LASAGNA

Lasagna is an Italian classic that is a favorite of almost everyone.  If you need to feed a crowd or create a dinner that is versatile and limited only by your cooking imagination then Lasagna is what you are looking for.  You can add cooked Spinach or double the Mushrooms and leave out the Sausage for a Veggie version.  I have had a lot of not so good Lasagnas at many Italian restaurants that were too dry, dense and tasteless.  We've all had bad home cooked Lasagna made with slimy Noodles, horrible jarred Sauce and the absolute worst thing to add to Lasagna... Cottage Cheese.   I know, I know!  Cottage Cheese in Lasagna is common in America but it is not the best choice when flavor and texture are concerned.   There, I said it.  The use of Cottage Cheese has caused cultural outcries from many Italians who cringe at the very thought of using it!   This recipe allows for your own tastes and additions... even for Cottage Cheese, if you must.  If you like it and it tastes good to you, then use it.  It is your Lasagna and should reflect your cooking taste, not mine.  But don't worry, I won't tell Momma Mia Mancini you put it in because you are Cooking The Amazing.




Here is the recipe.


1 recipe  Tomato Sauce (or about 8 cups prepared)
24 oz.  Fresh Lasagna Pasta ( or 1 1/2 Boxes dried)
4 T  Butter
1 lb  Mild Italian Sausage
1  medium Onion, diced fine
2  Cloves Garlic, minced fine
3 T  Butter
8 0z  White Button Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 t  Fine Grain Sea Salt
1/2 t  Fresh Ground Black Pepper
12 oz  Ricotta Cheese
1/2 c  Fine Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 t  Dried Oregano
12  Fresh Basil Leaves
1/2 t  Fine Grain Sea Salt
1/2 t  Fresh Ground Black Pepper
12 oz  Provolone Cheese, Sliced Thin
16 oz   Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 t  Fine Grain Sea Salt
1/2 t  Fresh Ground Black Pepper


1.  Get all of the ingredients needed prepared ahead to make assembly of the Lasagna to go well in the long run.  Grate your Cheeses, prepare the Tomato Sauce boil the Pasta if you are using dry.  Store the cooked Pasta in a salted ice water bath but remember to rinse before using.  This will save time.  Use a 13 X 9 baking dish or a deep large disposable foil pan.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Prepare the Tomato Sauce.  If you are going to take the trouble to make a homemade Lasagna then use a real homemade Tomato Sauce.   It is so easy and worth the little effort for the best tasting Lasagna.  This can be done the day before.  Heat it up to use it in this recipe.  If you must use jarred Sauce use a very good one.  Click HERE for my Tomato Sauce recipe.

3.  Boil the Lasagna Pasta.  I use fresh Pasta but dried Pasta is just fine.  Use 1 1/2 boxes of the 16 oz box size.  Add plenty of Salt to the boiling water and cook the Pasta as directed on the box for dried Pasta until just cooked, about 8-10 minutes.  If using fresh Pasta, boil in Salted water for 4 minutes until just almost cooked through.  Fresh usually require no cooking but I have found it to be gummy sometimes if I don't partially cook it ahead.  You can prepare your Pasta while the Sauce is simmering.  Place cooked Pasta in an Salted Ice bath to keep your Pasta from drying out or getting soggy.  When ready for use, drain, rinse and blot dry.   Fresh Pasta is available at most markets or Italian Delis.

4.  To make a Salted Ice bath simply add 2-3 c Ice to a large bowl of water then sprinkle in 3 t of Sea Salt and stir until the Salt is dissolved then add the cooked Pasta.

 5.  In a medium pan, add the 4 T of Butter and melt over medium heat.  The Butter will give it a great taste.  Add the Sausage and brown the Sausage over medium heat until cooked through, about 7-9 minutes.  Remove the Sausage and set aside and reserve the sausage fat in the pan.  Add a little Olive Oil, if needed, if not enough fat to saute the Onions in.  Add the diced Onion and cook until translucent, about 5-7 minutes then add the Garlic and saute 30 seconds more.    The Onions and Garlic pick up the flavor left by the Sausage on the pan.  Add the cooked Onions and Garlic to the Tomato Sauce.

6.  In the same pan over medium heat, saute the sliced Mushrooms in 3 T of Butter until browned, about 7-9 minutes.  Season with Sea Salt and Pepper as they cook.  Set aside.  You want the Mushrooms crispy on the edges and caramelized for best taste in this Lasagna.  You can use White Button or Crimini Mushrooms in this recipe or mix of both.

7.  Place the Ricotta Cheese in a medium bowl and add  1/2 c of Parmesan Cheese, 2 t dried Oregano and 12 leaves of fresh Basil that has been cut into chiffonade (rolled like a cigar tight then cut in strips).  Mix all well.

8.  Slice the Fresh Mozzarella into thick 1/2 inch slices and set aside. 

9.  Now it is time to assemble.  First ladle 2 cups of the Tomato Sauce into the bottom of the baking dish then put a layer of Lasagna Noodles on top.

10.  Over the Lasagna Noodles spread all of the Ricotta Cheese mixture evenly to the edges.  Then layer on all of the Provolone Cheese.

11.  Layer on another layer of Lasagna Noodles over the Cheese.  Then add all of the cooked Sausage.

12.  Add all of the Mushrooms over the Sausage and about 2-3 cups of the Tomato Sauce on top of the Mushrooms.  Add more Tomato Sauce if needed to be sure the Sausage and Mushrooms are well coated in Sauce.

13.  Add another Layer of Lasagna Noodles over the Mushrooms and Sausage.  Using your hands gently compress down on the Noodles so that any air pockets will fill in below for even cooking.  Then add 2 -3 cups of Tomato Sauce and then the sliced fresh Mozzarella Cheese.   Sprinkle with Sea Salt and fresh ground Black Pepper.

14.  Cover with foil loosely so that the Mozzarella doesn't stick to the foil and place on a cookie sheet for ease of transfer to the oven and out.  Safety first!  Then bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or longer if needed until the Sauce is bubbling around the edges and the Cheese is melted.  All ovens vary in cooking times so yours may require 10 minutes more or so.  Remove the foil and broil on high for 1-2 minutes so that the Mozzarella browns in spots and bubbles.  Watch very closely so that it doesn't burn under the broiler. Remove from the oven and let the Lasagna then sit for 10 minutes before serving.  Garnish at the last minute with fresh Basil.

COPYRIGHT (c) 2011

AU GRATIN POTATOES

Au Gratin Potatoes are often confused with Escalloped Potatoes which is a similar recipe but is not made with Cheese.  I like them both but I can not resist anything baked with a rich, creamy Cheese Sauce, especially when it has crispy browned edges and layered between thin sliced Yellow Gold Potatoes.  When you bring this to the table and the Cheese Sauce is bubbling and browned, everyone will want to eat this first.  Serve this along side a Baked Ham or succulent Butter Roasted Chicken and you will be Cooking The Amazing.

Here is the recipe.

5  Large Yellow Gold Potatoes

2 T  Butter, softened

1  Medium Yellow Onion small diced
2  Garlic Cloves minced
3 T  Butter, unsalted
3 T  All Purpose Flour
3 c  Heavy Cream or Half And Half
1 t  Dried Thyme
1 t  Sea Salt, fine
1 t  Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 1/2 c  Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 c  Parmesan Cheese, grated

1.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the middle of your oven.

2.  Peel and thinly slice your Potatoes paper thin.  As thick as a thick Potato Chip.  I use a mandolin to slice mine thin but a large knife works well.

Using my mandolin.  The best ones are from Japan or France.  Use caution! A mandolin is very sharp! Be smarter than me and use the guard.


3.  Butter a large deep casserole dish all over well with 2 T of Butter.

4.  Dice the Onion into small dice.  Mince the Garlic fine.

5.  Saute over medium heat the Onion in 3 T of Butter until soft.  Add the Garlic and saute for 1 minute more.

6.  Add 3 T of Flour and stir well.  Cook for 2 minutes so the flour cooks.

7.  Add 3 c Heavy Cream or Half And Half, dried Thyme, Sea Salt and Pepper and mix in well.  Turn up the heat to medium high and bring to a boil constantly stirring.  Boil for 1 minute and reduce the heat to medium and simmer 4-5 minutes constantly stirring.

8.  The Sauce should be thick and coat the back of a spoon.  Remove the sauce pan from the heat.

9.  Add all the Cheddar Cheese and 1/2 c of the Parmesan Cheese off heat and stir in well.  The Sauce will thicken.  Taste the Sauce and adjust for Salt and Pepper if needed.

10.  Layer your Casserole dish with the thin layers of Potatoes over lapping as you go.

11.  Layer the Cheese Sauce between layers of sliced Potatoes ending with a layer of Cheese Sauce on top.

12.  Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 c of Parmesan Cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and place the dish on a cookie sheet to make transfer easier and safer to and from the oven.  Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hr 45 minutes covered.  Remove the foil and continue baking for 15 minutes more so the top will begin to brown.  Keep your casserole in the middle of the oven and turn your broiler on HIGH and broil the top until it is bubbling and well browned in spots for the best flavor.  Watch it close because the broiler can quickly cause it to burn.  It may take 5 minutes or so to broil the top well.  Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 15 minutes so the Sauce sets and you don't burn your tongue!  It's very hot right from the oven.

COPYRIGHT (c) 2011

BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS

Braising is one of those words that scares home cooks away from many recipes.  You probably have braised a hundred times and did not even know you were braising.  Think Beef Stew or Chili.  Yes, you were braising.  Braising is simply using a dry cooking method followed by a moist cooking method, usually high heat searing of Meat or Veg then adding a liquid and cooking at a long low heat in the oven or covered on the stove top.  This is rustic French bistro style cooking.  Braised Beef Short Ribs are a hearty and very satisfying cold weather dish that takes little skill to achieve an amazingly tender and flavorful dinner.  Serve the Braised Short Ribs over fluffy Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes or Polenta and with a rustic Bread to sop up the incredible rich Sauce.   The next day the flavors are even more intense and delicious when everyone is fighting over the leftovers because you were Cooking The Amazing.




Here is the recipe.

4  Strips of Bacon

3 T  Olive Oil

5 lbs.  Beef Short Ribs (bone in)

1 t  Sea Salt, fine grain

1 t  Fresh Ground Pepper
3 T  Olive Oil

1 lb  White Button Mushrooms, sliced

2  Medium Yellow Onions, diced
1  Medium Carrot, diced
4  Large Cloves of Garlic, minced

2 c  Cabernet Sauvignon Wine

2 c  Beef Stock

3 T  Tomato Paste

3 T  Beef Base

1 T  Dried Thyme or 6 fresh Sprigs

2 Bay leaves

1 t  Sea Salt, fine grain

1 t  Fresh Ground Black Pepper

(Serves 4)

1.  Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.  Place a large heavy bottomed pot on the stove top (like a Le Creuset pot).


2.  Over medium heat cook 4 strips of Bacon in the large heavy bottomed pot until crisp.  Remove from the heat and allow to drain on paper towels.  Later you will crumble the Bacon into the finished Sauce.  Reserve the Bacon Fat in the pot.

3.  Dry off any moisture on your Beef Short Ribs using paper towel.  The meat will brown better and caramelize instead of steam if it is dry.  This browning will produce a lot of flavor in the finished dish.

4.  Cut the Short Ribs into 3-4 inch sections.  Trim some of the excess outer fat, leaving some for flavor.  Season the Short Ribs with Sea Salt and Black Pepper.

5.  Over medium high add 3 T of Olive Oil to the Bacon Fat and brown all sides of the Short Ribs until they get a good dark brown sear.  Give the Short Ribs room between each other so they do not steam and brown properly.  You will have to do this in 2 to 3 batches to brown all the Short Ribs well.   You will not be cooking through all the way, just browning at this stage.  The Short Ribs will be raw in the middle.

Place the first batch after browning in a bowl to catch any drippings.

6.  After all the Short Ribs are browned well, remove them from the pot and set aside in the large bowl to collect any drippings as they sit.  Next remove the used Bacon Fat and Olive Oil from the pot leaving any of the cooked on bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.  Reduce the heat to medium and add 3 T of fresh Olive Oil and saute the sliced Mushrooms until browned and crisp. 7-10 minutes.

7.  Then over medium heat add the diced Onions and Carrot and saute until soft, 5-7 minutes.  Add the minced Garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

8.  Deglaze the pot by adding 2 cups of Cabernet Sauvignon.  As soon as you add the Wine increase the heat to high and stir rapidly, scraping the bottom of the pot releasing the cooked on brown bits stuck to the bottom.  Bring to the boil then add 2 cups of Beef Stock and the Tomato Paste, Beef Base, Thyme, Bay Leaves, Sea Salt and Black Pepper.  Allow to boil, stirring continuously for 3 minutes.

9.  Add the Beef Short Ribs and any juices that collected in the bowl to the boiling pot.  Put them in snugly against each other and boil for 2 minutes with lid off.  The liquid should cover all the Ribs by about an inch or so.  If a little bit of the Ribs are exposed do not worry, all will be fine. (See picture below.) If there is not enough liquid add more Beef Stock to cover and bring to the boil.  Before you place it in the oven, taste the liquid.  If it is dull or under seasoned add more Salt and Pepper as needed.  Do not over Salt.  This tasting part is most important.  You want to have a well seasoned cooking liquid in the beginning to end up with well seasoned Braised Short Ribs on your plate.
Then place the lid on the pot and place in the center of the oven and cook for 3 hours at 300 degrees undisturbed.  Don't peek and release the moist heat that will make these Short Ribs fall of the bone.

10.  After 3 hours remove from the oven and take off the lid.  Prepare for a steam facial!  Remove the Cooked Beef Short Ribs to a large bowl.  Be gentle, it will be falling off the bone.  Allow the Sauce to sit for 3 minutes so the fat rises to the top.  Skim off the fat using a large spoon and discard it.  Remove as much as you can.  Remove the Bay Leaves and stems from the Thyme if you used fresh Thyme.

11.  Remember, the pot is HOT, it just came from the oven!!!  Use pot holders and place the pot of defatted Sauce over medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and reduce by a third.  This will concentrate the Sauce into a rich incredible Sauce. Taste the Sauce and add Sea Salt and or Black Pepper is needed at this point.  Crumble the Bacon and add to the Sauce stirring in well.

12.  Add the Beef Short Ribs back to the pot of reduced Sauce and remove from the heat.  Coat the Short Ribs in the Sauce well.  Serve Immediately over Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes or Polenta. 

 

COPYRIGHT (c) 2010

ROAST TURKEY CASSEROLE

ROAST  TURKEY  CASSEROLE

It's the day after Thanksgiving or that big Christmas dinner and you have a lot of Roast Turkey left over that is just too good to put between two pieces of White Bread and eat as a Sandwich.  You can preserve that succulent Roast Turkey experience by combining sauteed Vegetables and a simple White Sauce with Parmesan Cheese to make an amazing Casserole.  You may have extra Vegetables that you did not use and Bread that is begging to be put to good use.  This recipe will recycle them all into a delicious creamy Casserole.  Thanksgiving may be over but when you are Cooking The Amazing you'll be thankful for leftovers.





Here is the recipe.




3 c  Cooked Egg Noodles
3 c  Cooked Roast Turkey, 1 inch cubed
6 T  Butter
1 T  Olive Oil
1 c  White Mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 c  Yellow Onion, medium diced
1 1/2 c  Celery, sliced thin
3/4 c  Carrots, medium diced
2  Cloves of Garlic, finely minced
1 t   Sea Salt, fine grain
1 t  Black Ground Pepper
1 t  Dried Thyme
1 t  Poultry Seasoning
1 t  Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 c  All Purpose Flour
4 c  Whole Milk
1 T  Chicken Base
1 1/2 c  Parmesan Cheese, shredded
2 c  Sour Dough Bread, 1 inch cubed
1/2 c  Grated Parmesan Cheese




1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place a large Dutch oven or deep casserole on a large cookie sheet for easy transfer to and from the oven. 

2.  Cook large sized Egg Noodles until just soft and drain well and reserve 3 cups.  Place the cooked Egg Noodles in the bottom of the Dutch oven.

3.  Pull large chunks of cooked Roast Turkey, both white and dark Meat from the bird and dice into large 1 inch pieces.  Place the diced Turkey in the baking dish with the Egg Noodles.

3.  In a large pan over medium heat saute the sliced Mushrooms in 6T Butter and 1 T Olive Oil until browned and crispy on edges.  This takes about about 8 minutes.  Remove the Mushrooms from the pan and add them to the baking dish with the other cooked ingredients.

4.  In the same pan over medium heat saute the Onions, Celery and Carrots, adding more Olive Oil if needed to the pan, until the Onions are cooked and the Carrots and Celery are soft.  Then add the minced Garlic and saute 1 minute.

5.  Add the Sea Salt, Black pepper, Thyme, Poultry Seasoning and Old Bay and stir in the sauteed vegetables well.  Then add the 1/4 c of AP Flour and mix in well.  The Pan will look dry, the Vegetables will look cakey and the bottom of the pan will get a dry coating.  Cook the Flour, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

5.  Add the Milk and 1 T of Chicken Base (see note) and turn up the heat to medium high stirring constantly and bring to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes continuing to stir rapidly and being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan well.  The sauce will thicken quickly.

 6.  After 2 minutes of boiling remove from the heat and add the 1 1/2 c shredded Parmesan Cheese.  Stir in well allowing to melt.

 7.  Taste for seasoning now.  Add more Salt or Pepper as needed and stir in well.  Add this sauce to the baking dish and fold gently into the other cooked ingredients until well combined.  Then top with 2 c Sour Dough Bread cubes (or Italian or French style Bread) then sprinkle 1/2 c of grated Parmesan Cheese over top and bake for 45 mins at 350 degrees in center of your oven uncovered.

8.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes once cooked before serving so the sauce can come together and it cools down.  It is like lava when just out of the oven.

TIP:  Chicken Base is a concentrated Chicken Stock used in restaurants to boost flavor of food.  It is used similarly to how you would use a Bouillon cube but is made from Meat and is natural.  I use Organic Better Than Bouillon brand.  Find it at the market near the Bouillon Cubes. 

COPYRIGHT (c) 2010