buckytom
Grill Master
i made this last week using no-boil noodles, and it was one of the best lasagnas i've ever made. it was a little sloppy, so the key is to use just enough sauce but not over do it.
ingredients:
1 lb. mozarella cheese
1 pkg. no-boil noodles, i used ronzoni brand
1 quart of tomato sauce, i used prego brand
36 ozs. of ricotta cheese
4 extra large eggs
2 tbsps. of dried basil
1/2 tsp. of dried oregano
2 tbsps. of fennel seeds
2 lbs. sweet italian sausage
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
8 shallots (4 shallots peeled into two cloves each)
2 tbsps. of olive oil
1 aluminum tray, 1/2 size - deep, 12"x10"x4"
for lasagna, you need to get your mise en place, and then you can start building.
first, clean and slice the peppers into a thin julienne, about 2 inches long. roughly slice the shallots into strips as well. in a skillet over medium heat, sweat the peppers and shallots in a little olive oil until just beginning to get soft.
remove the casing and brown the sausage in olive oil over high heat, breaking it up into chunks.
using just a little water, deglaze the skillet used for browning the sausage, then turn off the heat and add tomato sauce to incorporate.
in a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites, the basil and oregano until it is all evenly blended.
grate the mozarella cheese into large curls.
now you're ready to begin building. ladel just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the aluminum tray. put down a layer of noodles, leaving just a millimeter or two between the pieces for expansion. you may have to break a piece or two to fill in one side depending on the size and shape of the tray. ladel just a little more sauce on the top of the noodle, spreading it evenly across the ridges.
repeat this step with another layer of noodles, turning them so the ridges lie across the grain of the first layer. put down the noodle layer, then a bit more sauce spread evenly on top.
now, spread the ricotta mixture thickly across for the next layer, then top with a noodle layer, again, with the ridges perpendicular to the previous layer. spread a little sauce on top of the noodles evenly.
next, spread a layer of sausage, sprinkle with fennel seeds, then a layer of peppers and shallots, and half of the shredded mozarella. cover with sauce, and add the final layer of noodles on top.
once again, spread enough sauce across the top layer to cover everything edge to egde, the cover with the reamaining shredded mozarella.
cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. take it out of the fridge and let it warm up a little on a counter for about an hour, then put in an oven at 325 for 35 minutes.
turn up the heat to 375 and remove the foil, bake for 15 more minutes, until the cheese begins to turn golden.
let it rest for about 10 minutes, then serve with crusty bread and chianti.
ingredients:
1 lb. mozarella cheese
1 pkg. no-boil noodles, i used ronzoni brand
1 quart of tomato sauce, i used prego brand
36 ozs. of ricotta cheese
4 extra large eggs
2 tbsps. of dried basil
1/2 tsp. of dried oregano
2 tbsps. of fennel seeds
2 lbs. sweet italian sausage
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
8 shallots (4 shallots peeled into two cloves each)
2 tbsps. of olive oil
1 aluminum tray, 1/2 size - deep, 12"x10"x4"
for lasagna, you need to get your mise en place, and then you can start building.
first, clean and slice the peppers into a thin julienne, about 2 inches long. roughly slice the shallots into strips as well. in a skillet over medium heat, sweat the peppers and shallots in a little olive oil until just beginning to get soft.
remove the casing and brown the sausage in olive oil over high heat, breaking it up into chunks.
using just a little water, deglaze the skillet used for browning the sausage, then turn off the heat and add tomato sauce to incorporate.
in a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites, the basil and oregano until it is all evenly blended.
grate the mozarella cheese into large curls.
now you're ready to begin building. ladel just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the aluminum tray. put down a layer of noodles, leaving just a millimeter or two between the pieces for expansion. you may have to break a piece or two to fill in one side depending on the size and shape of the tray. ladel just a little more sauce on the top of the noodle, spreading it evenly across the ridges.
repeat this step with another layer of noodles, turning them so the ridges lie across the grain of the first layer. put down the noodle layer, then a bit more sauce spread evenly on top.
now, spread the ricotta mixture thickly across for the next layer, then top with a noodle layer, again, with the ridges perpendicular to the previous layer. spread a little sauce on top of the noodles evenly.
next, spread a layer of sausage, sprinkle with fennel seeds, then a layer of peppers and shallots, and half of the shredded mozarella. cover with sauce, and add the final layer of noodles on top.
once again, spread enough sauce across the top layer to cover everything edge to egde, the cover with the reamaining shredded mozarella.
cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. take it out of the fridge and let it warm up a little on a counter for about an hour, then put in an oven at 325 for 35 minutes.
turn up the heat to 375 and remove the foil, bake for 15 more minutes, until the cheese begins to turn golden.
let it rest for about 10 minutes, then serve with crusty bread and chianti.