my first lasagna!

last night we prepared our first lasagna. this plan has been running around for quite some time and it was only last night that we had it made. preparation looks complex but when we did our first lasagna, it was a cinch! just prepare the 2 sauces, boil the pasta, arrange, bake and you're done!

my first lasagna

Lasagna

Boil lasagna according to package instructions. do not over cook. may be removed from the boiling water even a little under-done. pasta dish would still continue to cook later when you put bake the dish into the oven. take good care of the lasagna when boiling. do not stir too much. add generous amounts of water to prevent them from sticking. after draining, sprinkle some olive oil to preserve it from sticking with the other lasagna.


sauce 1: white veggie sauce

1/4 cup butter
olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 medium onion
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups cream
1/2 cup full cream milk
1 cup chopped spinach

melt butter in a heavy sauce pan. add generous amounts of olive oil.
saute garlic till light brown. add the onions. saute till limp.
slowly add the 4 tablespoons of flour while constantly stirring. this will prevent lumps from forming. continuously stir for 5 minutes to let the flour cook through. this prevents the sauce from having a floury taste and texture.
flour mixture will thicken. add some of 1/4 cup of cream if the mixture is too thick when mixing.

add the cream and full cream milk. simmer for 5 minutes mixing it frequently to prevent from sticking and forming lumps. add the chopped spinach. add salt and pepper to taste. simmer for 3 more minutes. Consistency should be a bit thick for it to hold its shape when set on the lasagna. set aside.


sauce 2:red meat sauce

1/2 kilo minced pork
2 tablespoons olive oil
chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper

6 slivers of bacon
2 tablespoon garlic
1 medium onion
olive oil
4 cups tomato sauce
1 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup ready made catsup
chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper

prepare the pork. trim, clean and mince the pork. marinate with salt and pepper, chopped basil and coat it with olive oil. set aside.

on a heavy sauce pan, put the bacon on the hot pan without oil. fry the bacon till crisp. remove from pan. reserve the oil for sauteing later. chop the bacon to bite size pieces.

using the oil from the bacon, add garlic and chopped onion. add some olive oil. saute. add the marinated minced pork. pan fry for about 5 minutes in high heat or when the pork changed its color.

add all the tomato paste and tomato sauce. add the catsup. add the chopped basil. simmer. add little water if consistency is too thick. add salt and pepper. simmer till the pork is tender to the bite. Consistency should be a bit thick for it to hold its shape when set on the lasagna.


Preparation:

in an oven proof square pan, put some olive oil at the bottom to line the pan. add 1 layer of lasagna in an over-lapping manner forming a flat flooring of pasta.

Add the red sauce on top enough to cover the lasagna. about 1/2 in. thick. sprinkle some grated cheese.

add another layer of lasagna.

add now the white sauce enough to cover the lasagna. about 1/2 in. thick.

add another layer of lasagna.

usual lasagna has 3 layers of lasagna. finish the pan with sauce on top and generously sprinkle cheese with it.

pop it into an oven to brown the cheese on top. we did it on our microwave and grill oven and it went out fine.

Another tricky part here is how can you lift a perfect lasagna from the deep dish pan! we just used two flat ladles. 1 is used for scooping out the lasagna and the other is for holding form it its place.

This is a very rich delicacy. Eat generously and enjoy!