Lasagna

Lasagna is as Italian as it gets, and here in North America is has to be one of the most popular comfort foods among the masses. With popularity however come variety, and the Internet is overwhelmed with variations from all over on how one can create this dish consisting of pasta, sauce and cheese.

To me, there are many ways to make an excellent lasagna, but for me personally there are a few key things I want mine to consist of. I like a rich, flavorful and meaty tomato based sauce, I like a layer of ricotta cheese blended with spinach, garlic and parmasan cheese, and of course there has to me lots of gooey, mozzarella on top.
Some lasagna recipes can be very complex with three sauces and two different cheese blends. For this recipe I use just one sauce (a meat sauce...although you can use whichever favorite tomato based sauce you like), a simple ricotta cheese mixture featuring spinach and artichokes (think hot spinach artichoke dip), and I finish it off with grated mozzarella.

Lasagna

Tomato Based Sauce: Check out my recipes for my family's meat sauce, bolognese or simple marinara.

Ricotta Mixture:

Ingredients:

• 24 ounce tub whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1  package of chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 can artichokes, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• fresh chopped parsley (and other Italian herbs of choice)
• 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp each of salt and pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well until evenly distributed. Reserve for layering in the lasagna.

Lasagna:

Ingredients:

• Ricotta filling
• Tomato or meat sauce
• lasagna pasta, cooked
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (or other hard Italian cheese), grated
• fresh chopped parsley

Directions:

If you don't have the tomato sauce made ahead of time, do that first as it is the most time consuming. The next step is to bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the lasagna pasta just to al dente, according to package direction (I find 1 standard size package is more than enough, but I usually cook it all and let my pup enjoy the leftover pasta).While the pasta is cooking prepare the ricotta mixture. It's pretty simply to bring together. One of the most important things to do is insure the thawed spinach is squeezed of all its water as you don't want a watery filling. 

Once the pasta is cooked and cooled enough to handle, begin assembling your pasta. Preheat the oven to 375 and get a large casserole pan (approximately 9x13 inches or similar are typical). Ladle in a little red sauce, about 1.5- 2 cups to cover the bottom of the pan and then add a layer of lasagna noodles.Next add a thick layer of red sauce (about 3 cups) and a 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, followed by a second layer of pasta. Next add the entire ricotta mixture and a third layer of pasta. Repeat with another thick layer of red sauce and the remaining parmesan cheese. Lastly, add the forth layer of pasta followed by a thin layer of red sauce and the 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes is until the top is browned and bubbly. Serve with a nice green salad, garlic bread and a good red wine.

Penne in the Style of Sorrento with Grilled Peppers, Onions and Italian Sausage

Here is a nice twist on a a popular Italian dish, "sausage and peppers with penne". For this dish, penne pasta is usually tossed or served with sauteed Italian sausage and bell peppers, onions and garlic. What I often do however is grill my Italian sausage links (I prefer hot, but mild or sweet sausage would also work great), as well as my vegetables, which I served along side a penne tossed in a cheesed-up classic marinara sauce, that I call penne, in the style of Sorrento, after a gnocchi dish I had there!

First I'll start with a simple recipe for a basic marinara sauce, the mother of all Italian tomato sauces. With that being said, marinara is actually a "mother" sauce as it can be transformed into many other tomato based sauces with particular additions, such as meat, for a bolognasse, or cream, or into a pizza sauce or a vodka sauce, or as I will do, add fresh mozzarella and ricotta cheese to make a pink and cheesy tomato sauce.

Basic Marinara Sauce

In a sauce pan, heat over medium heat:
- 1/4 cup of olive oil 
Add, and saute until tender:
- 1 large onion, diced fine
- 1 carrot, diced fine
- 1 rib of celery, diced fine

Then add:
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 large (28 ounce) of good quality crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp of dried Italian herbs (mix of oregano, thyme, marjoram and basil)
- 1tsp of salt and pepper.

Bring sauce to a low simmer and let cook, uncovered for at least 30 minutes. A little longer wouldn't hurt.


Penne in the Style of Sorrento (serves 4)

Cook 1 pound of penne pasta until it is al dente (still with bite).

While the pasta is cooking, ladle 4 cups of marinara into a deep saute pan. Bring to a low simmer and add:
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup of fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
- 1 tsp hot red pepper flakes (optional)
- 3-4 basil leaves, chopped
- 2 Tbsp of fresh Italian parsley, chopped (reserve some for garnish)

Add the hot pasta to the cheesy marinara sauce and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and parsley

 
 To complete the meal, grilled Italian sausages and vegetables couldn't be easier...or tastier.
Simply slice:
- 1 large red onion, red bell pepper and green bell pepper. Toss in a little olive oil and grill in a grilling basket over a medium flame until tender and carmalized. Add a pinch of salt and pepper while grilling.
At the same time of cooking the veggies, grill your Italian sausages. Turn frequently so all sides get scorched, and cook until the juices run clear.