When it comes to recipes and new food ideas, everyday brings a new direction for old favorites. I was reading an article that was titled “Moving Beyond Lasagna” and thought : Why would anyone want to move beyond lasagna?
Coincidently within an hour of reading that article I got a call from my son who lives 2000 miles away with comments on Buck Cooks. He said Root Vegetable recipes might appeal to some but he wanted to see the family recipe for lasagna. He claimed he hadn’t had great lasagna since we moved to the West almost a decade ago.
I realized that almost no one in Philadelphia eats lasagna at a restaurant since most families make great lasagna at home. For those families whose lasagna makers have moved out of town here is our Best Lasagna Recipe.
Best Lasagna
Sauce Ingredients:
1 lb. sweet or hot Italian bulk sausage
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 ½ tsp salt
1 lg can tomato puree
1 lg can tomato paste
(Contadina our favorite)
Preparation:
Brown meat
Drain off fat
Add all ingredients ans simmer uncovered ½ hour
Lasagna Noodles
Cook 8 pieces in salted water
Drain & rinse in cold water-set aside
Cheese filling Ingredients:
3 cups ricotta cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1 lb. mozzarella cheese sliced thin
2 beaten eggs
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Mix all ingredients (except mozzarella)
Assembly: (in a 9”x 13” baking dish)
Step 1. Spread thin layer of sauce in bottom of dish
Step 2. Place half the noodles in the dish
Step 3. Spread with ½ the cheese mixture
Step 4. Cover with ½ the mozzarella
Step 5. Cover with ½ the meat sauce
Step 6. Repeat layers
Step 7. Cover with foil
Step 8. Bake in 375’ oven for 30 minutes
Step 9. Uncover and bake until bubbly & slightly browned on top
Service: Let rest for 10 minutes (if you can wait) before serving for easier cutting
A Caesar Salad usually is our accompaniment with our Best Lasagna recipe
{ 1 trackback }
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks good Buck EXCEPT, people need to realize that the quality of the lasagna is the fresh ingredients–especially the ricotta. I have found no decent tasting ricotta commercially. HOWEVER at Carbone’s in Denver (38th street), they make there own delicious fresh ricotta. It makes all the difference. They are also known for there homemade sausage. Their prices are very reasonable–a real old -a fashion Mamma anda Papa store. They are from Abruzzi, Italia. Anda you getta some jokesa anda advisa too! Jeannie
Good local info for Denver area folks. You are correct about it being difficult finding real ricotta in the West. We are fortunate in that we get our riccotta from New Jersey by tagging along from time to time onto an order coming into our son’s restaurant. I am a bit hesitant to complain about deficiencies in the availability of quality Italian specialties in the West being a relative newcomer(10 years). You can bet that I will check out the Carbone’s next time I’m in Denver
Our son even has his sandwich (hoagie) rolls flown in from Philly
Coulnd’t agree with you more, only benig able to find Chinese garlic is a pet peeve of mine. I try and buy locally in big quantities in the early Fall and just hang it through the winter.
The other thing that peeves me is stores carrying “local” products when I know they were shipped hundreds of miles to be processed before they got to me. Kinda hurts freshness.