Home made Lasagna

[Old Ironmaker]

I went back 6 pages and can't find the Cooking Thread. I must have missed it, I can't find the milk in the fridge either. I haven't made the real deal stuff like Mom nd my Zia used to make so I decided Saturday since I was given a small tub of home made Ricotta a friends Mom made the week before she passed away last week. God bless her soul. Making home made cheese at 89.  So I hit Fortino's and buy the fixins' on the way home. 1 pound of ground veal, 1 pound of lean ground beef, 1 pound of ground pork. About 10 balls of imported Buffalo Mozzarella and more good quality Ricotta. And a package of fresh made Lasagna sheets, yes cheated as Mom rolled our her own dough. I had some home made sauce in the freezer. I did not make the hundreds of hand made mini meatballs, no patience and I can't stand that long. Maybe not 100's but it feels like it. I still will make them for soup, people here and in the US call it Wedding Soup. So I just browned the meat up with garlic in the pan with a splash of Red Vino then added the sauce. When the pan was full of meat I figured that was plenty, and I bought too much meat of course. The left over meat is going to be a great Bolognese sauce tomorrow I tell ya'. My wife asked if I was catering an Italian Wedding. Pretty simple. I found the largest Pyrex we have, 4" deep by 12" X 18". Layer of pasta then Succo and meat, Ricotta and Mozzarella, a sprinkle of Parmassiano Reggiano , layer of pasta, repeat. On the top of the last layer all Mozzarella. Cooked at 350 for 20 minutes then finished it under the Salamander until the top was nice and golden. Chopped fresh basil when done on top. The hardest part is letting the thing set for 20 minutes before cutting it. I want to eat it now. We had it for supper, then I had a piece at 9PM, had a piece for lunch today and was looking at it at 4PM. There is enough left for 4 more adults, more really. The boys want me to bring the left overs to the shop tomorrow for lunch. No such thing as left over Lasagna. A quick estimate $80.00. No wonder I don't make it much. Of course my Mom's and Aunts was much better. I bet there was at least 12 or more layers of pasta, 5" high. More like something called Timpani. No Mozzarella and all hand made mini meatballs. I used to help make the meatballs when I was old enough to reach the table in a chair. And I just remembered I forgot the chopped parsley. I asked Mom today how it was in the budget back then. Everything was homemade, all the cheese, the pasta, tomatoes canned in late summer, the meat came from the farmer to the house, the family would split on the whole beefs, maybe 4 pigs every fall,  the veal in summer and the lambs they butchered in spring. Even the basil and garlic was from the garden. They didn't go to Fortinos every week shopping, only milk. Bread was from the guy that delivered it. No wonder I am more than a foot taller than my parents. We ate and ate like Kings.

Forgot the Ricotta is mixed with egg, Parm cheese, salt and pepper and chopped parsley that I forgot so added a touch of oregano and dried basil. Easy on any dried oregano, much stronger than fresh. One of the only herbs that is stronger dried.

The boys are going to eat well tomorrow if there is any left.

 

Edited March 13, 2018 by Old Ironmaker

[bigugli]

Eo non capite.  Ti non facce  pasta fresca per lasagna??    That was always the fun part at my ex's family.  

Edited March 13, 2018 by bigugli

[ketchenany]

Yup that's what he said!

 

WE have so many shops in Woody that make FRESH egg pasta it's not worth the time. Ten sheets cut into 3 feeds 10= and some leftover.

 

 

[dave524]

I make a lasagna with thin lengthwise strips of zucchini instead of noodles, cut on a mandolin, actually was pretty good for those watching their carbs.  .. yeah,  I know OI sacreligious 

[BillM]

I'm hungry now, thanks

[AKRISONER]

we need some pics!

[Old Ironmaker]

5 hours ago, AKRISONER said:

we need some pics!

Before or after eaten?

If a tree falls in the forest in 2018 and there is no one there with a phone to make a HD video and posted it online did it?

Edited March 13, 2018 by Old Ironmaker

[manitoubass2]

Sounds great!

 

I still make homemade lasagna just not often, maybe 2-3 times per year. It's alot of work.

If I was around, I would done the meatballs. My wife always asks how I make them so perfect everytime. Still don't have an answer for her other than nature and or alot of practice.

Dave, I've done lasagna like that. Obviously it's not traditional but as it's own meal, is one people outta try! It's very good!

[bigugli]

I love making a scratch lasagna dinner once a year for an extended family meal. If I'm putting in that much effort it might as well be for a larger audience. The meat mix is never the same as sometimes there is  venison or moose or bear in the mix.  And there are never any leftovers.

[dave524]

31 minutes ago, manitoubass2 said:

 

Dave, I've done lasagna like that. Obviously it's not traditional but as it's own meal, is one people outta try! It's very good!

We tried zoodles, zucchini done on one of those spiralizers instead of pasta spaghetti, not a fan,  too watery, but spaghetti squash is another story, that stuff is great, either as spaghetti or a baked casserole with pasta sauce and several shredded cheeses mixed in, like a ziti.

[Old Ironmaker]

13 hours ago, bigugli said:

Eo non capite.  Ti non facce  pasta fresca per lasagna??    That was always the fun part at my ex's family.  

Pretty good for a Fin. I'm no better just ask Albert.

[Old Ironmaker]

12 hours ago, dave524 said:

I make a lasagna with thin lengthwise strips of zucchini instead of noodles, cut on a mandolin, actually was pretty good for those watching their carbs.  .. yeah,  I know OI sacreligious 

If you use Melanzani (Eggplant) using the same ingredients more or less, sort of, you just made Eggplant Parmesan. In any one town there is a different recipe for lasagne in every household. Heck even in the same home Mama makes it different than Nona and she makes it different than her grand daughter, hold on Bubba Boy, or Grand Son.  My aunt from northern Italy didn't have any ricotta or tomato in hers all ground veal and cheese béchamel sauce, ask me if that's any good. Of course the right way is Nona's. Remember that Ikea commercial where Nona tastes the succo and yells "tutti fuori!!!", everyone out!!!

Ketchinany please correct our spelling if you can decipher it.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Old Ironmaker

[limeyangler]

12 hours ago, dave524 said:

I make a lasagna with thin lengthwise strips of zucchini instead of noodles, cut on a mandolin, actually was pretty good for those watching their carbs.  .. yeah,  I know OI sacreligious 

 

 

 

I'm also watching my carbs.

 

[bigugli]

2 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

Pretty good for a Fin. I'm no better just ask Albert.

I had to learn to speak Italian. Reading and writing was not a requirement. The paese lifestyle is what I remember best. The families worked together, shared, and were only too happy to teach a mange cake like me.

Edited March 14, 2018 by bigugli

[Old Ironmaker]

Yea then when the Gen Xers come along tradition wanes is my experience Bruce. No central home to meet every Sunday once Mom and Dad went to the retirement residence. Too bad. My cousins in the US can't pick out Italy on a map I bet. My 87 yr old Mom is the only of her siblings that can read, write and speak Italian fluently and both my grand parents were born in Italy. She learned when she moved to Hamilton after she married Dad. No Italian was spoken at her home other than Nani and Nono with each other. They were American and they were to speak American. Too bad. Same thing with us, we spoke 100% English at home, no Italian. I learned what little I know by watching the God Father and listening when I was a kid. I speak Steel Plant Italian. 1/2 English, 1/2 Croatian, 1/2 Italian, 1/2 Sicilian. You know a Sicilian or Calabrese can't carry on a conversation with a Friulano.

Limey, you are one funny Brit. Not something you see every day around these parts anyway. I've met many that their humour was so dry I would laugh an hour latter. Like your pic. Looks like a guy looking at stills.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Old Ironmaker

[limeyangler]

3 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

Yea then when the Gen Xers come along tradition wanes is my experience Bruce. No central home to meet every Sunday once Mom and Dad went to the retirement residence. Too bad. My cousins in the US can't pick out Italy on a map I bet. My 87 yr old Mom is the only of her siblings that can read, write and speak Italian fluently and both my grand parents were born in Italy. She learned when she moved to Hamilton after she married Dad. No Italian was spoken at her home other than Nani and Nono with each other. They were American and they were to speak American. Too bad. Same thing with us, we spoke 100% English at home, no Italian. I learned what little I know by watching the God Father and listening when I was a kid. I speak Steel Plant Italian. 1/2 English, 1/2 Croatian, 1/2 Italian, 1/2 Sicilian. You know a Sicilian or Calabrese can't carry on a conversation with a Friulano.

Limey, you are one funny Brit. Not something you see every day around these parts anyway. I've met many that their humour was so dry I would laugh an hour latter. Like your pic. Looks like a guy looking at stills.

I think Canadians have a great sense of humour, very akin to the English, they get irony, sarcasm and weirdness....lol..

I could speak Italian when I was 4 years old, I lived up in the Alps north west of Turin for a couple years and went to school there, like you though I no longer speakadalingo.

I used to work in an Italian run restaurant 100 years ago, they made a salmon and spinach ricotta lasagne, was just thinking the other day of trying the same thing with our local fish. My job for the first year there was almost exclusively making the fresh egg pasta, mixing the semolina and durum wheat flour, cracking about 2 billion eggs, heating the brass attachments for the different types of pasta that fit into the pasta machine, man was that stuff good fresh to of the machine, just a bit of butter salt and pepper.

[Old Ironmaker]

Believe it or not Limey I have never made homemade pasta. My parents machine from the 60's in mint condition is upstairs gathering dust. My pal in Hamilton who is an Irishman born and bred and I were supposed to make some yesterday. He had to do something called work. I'm no longer familiar with that term. How many eggs per cups of flour,?Semolina of course that I know. I picked up some from the farm down the road Monday. Do you add salt, how long do you let it set in plastic wrap? Mom doesn't remember and I have read online more than a few ways. I trust you guys not irecipes.com.

M2B2, I usually make mini meatballs, especially for Wedding Soup because I don't need 2.5 lbs of them but mine always get bigger as I make them. How's that pin of yours?

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Edited March 14, 2018 by Old Ironmaker

[Old Ironmaker]

14 hours ago, dave524 said:

We tried zoodles, zucchini done on one of those spiralizers instead of pasta spaghetti, not a fan,  too watery, but spaghetti squash is another story, that stuff is great, either as spaghetti or a baked casserole with pasta sauce and several shredded cheeses mixed in, like a ziti.

Zoodles, well you learn something new every day, we all hope to anyway. Pasta is Pasta, something that looks like it, isn't. I have never in my 63 years that I have been eating food have I had spaghetti squash. I hear it's good though.

[manitoubass2]

Dave, try spaghetti squash(done up like spaghetti noodles) with just olive olive oil, salt pepper and some parma.

Sooo good!

[Old Ironmaker]

Rick, add anchovy, toasted garlic sliced paper thin and red chile flakes and you have Spaghetti alia et oilio, (garlic and oil.)

[ketchenany]

14 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

If you use Melanzani (Eggplant) using the same ingredients more or less, sort of, you just made Eggplant Parmesan. In any one town there is a different recipe for lasagne in every household. Heck even in the same home Mama makes it different than Nona and she makes it different than her grand daughter, hold on Bubba Boy, or Grand Son.  My aunt from northern Italy didn't have any ricotta or tomato in hers all ground veal and cheese béchamel sauce, ask me if that's any good. Of course the right way is Nona's. Remember that Ikea commercial where Nona tastes the succo and yells "tutti fuori!!!", everyone out!!!

Ketchinany please correct our spelling if you can decipher it.

Lasagana is spelled wrong Mama and Nona is spelled wrong . . .

 

That lady in the commercial is scary, I ran into her at the supermarket in Woody! 

 

 

 

[misfish]

Im still looking for the cans of BRAVO, that was to make the come back.