Malfatte Vegetable Pasta Sheets For Lasagna Food

MALFATTE VEGETABLE 'PASTA' SHEETS FOR LASAGNA

Steps:

• *For Gluten Free, use Gluten Free Bread Crumbs.
• **For Gluten Free, use Garbonzo Bean Flour.
• Heat the Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a saute pan over medium heat.
• Add the Onion and a pinch of Sea Salt and cook until onion is pale gold.
• Add the Celery and cook for another 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic and saute until light gold, taking care not to bitter.
• Add the Chard and Parsley and saute until the Chard is wilted, stirring frequently.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Add the 3 beaten eggs and the remaining ingredients to the cooled mixture. Add enough bread crumbs to form a medium paste.
• Pour mixture onto a Floured Surface and divide in half.
• Pat flour on top of mixture and press to a flat surface about 1/2 inches thick.
• Cut into roughly 1 1/2 in squares (remember - 'badly done').
• Boil salted water and drop squares in 2 or 3 at a time. Cook until they float to the surface.
• Drain on a papter towel and set aside.
• Prepare your favorite Tomato Sauce, Ragu or Lasagna filling.
• Pour your completed sauce into a baking dish.
• In a single layer, place the Malfattes on top of the sauce, leaving about 1/4 in between them. Do not press them into the sauce.
• Preheat oven to 400 and bake, covered for about 45-1hr.
• Freezes well and is excellent with spinach.

HOMEMADE LASAGNA SHEETS

Steps:

• Place flour on a marble or wooden work surface. Make a well in the center and crack in eggs; add salt. Gently beat eggs using a fork, incorporating the surrounding flour, until mixture is runny. Bring remaining flour into the mixture using a bench scraper until dough forms a ball. Mix in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if dough feels too stiff.
• Knead dough with your hands by flattening the ball, stretching it, and folding the top towards the center. Turn 45 degrees and repeat until dough is soft and smooth, about 10 minutes.
• Shape dough into a ball. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Take one piece and flatten it a bit with your hands. Dust a work surface with flour and roll dough out using a rolling pin 5 to 6 times. Turn the dough 45 degrees and roll out again, 5 to 6 times. Keep rolling and turning in the same way until the dough is evenly very thin. When you hold up the dough, you should be able to see your fingers through it.
• Cut the pasta into rectangular sheets to fit your baking dish using a pastry wheel or a knife. Transfer lasagna sheets to a floured kitchen towel and let air-dry about 30 minutes before assembling.

HANDMADE LASAGNA SHEETS

Steps:

• Mound the flour in the center of a large mixing bowl. Dig a well in the center of the mound and add the whole eggs and 5 yolks. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. The dough will start to come together in a shaggy mass when about half the flour is incorporated.
• Use your fingers to continue to mix the dough. Press any loose bits of flour into the dough. If needed, add another egg yolk or a tablespoon of water to absorb all of the flour.
• Once the dough comes together into a cohesive mass, remove it from the bowl and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough by hand until smooth, elastic and uniform in color, 4 to 5 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours).
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.
• Cut off a quarter of the dough. Rewrap the larger portion and set aside. Use the heel of your hand to flatten the small piece of dough into an oval approximately the same width as your pasta machine, about 6 inches wide. Set the rollers to their widest setting and pass the dough through.
• Lay the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board or countertop and neatly press together into halves, so it's again about the same width of the pasta machine. Feed the pasta through again at the widest setting. Think of these first rollings as an extended kneading. Continue to fold the dough in thirds and roll it until it is smooth, silky and even-textured. Do your best to make the sheet the full width of the machine.
• Once the dough is silky and smooth, you can begin to roll it out more thinly. Roll it once through each of the next two or three settings, adding flour as needed, until the dough is about 1/4-inch thick.
• Once the pasta is about 1/4-inch thick, begin rolling it twice through the next thinner settings. As you roll, lightly sprinkle flour on both sides of the pasta to prevent it from sticking to itself.
• Roll out pasta until you can just see the outline of your hand when you hold it under a sheet, about 1/16-inch thick. (On most machines, you won't make it to the thinnest setting.)
• Cut pasta into sheets, about 13 inches long. Dust the sheets lightly with flour, stack on the prepared baking sheet and cover with a clean, lightly dampened kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough.