Meat Lasagna
I remember from the food seminar that I attended a couple of months back that real food writers do not need pictures to make their articles better. It should be enough to use the right words and sentences to make your readers feel as if they are seeing and tasting what you are writing about.
I will attempt this technique and hope that I can successfully entice my readers to enjoy food as much as I do without the help of pictures. But honestly, I just forgot to take pictures of the dish. (Hehe).
My dear hubby requested that I prepare dinner for his colleagues at the office on the last week of October. I was hesitant at first because I thought I would not have enough time to prepare and I did not want to embarrass my husband by creating something that is not well-prepared. However, I adore my hubby too much to disappoint him so I agreed.
He was the one who dictated what dish was going to be served for his staff and I was just there to obey his instructions. He said – Lasagna for 15 grown men… and some fried buffalo wings on the side.
Let us tackle the lasagna.
I think the key to any pasta dish is the quality of the noodle. So for lasagna, I would recommend you find the best brand of noodle in your local market. If you want to create it yourself, that would be better. I am no Molto Mario and therefore I went out to get my favorite brand of lasagna noodles. (Tip: Do not use the no cook ones as these are very thin and break easily. It also cooks faster and is more prone to overcooking.)
Other ingredients on my grocery list were – can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, ground pork, butter, milk, heavy cream, cheese, garlic, onion, and spices.
Many would opt to use ground beef but our family prefers otherwise and I have mastered my lasagna with the use of pork so I stayed with it.
The red sauce. Make sure that you have chopped up and minced one head of garlic and one big white onion. These onions have a milder flavor than the red (or purple) ones so it actually complements the taste of the sauce. The red ones tend to emit more of a bite but this is something you want to achieve with the other spices.
Saute the garlic and onion in some oil over medium heat. This way their juices are released yet they do not get burned. Nothing destroys a dish than burnt garlic (unless you are really aiming for that). When the onion becomes translucent and the garlic sticky, pour in the meat. Allow the meat to cook thoroughly. Since we are using pork, expect the amount of the oil to increase. Cook until the liquid in the pan has been reduced.
Pour in the diced tomatoes and let it simmer to allow the meat to absorb all the flavor. After a few minutes, temper the mixture with tomato paste or tomato sauce. I myself always use paste so that I can control the thickness and texture of the sauce, not to mention the taste. I have found that tomato sauce usually sold in the local market are often too sour and difficult to season to my liking.
Dump in your seasoning to the mix. Salt, pepper (lots of pepper is good), spices like rosemary or basil really brings out the molto in Mario.
The flattening sauce. I call this sauce flattening because it is the one that stops you from wearing out your taste buds when eating lasagna. Because the dish is so rich, most of the time you put down your fork after only 3 forkfuls.
Melt butter over medium heat. Lower heat and combine half and half. Bring to a boil.
The layers. Line your pan with the meat sauce enough to cover the whole area. Pour in some of the cream sauce over the meat. No need to mix. Cover with the noodles. Repeat. Halfway to the brim, cover with grated cheese. Layer again with the meat, cream and noodles. Cover the top with quickmelt cheese. Lots and lots and lots of cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in 350 degrees F temperature.
Once the cheese on top has melted and the edges start to brown, you will know that its ready. Ready to eat! Serve and enjoy.
And they did… enjoy, I mean for not a bit or morsel was left of the meal that we served at my hubby’s office. Sigh*
For me, the ultimate validation of my cooking skills are the empty serving dishes and horrific burping sounds that come one after another.
Ciao!
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