Recipes for Pasta

Lasagne is a baked pasta dish.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
• 1/2 lb. minced (ground) beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped fine
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley (divided)
• 4 cups canned whole tomatoes, undrained, halved, seeds removed
• 12 oz tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 16 oz. package lasagna
• 16 oz. package of mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced (a wire cutter is nice for semi-soft cheeses like this)
• about 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure

1. Remove sausage casings, and break sausage into small bits.
2. Sauté sausage and ground beef in 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat with onion and garlic until the meat is browned.
3. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, basil, fennel, pepper, and half the parsley; mix well.
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and water, mashing the tomatoes a bit. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally for 1 1/2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
6. Cook and drain pasta.
7. In a medium bowl mix ricotta, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining parsley.
8. Assemble your lasagna in a 13″ x 9″ x 2″ roasting pan (listed bottom to top):
   • bottom layer of sauce (approx. 1 1/2 cups)
   • layer of pasta (overlapping slightly)
   • layer of 1/2 the ricotta mixture
   • layer of 1/3 of the mozzarella
   • sauce layer (again, about 1 1/2 cups)
   • layer of grated Parmesan sprinkled over sauce (not so much that the sauce layer is covered entirely)
   • layer of pasta
   • layer of remaining ricotta
   • layer of 1/3 of the mozzarella
   • layer of remaining sauce
   • layer of sprinkled Parmesan
   • layer of remaining mozzarella
9. Cover the lasagna with foil and roast 30 minutes covered, then 25 minutes uncovered (or until bubbly and lightly browned). Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Uncooked lasagnas freeze very well so the extra work can be done well in advance. You can make several batches at a time and freeze the extras to thaw out and cook later.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3lbs (1.5 kilo) Minced beef
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
• 1 can (400g) quality chopped plum tomatoes
• 10-15 basil leaves, chopped or torn (or 1 tsp dried basil)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 5 crushed black peppercorns (or to taste)
• 1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• (Optionally) 150-200ml red wine
• One pack of lasagne sheets

• 1.5 pints Bechemel Sauce

• Finely grated parmesan

Equipment

• One small pan for the bechemel sauce (preferably non-stick)
• One large, deep pan for the ragu
• A shallow oven-proof dish

Procedure

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy base or non-stick pan over a medium-high heat. If the oil browns, turn the heat down.
2. Add the onion and fry until golden brown
3. Increase heat to high and add the meat and garlic. Fry until brown. Minced/ground beef takes some time to cook well. Fry until there is little moisture left in the pan. If necessary, spoon out any excess fat.
4. Add the tomatoes and sugar, cover the pan and lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the bechemel sauce.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 375f/190c
6. Mix the basil, oregano, salt & pepper in to the ragu
7. Place a thin layer of ragu in the base of the ovenproof dish and cover with a single layer of pasta sheets. Spread a layer of bechemel sauce over the pasta. Repeat this until you run out of meat, making sure that you have enough bechemel sauce left to cover the top layer of pasta.
8. Sprinkle the grated parmesan over the top.
9. Place the dish in the oven on the top shelf and cook for about 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the sauce is bubbling.

Hints & tips

• Get good beef. This is the most important part of the dish. The best beef will produce little fat and a great flavour.
• Try using goats cheese and milk for the bechemel sauce. Sainsbury’s and Safeways both sell a goat’s cheese that’s almost like cheddar in consistency. Perfect for bechemel sauce.
• Look for canned tomatoes in ‘rich tomato juice’. They’re a bit more expensive, but definitely worthwhile
• Fresh basil and pepper are a must.
• Try it with minced lamb

Ingredients

• 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, minced
• 1 400g (15. oz) can of navy beans, drained and chopped
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• one package lasagna noodles
• 240ml (1 cup) cottage cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 240g (1 cup) tomato sauce
• 240g (1 cup) tomato puree
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 100g - 170g (4-6 oz.) package of mozzarella cheese, grated
• 60ml (1/4 cup) grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure

1. Cook lasagna noodles.
2. Start preheating oven for 180 C (350 F).
3. Saute garlic and onions.
4. Add the chopped beans and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add tomato sauce, tomato puree, tomato paste, oregano, basil, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
6. In a 30cm x 20cm (13 x 9 in.) baking dish, form a layer using half the noodles, cottage cheese, and mozzarella.
7. Repeat to form a second layer.
8. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese.
9. Bake uncovered at 180c (350 degrees) for 25 minutes, until noodles are tender and sauce is bubbling.

4 servings.

This recipe has been improved on over the generations. The reason why this is cooked on the stove top & only browned in the oven is that in Greek villages there was a shared village oven. So dishes like these were popular as they could be browned after the bread had been baked.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons stale breadcrumbs to top

Pasta Mix

• 250g Macaroni pasta.
• 2 eggs whole beaten lightly.
• ¾ cup Grated fresh pamesan cheese.

Meat Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil.
• 2 medium chopped onions.
• 750g Minced Meat (better to do it yourself in the food processor).
• 400–450g Canned Chopped Tomatoes.
• ⅓ Cup tomato paste.
• ½ Cup water.
• ¼ Cup dry white wine.
• 1 tablespoon beef stock powder.
• ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder.
• 1 egg beaten lightly.

Greek style Bechamel sauce

• 100g Butter.
• ½ cup plain flour.
• 3½ cups milk.
• 1 cup Grated Fresh Parmasen cheese.
• 2 egg yolks.

Equipment required

• 2.5 Litre (10 cup) Baking dish metal/glass/ceramic are fine.
• 2 Large saucepans for Meat sauce & pasta.
• 1 medium to large saucepan for Bechamel sauce.

To avoid a large clean up at the end just reuse the same saucepan.

Procedure

It is a good idea to start your meat sauce first as this needs to cool before you can begin construction.

Meat Sauce

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil in pan.
2. Saute 2 chopped onions then,
3. Add 750g of Minced meat cook till well browned.
4. Add 400–450g of chopped canned tomatoes liquid & all.
5. Add ⅓ cup Tomato Paste.
6. Add ½ cup water.
7. Add ¼ cup wine.
8. Add 1 tablespoon Beef stock powder.
9. Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder.
10. Simmer uncovered, until it becomes thick in consistency.
11. Once thick transfer into a mixing bowl to cool.
12. Once cool stir in 1 Lightly beaten egg.

Greek Style Bechamel sauce

1. Melt 100g butter in pan
2. Add ½ cup plain flour
3. Stir over heat until bubbling.
4. Remove pan from heat.
5. Gradually add 3½ cups milk - (Please note mixture will become thick & then will thin again).
6. Return pan to heat until sauce bubbles then thickens.
7. Stir in 1 cup parmesan cheese.
8. Transfer to mixing bowl.
9. Cool slightly.
10. Mix in 2 egg yolks.

Pasta Mix

1. Cook 250 g Macaroni pasta as per directions on packet until tender.
2. Drain pasta.
3. Transfer Pasta to Mixing Bowl
4. Mix Pasta while hot with
5. ¾ cup parmesan cheese and,
6. 2 eggs which are lightly beaten.

Construction

1. Grease baking dish.
2. Press pasta mix into base of pan.
3. Top pasta mix with the Meat sauce.
4. Pour over the Greek Style Bechamel Sauce over the Meat sauce (smooth the top).
5. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Stale Breadcrumbs over the top.

In preheated oven- Bake at 180 Degrees Celsius / 350 Degrees Farenheit for 1 hour till golden brown.

Stand for at least 10 mins before serving.

Leftovers freeze well so it is a great freezer cooking dish.