Monday, December 29, 2008

Katrina's Authentic Italian Lasagna


(Katrina is my best friend from Seattle. She learned to make this from a friend who served a mission in Italy. It's totally different from American-style lasagna, and it's also one of my very favorite dishes.)

sauce

Mince the following ingredients to a pulp: (I do it in my mini food processor)

1 onion
4-5 cloves garlic
3 carrots
3 stalks of celery

Cover the bottom of a large, heavy stockpot with good-quality olive oil. Add the minced vegetables and saute. Add:

1 c. white wine
1 t. oregano
1 t. basil
salt and white pepper to taste
1 lg. can crushed tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce

Simmer for a good long time. When sauce is finished, turn off the heat and add 1 jar of good-quality alfredo sauce (Classico is good). (By the way, I've tried making my own alfredo sauce for this recipe and you really can't tell the difference.)

spinach lasagna noodles

2 eggs
1 can or 1 pkg. frozen spinach, drained and sqeezed dry (juice reserved)
about 2 c. flour?

Mix eggs and spinach with enough flour to make a stiff dough. (Add a little of the spinach juice if it gets too stiff.) Knead well, until dough is nice and elastic. Make flat lasagna noodles with a pasta maker. (I suppose you could do this with a rolling pin, but I'm really not that committed.)

Layer sauce, noodles, and good shredded parmesan cheese in a 9" x 13" pan. Continue the layers until 1) you're out of pasta, or 2) your pan is full. End with sauce and another layer of cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Enjoy!

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