
I actually wouldn’t mind mushrooms in it as well.
TaintedXLove
Tourist
I actually think you're on to something. Absolutely LOVE cooking. Maybe we should start a ZV cooking group
Btw you should share a pic of your beautiful lasagne creation
TaintedXLove
Tourist
Noodles in lasagne? That doesn't sound quite right...
TheZipper
Esteemed Citizen of ZV
Well, they’re lasagne noodles ? Oven Ready and No Boil.Noodles in lasagne? That doesn't sound quite right...
Excuse me I should have said pasta. No they require boiling, at least mine did.
I haven’t gotten down to my own pasta, YET!!!
TaintedXLove
Tourist
I respect the culinary boldness- Gordon Ramsey on the other hand might have different words..
TheZipper
Esteemed Citizen of ZV
Yeah, most of them would begin with “F” ?
Adder
Tourist
Just use leftover spaghetti. You put a layer of cold spaghetti down, a layer of cheese and whatever else, spaghetti, cheese and whatever else, then bake.Noodles in lasagne? That doesn't sound quite right...
My next one will knock your socks off
Zuzhi
Tourist
Probably any lasagna that you cook would definitely be better than the plasticky frozen ones in my childhood so keep at it!