Lasagna Siciliana Food

SCACCIA

Steps:

• For the sauce: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is slightly softened, about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, basil and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened and the flavors are melded together, about 15 minutes. Discard the basil and let cool while you make the dough.
• For the dough: Add the flour and 1 teaspoon salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the oil and 1 cup of lukewarm water and mix until a sticky dough forms. If the dough doesn't hold together when squeezed, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead until smooth and springy, 5 to 7 minutes. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Put a pizza stone or large inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack and preheat to 400 degrees F.
• For the filling and topping: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 20-by-27-inch rectangle with a long side facing you. (Add more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.) Mix together the provolone and Parmesan in a bowl. Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Top with 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and 3 tablespoons of the torn basil. Fold the left and right sides of the dough into the center so they meet in the middle like a book (it's ok if they overlap slightly).
• Spread 1/2 cup of sauce over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Top with 3/4 cup of cheese and 2 tablespoons torn basil. Fold the top and bottom of the dough into the center. Spread 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the bottom half of the dough. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and remaining torn basil. Fold the top of the dough over the bottom to so that the top hangs just slightly over the bottom.
• Carefully transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment and prick the top all over with a fork. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Slide the dough (on the parchment) onto the hot stone. Bake until the bread is deep brown and crusty, about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, reheat the remaining tomato sauce. Slice the lasagna bread into wedges and serve with the tomato sauce for dipping.

CLASSIC ITALIAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bechamel sauce:
• In a 2-quart pot, melt 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When butter has completely melted, add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Continue to simmer and whisk over medium heat until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of wooden spoon. Remove from heat and add the nutmeg and tomato sauce. Stir until well combined and check for seasoning. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
• In a saute pan, heat extra-virgin olive oil. When almost smoking, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Brown meat, breaking any large lumps, until it is no longer pink. Remove from heat and drain any excess fat. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
• In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix the ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Into the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the pasta sheets side by side, covering the bottom of the baking dish. Evenly spread a layer of all the ricotta mixture and then a layer of all the spinach. Arrange another layer of pasta sheets and spread all the ground beef on top. Sprinkle 1/2 the mozzarella cheese on top of the beef. Spread another 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the final layer of pasta sheets and top with remaining bechamel, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into 1/4-inch cubes and top lasagna.
• Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place lasagna dish on top, cover and put on the middle rack of the oven and bake until top is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake for about 15 minutes.
• In a large casserole pot or Dutch over, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

LE LASAGNE AUTENTICHE SICILIANE SUPREME

Steps:

• Prepare the lasagna noodles according to package directions.
• Drain and set aside.
• Cook the ground beef and sausage.
• Drain off the grease.
• Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms to the meat/sausage mixture.
• Saute until onion is tender.
• Add the sugar, salt, basil, fennel seed, pepper, tomatoes and tomato paste. Blend well. Simmer for 1 hour.
• Combine the eggs, ricotta cheese, parsley and salt. Blend well.
• In the bottom of a very large baking pan, spread just enough of the meat mixture to cover the bottom.
• Layer lasagna noodles, meat sauce, black olives, ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese, asiago cheese and parmesan cheese.
• Repeat layering making sure to end with the parmesan cheese.
• Cover with foil.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
• Remove the foil and bake for 25 additional minutes.

SICILIAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large skillet or sauce pan, sauté a finely diced onion, carrot, celery stalk and a pinch of salt until golden, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in minced garlic cloves and red pepper flakes (optional) and cook for 1 minute. Stir in ground meat trio (beef, veal and pork) and cook, stirring and breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
• Deglaze with red wine and cook until it evaporates. Pour in 1 jar of tomato passata. Pour 2 cups of water or chicken stock in the bottle, swirl it around to gather up all the sauce and pour back into the pan.
• Add bay leaves, salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook partially covered about 1 hour.
• Stir in green peas and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed.
• While the sauce is simmering prepare the bechamel sauce.
• Melt butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Do not allow it to brown.
• Whisk in flour until it forms a thick paste. Slowly whisk in milk and stir.
• Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add a pinch of nutmeg and salt, to taste. Set aside
• Hard boil 3 eggs. Let cool, peel and chop coarsely. Set aside in a bowl.
• Cut mozzarella into cubes or grate it if you prefer.
• Grate Parmigiano cheese.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a rectangular lasagna pan: ladle enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Arrange sheets of lasagna over the sauce, breaking pieces if necessary to cover the entire surface.
• Cover the lasagna sheets with ragu with peas. I add approximately 2 ladlefuls to each layer.
• Drizzle bechamel sauce over the ragu with a spoon. Evenly sprinkle with cubed mozzarella, chopped hard-boiled eggs and a spoonful of grated Parmigiano cheese.
• Repeat with 3 more layers of pasta adding hard-boiled eggs to each layer except the top layer.
• Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and broil for a minute or two until the mozzarella is golden brown and bubbling. Serve hot.

CLASSIC ITALIAN LASAGNE

Steps:

• For the ragu, melt the butter in a large flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat until foaming. Add the celery, carrot, onion, porcini, rosemary and some seasoning, and fry for 5 mins.
• Season the meat, add to the dish and cook for 5 mins until browned. Pour in the wine, add the tomatoes and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat to low, put the lid on the dish and cook for 1hr 30 mins, removing the lid for the final 30 mins so the sauce can reduce. The meat should be tender but not too broken up, and the sauce should be thick. Taste for seasoning. You can cook it for longer if you have time - the flavour will only improve.
• For the béchamel sauce, pour the milk into a saucepan with the bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, turn off the heat and set aside. In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat, then whisk in the flour and hot milk. Whisk vigorously until smooth, then cook for 10-15 mins until very thick. Remove the bay leaf and season, grating in nutmeg to taste. Stir in the parmesan and egg yolks, then set aside to cool.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Working in batches of three, plunge the pasta sheets into a pan of boiling salted water for 20 secs, just to soften, then immediately put in a bowl of ice-cold water.
• Rub oil onto the base and sides of a large baking dish. Put a layer of pasta on the base, then add a layer of ragu, followed by a layer of béchamel sauce. A good tip, for really defined layers, is to pipe the béchamel sauce over.
• Repeat this process until you have used all the pasta and ragu, and finish with a layer of béchamel sauce on top. Sprinkle the top with a generous layer of parmesan.
• Bake in the oven for 40-45 mins or until bubbling and golden brown, then remove from the oven and leave to settle for 10 mins.
• Cut the lasagne into squares and let it sit for another 10 mins before serving - this keeps the layers defined and helps it cool down more quickly.

SICILIAN-STYLE TUNA LASAGNE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip the tomatoes, peppers, olives, cinnamon and herbs into a pan, cover and simmer for 10 mins until the tomatoes have broken down a little. Add the tuna and season.
• Tip the cream cheese into a bowl, season and mix to loosen a little, adding a splash of water (or milk, if you have some) to make a thick white-sauce consistency. Assemble the lasagne in a baking dish, approx 20 x 30cm. Pour roughly a third of the tuna sauce into the bottom of the dish, top with 4 lasagne sheets, a third of the cream cheese sauce, then repeat the layers twice more. Scatter over the mozzarella and bake for 35 mins until golden and bubbling.