Neapolitan Lasagne Recipes

Steps:

• 1 Prepare the ragù. Remove the meat pieces, meatballs, and sausages from the sauce. Set aside the pork and veal for another meal. Cut the sausages into thin slices and set them aside with the meatballs for the lasagne. 2 Lay out some lint-free kitchen towels on a flat surface. Have ready a large bowl of cold water. 3 Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt. Add the lasagne a few pieces at a time. Cook the lasagne until tender but slightly underdone. Scoop the pasta out of the water. Place the cooked pasta in the cold water. When cool enough to handle, lay the pasta sheets out flat on the towels. The towels can be stacked one on top of the other. Continue cooking and cooling the remaining lasagne in the same way. 4 In a 13 × 9 × 2-inch pan, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Make a layer of pasta, overlapping the pieces slightly. Spread with 2 cups of the ricotta, then the tiny meatballs and sliced sausages, then the mozzarella. Spoon on about 1 cup more of the sauce and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the grated cheese. 5 Repeat the layers, ending with pasta, sauce, and grated cheese. (If you are making the lasagne ahead of time, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.) 6 Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the lasagne 45 minutes. If the lasagne is browning too much, cover it loosely with foil. Bake 15 minutes more or until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. 7 Remove the lasagne from the oven and let set 15 minutes. Cut the lasagne into squares and serve. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Steps:

• To assemble the lasagna:.
• Divide the pasta dough into 3 portions. Roll each one out through the thinnest setting on a pasta machine and lay the sheets on a lightly floured work surface to dry for 10 minutes. cut the pasta into 10" x 5" strips and cover with a damp kitchen towel.
• Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt. Set up an ice bath next to the stovetop, and add the oil. Cook the noodles, 6 to 7 at a time, in the boiling water until tender, about 1 minute. Transfer to the ice bath to cool, then lay out on clean kitchen towels to drain.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Assemble the lasagna in a 10" x 20" lasagna pan (or use two 9" x 12" pans): spread 1/2 cup ragu over the bottom of the dish, then top with a layer of pasta, a layer of ricotta, a layer of polpette and sausage, and a layer of Parmigiano and mozzarella.
• Continue until you have at least 3 layers, finishing with cheese.
• Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
• To make the pasta:.
• Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden board. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the eggs. Using a fork, beat the eggs together and then begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well.
• As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape (don't worry if it looks messy). When half of the flour is incorporated, the dough will begin to come together. Start kneading the dough, using primarily the palms of your hands.
• Once the dough is a cohesive mass, set the dough aside and scrape up and discard any dried bits of dough.
• Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 10 minutes, dusting the board with additional flour as necessary. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before using.
• To make the ragu:.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat until smoking. Season the veal and beef with salt and pepper to taste, and sear, in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, until dark golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the onion to the pot and sauté, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits, until golden brown and very soft, about 10 minutes. add the wine, browned meat chunks, tomatoes, sausages and red pepper flakes and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally and skimming off the fat as necessary, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Remove from the heat, remove the meat and sausages, and set aside. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
• To make the polpette (meatballs):.
• In a shallow bowl, soak the bread cubes in water to cover for 20 minutes. drain the bread cubes and squeeze out the excess moisture.
• In a large bowl, combine the bread, beef, eggs, garlic, pecorino, parsley, pine nuts, salt and pepper and mix with your hands just until blended. With wet hands, form the mixture into 12 to 15 large meatballs.
• In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Add the meatballs, working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan, and cook, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Remove from the heat.
• .

Steps:

• Prepare sauce by browning in saucepan onion, garlic and olive oil.
• Add tomatoes, parsley, basil leaves, salt and pepper to taste, and tomato paste.
• Simmer 15 minutes.
• Prepare meatballs by mixing thoroughly ground beef, bread crumbs, milk, beaten egg, grated parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
• Shape meatballs and brown in olive oil then add meatballs to sauce.
• Simmer 30 minutes.
• While sauce is simmering, boil 6 quarts of water.
• Add 2 tablespoons of salt.
• When boiling rapidly, slowly add lasagna and cook as directed.
• Drain well.
• Before arranging casserole, separate meatballs from sauce.
• Crush meatballs to allow for proper spreading between layers.
• Arrange casserole with several tablespoons of sauce on bottom, then a layer of lasagna and several slices of mozzerella cheese.
• Next add 4 to 5 tablespoons ricotta and sprinkle with grated cheese.
• Finally, spread 1/4 of the sauce and 1/4 of the crushed meatballs.
• Repeat, ending with a layer of lasagna, sauce and top with grated cheese.
• Bake 20 minutes in moderate oven at 350.