Wild Dingo
4th June 2008, 12:57 AM
Really I reckon anyone who can toss oil an meat into a pan and buy lasange sheets can cook a "good" lasange... but to cook a GREAT lasange you need to think outside the norm! And use ONLY fresh... everything!!... nothing out of a can nothing from the freezer at the shops but make and get only FRESH stuff for the lasange
Okay so lets get a start!!
First... toss out that can of parmesian shyteinacan!! and buy PROPER Parmesian cheese thats the one thats the shape of a triangle costs about 4.50 a triangle but its enough and its FRESH!!... first thing you will notice as you grate it is the smell... it does NOT stink like the shyteinacan stuff you buy normally it actually is a pleasant smell...
Second... DONT buy Roma tomatoes in a can!... JUST DONT!... buy fresh Roma tomatoes... believe me you WILL notice the difference in flavor and texture and wont cost much if anything more than the canned crap.
Third... toss out the packet lasange sheets! cardboard and utterly tasteless
Lets be really clear here with Italian food in particular its about TEXTURE and TASTE... and you dont get that from using premade or packaged food.
So what will you need?
1) Meat... you will need 500g to a kilo of beef mince and 500g to a kilo of pork mince... We personally prefer roo and emu but since cost may be a factor we will stick with beef and pork... reason why two DIFFERENT types of meat are used? TEXTURE AND TASTE!
2) Virgin olive oil... you can use normal olive oil but Virgin is best
3) One onion... a good firm crisp white or brown onion
4) Roma tomatoes... about a kilo
5) A tomato paste... MAKE THIS!!... mix Oregano Basil and a smidgeon of nutmeg with about half a kilo of roma tomatoes (separate to number 4) cook slowly till minced then put in a bowl and mash till a sauce... then reduce again add a table spoon of GOOD red wine as it comes down again and a table spoon of cornflower (at most!) you just want to thicken the tomatoe sauce not make it glug
6) A thing of garlic... the whole clump not just a bit the whole thing! chopped small and fine
Thats the meat part.
This you need start by sauteing the onion and garlic in a table spoon of virgin olive oil until light brown... add the meat breaking it apart as you go once the meat is starting to brown add the tomatoes and paste... and cook slowly... once the meat is almost done add three quarters of a cup of GOOD RED WINE an nice Cab Sav or Merlot is best.
Thing is not to scrimp if you can help it!... I have in years past and the flavors were good actually very good but now I refuse to scrimp on any of the ingredients its GREAT... which is what you want
So next is the pastry which you should be preparing as the meat is cooking... into a bowl mix... 3 cups of good heavy plain flour (best is actually the flour that bread makers use) a teaspoon of olive oil and 3 eggs have standing by a cup of warm water... mix together with your hands adding water as needed to make a smooth dough... bash the dough by pushing away and forcing back with the back of your palm do this until the dough is smooth and stays in shape... add more flour if needed only a little at a time!!
Once done roll it out... and keep rolling trying to get it as thin as possible which wont actually be that thin but do try to get it thin as possible... okay now slice it into 3 to 4 inch strips down the longest side... set these aside on the table on a towel... dont worry they will be fine.
Next your white sauce... note here my other half always makes me make twice as much as I need so she can make cauliflower cheese which she loves but I detest but each to their own apparently this sauce is wonderous on CC
So you need... a couple of large dollops of butter (unsalted) a cup of milk, two - three cups of flour a pinch of Oregano and 1 egg... over a warm heat (DO NOT BOIL!!) render the butter down to a liquid add the flour SLOWLY then the milk as it turns into lumpybumpybits mix and crush the bumps down so its a liquid add the egg mix that in and then throw a pinch of Oregano into it...
So now your meat is ready the pasta is ready and the white sauce is ready... time to get yer bum into gear here!! Have everything CLOSE to hand or have a couple of helpers ready to go
Get an oven roaster... I prefer the large glass ones as they are JUST RIGHT
First a layer of pasta overlap the peices by 1/8in or so and run it up the ends of the roaster.... now a layer of the meat a layer of white sauce and the
"peice de resistance" cumble some Ricotta cheese over that layer trying to cover the whole roaster... dont worry to much about gaps in the meat and white sauce it will spread as it cooks... now another layer of pasta again overlapping by 1/8in or so then the meat then again the white sauce now something different sprinkle fresh grated Motzerella cheese over that layer... again the pasta then the meat then the white sauce and then Parmesian... keep going until the top of the roaster has been reached and onto the final layer and best layer now... lay your pasta again this time cover the whole top of the roaster completely overlap by as much as you like just cover it all... spoon out good teaspoon sized dollops of butter and drop them over the top about 10 will do then cover the whole thing in Parmesian cheese
Stick in the oven at 200* for about 45mins or until the top is crusty and golden brown
ITS DONE!!... give it about 10mins to sit before serving
Serve with a fresh garden salad of lettuce cherry tomatoes lebanese cucumber sliced red onion covered with a healthy splash of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with Oregano and Basil
Drinkys?... Merlot... Make sure its a good Merlot... you dont want to spoil a GREAT meal serving chateu de cardboard do you?
This meal is so successfull I a) guarentee NO ONE will leave anything on their plate b) there will be NONE left.
Afters home made open apple pies...
Peel and core slice into chunks some good granny smith apples boil with 2 tablespoons of sugar until soft but not mush...
If youve done the pasta right you should have enough left over to make a couple of family sized pie pans... but personally I prefer to use single serve pie pans (little tinfoil things from Coles Woolies whatever)
So roll the left over dough out again and put the pie pan onto the dough leave about an inch or so and cut the shape (this allows for the sides of the pan) set the dough into the pan... and fill with PEAS.. yes peas not minted though minted bad fresh better... and gently push the peas into the pastry to "force" the shape of the pie pan into the dough... now bake them in the oven until brown take out let cool and gently coax the peas out.
Now you have your pie base!!... so get your apple mix and fill the pan to about 1/8in below the top of the pie base... grate some nutmeg over the apple... if you have any pastry left cut thin slices and lay over the apple sprinkle with sugar (If you have enough to cover do so and give the top a swipe with milk and sprinkle sugar over) toss into oven for 5mins or until the crust is golden brown
Serve with a huge dollop of thick whipped cream
All up a bloody brilliant feast for 4... or if you make it as I do then a magnificent feast for 10 or more!... but then I ALWAYS seem to end up making 2 LARGE lasange and about 24 little pies but then Ive got a huge family so one has to do what one has to do... Ive toned the amounts down for this recipe as I know most dont have a large family and many are just 2... but this recipe is AWESOME!
The lasange will (:U :U :U :U) last (:U :U :U :U) for some time if let cool and frozen... but Ive never quite managed to do that at best I end up with one or two peices left after all is said and done and thats lunch the next day :doh:
Please remember to get the best textures and flavors from any recipe use and make only the freshest ingredients... if possible if not then the best you can will taste wonderful! :2tsup:
Good eating!
Okay so lets get a start!!
First... toss out that can of parmesian shyteinacan!! and buy PROPER Parmesian cheese thats the one thats the shape of a triangle costs about 4.50 a triangle but its enough and its FRESH!!... first thing you will notice as you grate it is the smell... it does NOT stink like the shyteinacan stuff you buy normally it actually is a pleasant smell...
Second... DONT buy Roma tomatoes in a can!... JUST DONT!... buy fresh Roma tomatoes... believe me you WILL notice the difference in flavor and texture and wont cost much if anything more than the canned crap.
Third... toss out the packet lasange sheets! cardboard and utterly tasteless
Lets be really clear here with Italian food in particular its about TEXTURE and TASTE... and you dont get that from using premade or packaged food.
So what will you need?
1) Meat... you will need 500g to a kilo of beef mince and 500g to a kilo of pork mince... We personally prefer roo and emu but since cost may be a factor we will stick with beef and pork... reason why two DIFFERENT types of meat are used? TEXTURE AND TASTE!
2) Virgin olive oil... you can use normal olive oil but Virgin is best
3) One onion... a good firm crisp white or brown onion
4) Roma tomatoes... about a kilo
5) A tomato paste... MAKE THIS!!... mix Oregano Basil and a smidgeon of nutmeg with about half a kilo of roma tomatoes (separate to number 4) cook slowly till minced then put in a bowl and mash till a sauce... then reduce again add a table spoon of GOOD red wine as it comes down again and a table spoon of cornflower (at most!) you just want to thicken the tomatoe sauce not make it glug
6) A thing of garlic... the whole clump not just a bit the whole thing! chopped small and fine
Thats the meat part.
This you need start by sauteing the onion and garlic in a table spoon of virgin olive oil until light brown... add the meat breaking it apart as you go once the meat is starting to brown add the tomatoes and paste... and cook slowly... once the meat is almost done add three quarters of a cup of GOOD RED WINE an nice Cab Sav or Merlot is best.
Thing is not to scrimp if you can help it!... I have in years past and the flavors were good actually very good but now I refuse to scrimp on any of the ingredients its GREAT... which is what you want
So next is the pastry which you should be preparing as the meat is cooking... into a bowl mix... 3 cups of good heavy plain flour (best is actually the flour that bread makers use) a teaspoon of olive oil and 3 eggs have standing by a cup of warm water... mix together with your hands adding water as needed to make a smooth dough... bash the dough by pushing away and forcing back with the back of your palm do this until the dough is smooth and stays in shape... add more flour if needed only a little at a time!!
Once done roll it out... and keep rolling trying to get it as thin as possible which wont actually be that thin but do try to get it thin as possible... okay now slice it into 3 to 4 inch strips down the longest side... set these aside on the table on a towel... dont worry they will be fine.
Next your white sauce... note here my other half always makes me make twice as much as I need so she can make cauliflower cheese which she loves but I detest but each to their own apparently this sauce is wonderous on CC
So you need... a couple of large dollops of butter (unsalted) a cup of milk, two - three cups of flour a pinch of Oregano and 1 egg... over a warm heat (DO NOT BOIL!!) render the butter down to a liquid add the flour SLOWLY then the milk as it turns into lumpybumpybits mix and crush the bumps down so its a liquid add the egg mix that in and then throw a pinch of Oregano into it...
So now your meat is ready the pasta is ready and the white sauce is ready... time to get yer bum into gear here!! Have everything CLOSE to hand or have a couple of helpers ready to go
Get an oven roaster... I prefer the large glass ones as they are JUST RIGHT
First a layer of pasta overlap the peices by 1/8in or so and run it up the ends of the roaster.... now a layer of the meat a layer of white sauce and the
"peice de resistance" cumble some Ricotta cheese over that layer trying to cover the whole roaster... dont worry to much about gaps in the meat and white sauce it will spread as it cooks... now another layer of pasta again overlapping by 1/8in or so then the meat then again the white sauce now something different sprinkle fresh grated Motzerella cheese over that layer... again the pasta then the meat then the white sauce and then Parmesian... keep going until the top of the roaster has been reached and onto the final layer and best layer now... lay your pasta again this time cover the whole top of the roaster completely overlap by as much as you like just cover it all... spoon out good teaspoon sized dollops of butter and drop them over the top about 10 will do then cover the whole thing in Parmesian cheese
Stick in the oven at 200* for about 45mins or until the top is crusty and golden brown
ITS DONE!!... give it about 10mins to sit before serving
Serve with a fresh garden salad of lettuce cherry tomatoes lebanese cucumber sliced red onion covered with a healthy splash of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with Oregano and Basil
Drinkys?... Merlot... Make sure its a good Merlot... you dont want to spoil a GREAT meal serving chateu de cardboard do you?
This meal is so successfull I a) guarentee NO ONE will leave anything on their plate b) there will be NONE left.
Afters home made open apple pies...
Peel and core slice into chunks some good granny smith apples boil with 2 tablespoons of sugar until soft but not mush...
If youve done the pasta right you should have enough left over to make a couple of family sized pie pans... but personally I prefer to use single serve pie pans (little tinfoil things from Coles Woolies whatever)
So roll the left over dough out again and put the pie pan onto the dough leave about an inch or so and cut the shape (this allows for the sides of the pan) set the dough into the pan... and fill with PEAS.. yes peas not minted though minted bad fresh better... and gently push the peas into the pastry to "force" the shape of the pie pan into the dough... now bake them in the oven until brown take out let cool and gently coax the peas out.
Now you have your pie base!!... so get your apple mix and fill the pan to about 1/8in below the top of the pie base... grate some nutmeg over the apple... if you have any pastry left cut thin slices and lay over the apple sprinkle with sugar (If you have enough to cover do so and give the top a swipe with milk and sprinkle sugar over) toss into oven for 5mins or until the crust is golden brown
Serve with a huge dollop of thick whipped cream
All up a bloody brilliant feast for 4... or if you make it as I do then a magnificent feast for 10 or more!... but then I ALWAYS seem to end up making 2 LARGE lasange and about 24 little pies but then Ive got a huge family so one has to do what one has to do... Ive toned the amounts down for this recipe as I know most dont have a large family and many are just 2... but this recipe is AWESOME!
The lasange will (:U :U :U :U) last (:U :U :U :U) for some time if let cool and frozen... but Ive never quite managed to do that at best I end up with one or two peices left after all is said and done and thats lunch the next day :doh:
Please remember to get the best textures and flavors from any recipe use and make only the freshest ingredients... if possible if not then the best you can will taste wonderful! :2tsup:
Good eating!