Authentic Italian Recipes From Naples Food

NAPLES - IT'S TO DIE FOR - LASAGNA

Steps:

• BECHEMEL Sauce: In pot melt butter and add enough flour to create a consistency thicker than pancake batter.
• Bring another pot with milk almost to a boil.
• Once milk has heated through, add milk all at one time to the flour mixture, beating with wire whisk the whole time.
• Bring back to boil then remove from heat and add salt and nutmeg.
• Set aside.
• MEAT SAUCE: Brown meat half way then add onions, garlic, carrots, celery and sweat vegetables.
• Add all other ingredients and cook a minimum of 2 hours at a low (barely) boil.
• ASSEMBLY: Use Barilla lasagna sheets!
• (1 box serves 6-8 in this recipe).
• Boil some water and slide them in for 5 minutes then drain and rinse well with cold water, they need to be soft and flexible.
• Ladle some meat sauce on the bottom of the pan.
• Then lay a layer of pasta sheets on top of that.
• Then spread bechemel sauce over pasta, layer of pasta, spread both cheeses on that layer, layer of pasta, spread more bechemel, layer pasta then cheeses until all is used.
• Bake in 350° oven until brown on top (just a little brown).
• Remove and let set for 5 minutes.
• Cut serving squares and place on plates then ladle a large ladle of meat sauce atop the lasagna.
• Garnish with lots or parmesan cheese.

TOMATO SAUCE - NAPLES STYLE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large stock pot and brown the bones and Italian sausage.
• Remove meat from the pot.
• Add the celery, carrot, and onion to the pot, and saute until the onion is soft and translucent.
• Add wine to vegetables, stirring and scraping up any bits that stick to the bottom of the pot, for about 3-4 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, breaking them up as you add them.
• Return meat/bones to the pot.
• Add boullion cubes.
• Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 1/2 hour.
• Remove the meat, and pass the sauce and vegetables through a mill; (the cheap plastic ones work better than the more expensive ones).
• Return pureed sauce and meat to the pot.
• If you wish to add meatballs while sauce is simmering, you may do so.
• Simmer, stirring occasionally, for another hour or so.
• Add sauce to cooked pasta in this way: add a large spoonful of sauce to the pasta and stir, so it is barely colored.
• Add some grated parmesan, and stir again.
• Now spoon pasta into individual dishes, and add more sauce and the meat on the side.
• The cheese helps the sauce cling to the pasta.