Lasagna

Hello Friends.  Well, Kate, anyway.

Last night I had some fabulous friends over who have served on our student spouse committees to help sara and I make it through this year- shout out to all of you, we couldn't have done this year without your help.

So, what do you make when you have to feed 10+ people?  Lasagna, naturally.  I've tried many lasagna recipes in my day, all of them being wonderful, but I gotta say, I have found one (thanks to Sara Welch) that I particularly enjoy because it uses NO BOIL LASAGNA NOODLES.  that's right people, it's revolutionary:  ALL THE WORK IS TAKEN OUT OF LASAGNA WITH THESE THINGS!! And their texture is just as tender is boiled lasagna noodles.  I know, I couldn't believe it either.  Here's what it looks like:

On the back of this box is the recipe I use.  I'll write it out for those of you who cannot find these noodles and who have to boil them (I'm sad for you if that is true.  To all of my air force friends- the commissary sells these).


Ingredients:

• 1 box barilla no boil lasagna
• 2 eggs
• 1 container 15 oz ricotta (or make your own ricotta.  I've done it.  It's simple and DELICIOUS. Here's the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-ricotta-recipe/index.html )
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1 lb. italian sausage/ground turkey/ground pork/ground beef (whatever your meat of choice is, if any)
• 2 jars of marinara sauce (i'll list my recipe for my sauce that I home make below but in case you don't have the time or energy, 2 jars will be fine)

Directions:

• preheat oven to 375
• spray baking dish (a 9x13 or whatever ya got) with cooking spray
• in a medium bowl, beat eggs.  stir in ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, and parmesan.  Here's where I like to embellish.  You will need to add salt because yes, it's fine as is, but it's kind of bland, I gotta say.  So, start with a teaspoon of salt, and a half teaspoon of pepper, you can also add a teaspoon of italian spices or oregano at this point, which I do as well.  mix all together and taste for seasoning (the raw egg won't kill you- let's not pretend like we all don't like the beaters after mixing a batch of cookie dough).  If you need to add more salt, add it in 1/2 teaspoon increments until you get the flavor you want ( it brings out flavor!!! Kate said it before and I'll say it again!! salt your food!! I'm not talking go crazy, but why eat if it doesn't have flavor!? I'll stop ranting now)
• spoon some of the mixture onto the bottom of the baking dish and spread around
• add your lasagna sheets (I think it's either 3 or 4 sheets per layer)
• spread ricotta mixture onto lasagna sheets (this part is difficult at times because the ricotta is hard to spread.  I'd pick up the lasagna sheet and spread the mixture on their-thick- like you're spreading peanut butter on toast)
• spoon a good amount of sauce over ricotta mixture (if you are using meat, you can brown the meat and add the sauce to it in the pan to incorporate the meat with the sauce)
• sprinkle some mozzarella over the sauce layer (I've run out of mozzarella before and have skipped this part and the lasagna still turns out fine so don't fret if that happens)
• repeat layers (lasagna sheets, ricotta, sauce, cheese, repeat until you hit the top of the pan- although please dont let it over flow- oh! and a word of advice: bake it on a baking sheet so in case it does boil over, it doesn't get all over your oven)
• so, when you're done assembling, cover it with aluminum foil (a little trick I just discovered is to spray one side of the aluminum foil with cooking spray on the side that will lay on top of the lasagna- that way the cheese won't stick when you remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking)
• pop it in the oven to bake for 50-60 minutes then remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking until the cheese is nice and melted.  
• recipe makes 12 servings

 voila!  I could have let the cheese melt more on top, but people were arriving to my house and I didn't want them to stand around and wait!  but it was yummy!  and that other piece of goodness is a toasted piece of crunchy bread rubbed with garlic....yes, my breath STILL reeks.  oh- and word to the wise: I wouldn't put your bread on a baking sheet unless you've sprayed your baking sheet or are using parchment paper because my bread BURNED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BAKING SHEET.  yeah, not pretty. and not very tasty, either.  luckily some were salvageable.

Ok if you're still interested, onto my homemade sauce recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots, 3 celery stalks, 1 whole yellow onion, all finely chopped (you can let the food processor do it if you don't have the energy to chop all of that)
• oh, and some garlic- like, 5-6 cloves chopped up.  don't be afraid.
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 28 oz. cans of San Marzano tomatoes.  Mine come crushed, but diced are totally fine. (if you're gonna make homemade sauce, buy the good stuff.  However, Hunts crushed tomatoes are totally fine.  I just trust the food network when they brag on the san marzanos). 
• 2 bay leaves
• oregano (season to taste- probably 2 teaspoons but who knows)
• red pepper flakes
• tomato paste (if necessary to add thickness)
• extras: rosemary, thyme, and basil (fresh!) if you have them.  if not, no worries.  also, red wine/white wines are excellent additions if you happen to have some, or some chicken stock (I know it sounds weird just trust me!)

Directions:

• in a stock pot, pour in 1/4 cup olive oil (or "good olive oil" as Ina would say)
• turn the heat on to medium
• once the oil is hot, add your garlic.  let this sautee but DO NOT LET YOUR GARLIC BURN. 
• add about a 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (more if you want) and 2 teaspoons of oregano to let them "toast" with the garlic. You can throw in your bay leaves at this point, too.
• once the garlic is fragrant, add your onion, celery, and carrots (pssst- if you don't have celery and carrots that's ok- onion and garlic are the important things here)
• add about 1/2 tablespoon salt at this point.  not only does it draw the water out of the veggies, allowing them to really sautee, but you are building a flavor base- every time you add something to the pot, you need to be seasoning it.  
• the vegetables need to be tender- let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. it should smell delightful.
• open up your big cans of tomatoes and toss 'em in.  stir everything together and taste for salt- if it tastes "ok" but still a bit bland, add some salt (start with a 1/2 teaspoon and work your way up)
• bring the sauce up to a boil and once it starts bubbling, turn it on low and let that baby simmer away partially covered either for and hour or two, or all day.  no kidding.  time is the best thing for this sauce.
• if you are using any "extras," add the wine (i don't know, maybe 3/4 cup?) when you add the tomatoes.  you can also add a bit of chicken stock at this point (maybe a 1/2 cup then add more later if you think it needs it).
• when you come back after running errands to check on your sauce, it should be thick from cooking down, but if it's not thick enough for your liking, feel free to stir in some tomato paste
• stick the thyme and rosemary in whole (tie them with some kitchen twine- your butcher can hook you up with some) and fish them out later.  add them when you add the tomatoes.
• if using fresh basil, do not use until the very end.  i mean, you can, but the basil adds such freshness and a sauce that's been cooking for a long time like that needs some freshness so just wait it out.

side note: i have put 1-2 cinnamon sticks in my sauce before for a "depth of flavor" and a bit of sweetness and it's delish.

a couple of tips: don't be afraid to salt- tomatoes absorb A LOT of salt so you might feel a bit crazy, but salt it until you get flavor- it shouldn't taste like the ocean, though, so be careful.  

if the sauce seems a bit too 'acidic,' you can add some sugar (start with a teaspoon then work your way up if need be)

BUEN PROVECHO! (spanish for "bon appetit!)