Can't wait for dinner tonight

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silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Originally posted by: torpid
I made lasgana last weekend from scratch. The noodles were not made by us but they were fresh noodles from the market. Soft and everything. Took about 2 hours. I find it questionable that the overnight slow cooking adds enough to the lasagna to make it worthwhile.

Yeah... I'd never made a sauce in the slow cooker though and wanted to try it out. It's not any harder to do, it just lets you split up the work into two seperate days. And you get the huge benefit of the entire house smelling wonderfully delicious for 24 hours. :)
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Originally posted by: tw1164
Why didn't you take the 30mins (assuming you have a pasta machine :) ) and make your own noddles?

No pasta maker.

My next project is to make my own noodles, so I'm sure the next lasagna will include them. Besides, I have some boxed stuff already that I thought I'd use up.
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,811
126
Originally posted by: K1052
Originally posted by: Naustica
30 hours for a lasagna? :shocked:

I'm too lazy to make even 45 minute lasagna so I buy frozen Kirkland at Costco. Ingredients alone will cost me about the same if I made my own.

Homemade lasagna pwns store bought frozen any day of the week. Plus if you double the recipe you can cut up the extra and freeze it.

Not really. I've eaten lot of homemade lasagna and ones at the restaurants. Heck I made lasagna by large party treys all the time at my restaurant and sold tons of lasagna dish. Granted homemade is little better because you can add things you like and the ingredients are fresh but difference isn't great as homemade crowd like to pretend it is. Factor in time and cost, Kirkland lasagna wins.
 

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
25,913
4,504
126
Originally posted by: silverpig
No pasta maker.

My next project is to make my own noodles, so I'm sure the next lasagna will include them. Besides, I have some boxed stuff already that I thought I'd use up.
Do you have a bread machine? Home made noodles are quick and simple to make, unless you like really thin pasta (like angel hair).

Stick in the ingredients (luckilly, there are only a few), turn on the bread machine, wait 10 mintues, roll, then slice to whatever thickness you like your noodles. It is only difficult if you try to slice them really thin. I suggest you cover them liberally with flour as you cut them, to prevent sticking.

I do all that whenever I make pasta at home. It is well worth it. I've never made lasagna noodles, but I bet that is even easier with so few cuts.

 

MaxDepth

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2001
8,757
43
91
Good job! :thumbsup:

I've been experimenting with different ways of lasagna prep and I've come across a few things.

1) Instead of using a bechamel sauce, I used a bold Cabernet as the base for a wine sauce. It's like a gravy in consistency, using the fat drippings from browned meat, spices, pureed roasted tomatoes and red peppers, and a thickener. It takes a while to cook down and it goes from six cups down to one and a half.

2) Roasted garlic doesn't work well with a lasagna. I think having it diced and cooked in a sauce imparts more flavor than roasting, then adding to lasagna before the oven.



Tonight, I prep some pork loin with a rub consisting of fresh spices, garlic, etc. with some greens and Pluots rolled up inside. We'll see how it marinades for dinner tomorrow night.
 

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
51,947
44,811
136
Originally posted by: Naustica
Originally posted by: K1052
Originally posted by: Naustica
30 hours for a lasagna? :shocked:

I'm too lazy to make even 45 minute lasagna so I buy frozen Kirkland at Costco. Ingredients alone will cost me about the same if I made my own.

Homemade lasagna pwns store bought frozen any day of the week. Plus if you double the recipe you can cut up the extra and freeze it.

Not really. I've eaten lot of homemade lasagna and ones at the restaurants. Heck I made lasagna by large party treys all the time at my restaurant and sold tons of lasagna dish. Granted homemade is little better because you can add things you like and the ingredients are fresh but difference isn't great as homemade crowd like to pretend it is. Factor in time and cost, Kirkland lasagna wins.

Since pretty much all my lasagna eating consisted of various kinds of frozen until about two years ago I disagree. Being able to do more with the sauce makes a huge difference.

The most time consuming part is making the sauce. Once that is done the rest is easy and takes relatively little time.
 

torpid

Lifer
Sep 14, 2003
11,631
11
76
Originally posted by: silverpig
Originally posted by: torpid
I made lasgana last weekend from scratch. The noodles were not made by us but they were fresh noodles from the market. Soft and everything. Took about 2 hours. I find it questionable that the overnight slow cooking adds enough to the lasagna to make it worthwhile.

Yeah... I'd never made a sauce in the slow cooker though and wanted to try it out. It's not any harder to do, it just lets you split up the work into two seperate days. And you get the huge benefit of the entire house smelling wonderfully delicious for 24 hours. :)

Both good points, but I would feel too depressed due to the fact that I spent some time cooking and couldn't eat what I made that day. Although in my case, on saturday, I also made noodle salad so it could have worked out perfectly that day.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,550
940
126
I've made this a couple times and it is by far the best lasagna I've ever had. You have to make the sauce a day in advance so it takes some planning and preparation but it's totally worth it.


Emeril's Lasagna Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse
Show: Emeril Live
Episode: Lasagna

2 cups fresh ricotta
8 ounces grated Provolone
8 ounces grated Mozzarella
8 ounces grated Romano
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon chiffonade of fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe of Emeril's Meat Sauce, recipe follows
1/2 pound grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 package of dried lasagna noodles

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, Provolone, Mozzarella, Romano, egg, milk, basil and garlic. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. To assemble, spread 2 1/2 cups of the meat sauce on the bottom of a deep dish lasagna pan. Sprinkle 1/4 of the grated cheese over the sauce. Cover the cheese with 1/4 of the dried noodles. Spread a 1/4 of the cheese filling evenly over the noodles. Repeat the above process with the remaining ingredients, toping the lasagna with the remaining sauce. Place in the oven and bake until bubbly and golden, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Slice and serve.


Emeril's Meat Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 pound ground beef
1/3 pound ground veal
1/3 pound ground pork
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups finely chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 (28-ounce) can of peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
4 cups beef stock or water
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
Pinch of crushed red pepper
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano

In a large nonreactive saucepan, over medium heat, add the oil. In a mixing bowl, combine the meat. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. When the oil is hot, add the meat and brown for 4 to 6 minutes. Add the onions, celery, and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the tomato paste with the stock and add to the tomatoes. Add the thyme, bay leaves, oregano, basil and red pepper. Mix well. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally and add more liquid if needed. During the last 30 minutes or cooking, reseason with salt and pepper and stir in the cheese. Remove from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Yield: 1 1/2 to 2 quarts



 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Originally posted by: dullard
Originally posted by: silverpig
No pasta maker.

My next project is to make my own noodles, so I'm sure the next lasagna will include them. Besides, I have some boxed stuff already that I thought I'd use up.
Do you have a bread machine? Home made noodles are quick and simple to make, unless you like really thin pasta (like angel hair).

Stick in the ingredients (luckilly, there are only a few), turn on the bread machine, wait 10 mintues, roll, then slice to whatever thickness you like your noodles. It is only difficult if you try to slice them really thin. I suggest you cover them liberally with flour as you cut them, to prevent sticking.

I do all that whenever I make pasta at home. It is well worth it. I've never made lasagna noodles, but I bet that is even easier with so few cuts.

No bread machine either. And no big mixer. I'd have to do all the kneading by hand. :(
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Originally posted by: MaxDepth
Good job! :thumbsup:

I've been experimenting with different ways of lasagna prep and I've come across a few things.

1) Instead of using a bechamel sauce, I used a bold Cabernet as the base for a wine sauce. It's like a gravy in consistency, using the fat drippings from browned meat, spices, pureed roasted tomatoes and red peppers, and a thickener. It takes a while to cook down and it goes from six cups down to one and a half.

2) Roasted garlic doesn't work well with a lasagna. I think having it diced and cooked in a sauce imparts more flavor than roasting, then adding to lasagna before the oven.



Tonight, I prep some pork loin with a rub consisting of fresh spices, garlic, etc. with some greens and Pluots rolled up inside. We'll see how it marinades for dinner tomorrow night.

Mmm sounds good. I'll try roasting the tomatoes first next time.

Oh, I put in three roasted red peppers... forgot about that :)

And I sauteed the garlic with the mushrooms and onions. Roasted garlic is really good in potatoes though.
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Heh, it's funny, I've managed to make all you guys really hungry.

Now I know what it's like to be a hot chick :)
 

eits

Lifer
Jun 4, 2005
25,015
3
81
www.integratedssr.com
wtf?

you're a lifer and have been a member since mid 2001, yet you don't realize that whenever you're going to do something awesome, you are supposed to take and post pics?

shame...

i demand pics from hereon out (you pulling the food out, preparing the food, eating the food, sharing the food, etc.).
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Originally posted by: eits
wtf?

you're a lifer and have been a member since mid 2001, yet you don't realize that whenever you're going to do something awesome, you are supposed to take and post pics?

shame...

i demand pics from hereon out (you pulling the food out, preparing the food, eating the food, sharing the food, etc.).

Heh, I thought there'd be a pics request, and I also considered posting some.

I'll probably do it when I get home. It won't be for a few hours though :p