Prepare The Perfect Italian Lasagna With These Tips

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Italian culinary culture abounds in recipes with inimitable taste, which have become extremely important in our modern preferences. Lasagna is one of the richest, liked and appetizing dishes, the first mention of which is with the word lasanum. This was the name of the dish in which the dish was originally prepared. It is believed that the recipe for lasagna dates back to the time of the ancient Romans, who modified it after it was appropriated by the Greeks. Other dissenting researchers claim that it originated in medieval England.

But the best lasagna it is not something that can be easily achieved. Even the most promising incredible result frozen semi-finished product can in no way come close to the authentic taste of home-cooked food. You will be really satisfied if you dedicate some of your time to shopping for the necessary products. Then the culinary challenge itself will not give you the opportunity to relax and dissuade yourself whether to make this Italian specialty. Be prepared to pile more unwashed dishes on the table than usual, but you can conveniently wash them while the lasagna is slowly baking in the oven.

Here are some simple tips for making lasagna that will fascinate you with its end result.

It is very important to know that additional ingredients are only acceptable if they can add more flavor. Mushrooms are a good example of this. Their dense and strong meat taste contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the tomatoes. Therefore, when they are dried, they are an even more profitable ingredient in the dish. To prepare them for cooking, you must first immerse them in cold water and leave for two hours. They are then filtered and the aromatic water is set aside and can be used to make, for example, mushroom sauce. You can also use dried shiitake mushroom. It goes perfectly with vegetables, which are also present in the lasagna stuffing.

Fresh herbs are another trick used to elevate the taste: basil, parsley or oregano, thyme and rosemary can work wonders if added fresh to the dish and are classic spices that go well with it. And what about eggs, cottage cheese, spinach? These ingredients sound good, especially if we are talking about a vegetarian filling, but it is better to leave them back in the refrigerator when cooking this dish. A vegetarian lasagna becomes a real masterpiece if we rely more on eggplants, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes and mushrooms again.

Another important rule is to always use high quality ingredients. Avoid pouring canned minced tomatoes directly into the pan, which have a fuzzy texture or a strangely dark color. Instead, you can put fresh tomatoes in the stuffing - soft to release more juice - or those from a jar made by you personally. It doesn't matter if you sealed them whole or cut them. It is enough to follow the rule that tomatoes are sweet and fragrant. If they are not as sweet in taste, you can dilute a little sugar in their own sauce and then add to the cooking stuffing.

In this line of thought comes the next culinary tip. Always put carrots! Its natural sweetness and plant aroma will combine perfectly with the other ingredients. Never use yellow cheese or cheese of dubious quality - soft, unripe or grated, as well as imitation products. Bet on a combination of cheeses. Most recipes call for the use of mozzarella in lasagna, but it contributes very little to the taste as it is a type of fresh cheese.

That is why experts advise to use a mixture of mozzarella with Gruyere or Conte. Classic cheeses for making lasagna are Parmesan and Cheddar. But if we have to land the recipe a bit, we can perfectly replace these cheeses with Bulgarian yellow cheese, Gouda or Edam. The cheese is sprinkled on top when the lasagna is finished. Another idea is to spread some thinly sliced gouda or melted toaster cheese between the layers on the already filled stuffing. However, do not overdo it! Cheese or yellow cheese should not dominate the lasagna.

Use a combination of different minced meat - beef and pork in a ratio of 5: 2. Beef will emphasize the dish and it will become a kind of strong taste, and pork will give depth and a nicer and greasy texture. Lasagna can be enriched with a little fried bacon to add to the filling. Another important thing! Minced meat loves onions, so do not spare it in this dish. It should also be finely chopped while frying during the preparation of the filling.

And now to a conflicting issue! Should lasagna skins be boiled in advance or lined up in the pan as soon as we open their packaging? The truth is that no matter how much you don't trust a person, the bark softens wonderfully and without being processed. However, it is necessary to follow two rules so that you do not have to boil them. First, there should be between the rows of crusts and stuffing enough lasagna sauce - Béchamel. It should be distributed at all ends of each layer.

Béchamel is one of the natural liquid-releasing components in the dish. It is good, while doing so, not to exclude one important ingredient for it - nutmeg. The second rule is to have the filling itself with a little sauce of its own - from the tomatoes and minced meat. Yes, when preparing the stuffing, it should not be uncooked and bland, but it should not be dry in any case! However, if you do not put Béchamel or you have decided to experiment, then it is better to immerse the crusts in boiling water with oil for about three minutes to prevent them from sticking in the pan. This will also remove excess starch from the crusts. Another tip that is not superfluous to mention: for best results, bake lasagna in a yen pan.

Vegetarian lasagna with eggplant and basil

Necessary products: 3 eggplants, 3 cloves garlic, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon ground red pepper, 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 800 g canned whole tomatoes, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 bunch fresh basil, 150 g cheddar cheese - grated, 2 handfuls of parmesan - also grated 6-8, lasagna crusts (should reach three rows)

Method of preparation: Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Cut the aubergines lengthwise into large slices and salt them. Put them in a colander for about 30 minutes to squeeze the bitter juice. Then wash and peel them. Cut the eggplant slices into cubes and fry them together with the garlic, thyme and hot red pepper for about 10 minutes. Pour the tomatoes, chopping them with a wooden spoon, in another pan along with the balsamic vinegar and basil leaves. Cook until the sauce thickens. Arrange on the bottom of the dish in which you will bake, lasagna peel, then put the eggplant and tomato sauce. Sprinkle cheddar on each row and Parmesan on top. Finally, add a little fresh basil and pour a little olive oil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the dish is golden.

Lasagna with minced meat, bacon and Bechamel sauce

Photo: Mina Dimitrova

Necessary products: 3 large onions - finely chopped, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon oregano, 300 grams of chopped smoked bacon, 800 g canned tomatoes in a rich sauce, 20 basil leaves and extra for decoration, 250 g minced meat, 6-8 peels for lasagna

For the Béchamel sauce: 600 ml milk, 50 g butter and the same amount of flour, freshly grated nutmeg, 50 g grated Parmesan

Method of preparation: Fry onions in olive oil until golden. Add the oregano, bacon and minced meat and fry until cooked, stirring often. Add the sliced tomatoes with their sauce to another pan and leave them on the stove until the liquid evaporates. Remove from the heat and add the fresh basil.

Make Béchamel at the same time. Pour the milk into a saucepan, and when it warms up, add the butter and then the flour. Mix the ingredients well with a whisk. The hob must be at a medium temperature. The sauce should simmer and thicken well. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. In a yen pan at the bottom, first arrange the lasagna crusts, then put the tomato sauce, bechamel and the stuffing with bacon and minced meat. Top with Béchamel and spread the grated Parmesan in the sauce. Make the Béchamel sauce last so that it is warm and does not get crusty when spread with the filling. Bake at 190 degrees until lasagna acquire a golden crust.

If you want to freeze the lasagna, you have to wait for it to cool completely, wrap it in foil for fresh storage and then in aluminum. Thus, it can be maintained for three months. To thaw, you need to remove the lasagna 6 hours before cooking in a cool place. Unpack it from the foil and bake at 190 degrees until done or heat in the microwave.