Just in case you didn't know, Garfield was born on June 19, 1978 in the kitchen of Mamma Leoni's Italian Restaurant. He loved lasagna the day he was born and since then it has been his favourite food. He is known for his laziness, sarcasm, weight and his passion for food and since I am also passionate about lasagna, I started doing a little research on the history of lasagna.
Lasagne is one of the oldest pasta shapes. As almost everyone knows, lasagna is a dish made with lasagne noodles which are interspersed with layers of other ingredients, often ricotta cheese, tomato sauce, meat, or spinach, spiced with garlic, onions, wine and oregano and then baked in the oven. Sounds so good, my mouth is already watering!
There are three theories about the origin of lasagna, one being from the Greek work "lasagne" which means a flat sheet of pasta dough cut into strips. Another theory is that the word lasagne comes from the Greek word "lasana" meaning "trivet" or "stand for a pot" or "chamber pot"...kinda yucky. The Romans borrowed the word "lasanum" meaning "cooking pot" and the Italians refer to the dish in which the lasagne is made. The food has taken the name of the serving dish. Phew! The last theory is that this dish is a development of the 14th century recipe "Loseyn" but although this dish is layered, it did not use tomatoes.
Although I am not Italian and many people would say that my lasagna is not as good as their "Nonna's", below is my tried and true lasagna recipe. I will stick by it forever. The secret is making your own sauce....and the secret to making your own sauce is canning your own tomatoes....which I do with my whole family. So now you know all the secrets and your lasagna will give any "Nonna's" a run for her money!
Lasagna:
1 1/2 - 2 liters tomato sauce (recipe below)
3/4 box of oven-ready lasagna noodles (I prefer the flat - not rippled - noodles)
475g container of ricotta cheese
1-1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese (shredded)
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 500F.
2. Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce over bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of noodles. Using a tablespoon, drop half of the ricotta evenly over the noodles. Do no spread. Spoon half of the sauce mixture over top. Sprinkle with a handful of mozzarella. Add another layer of noodles, ricotta, sauce and mozzarella.
3. Top with a layer of noodles and press gently into sauce. Evenly sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and sprinkle with Parmesan.
4. Seal tightly with foil and place in oven. Reduce heat to 400F and cook for 20 minutes.
5. Remove foil and bake until lasagna is hot in the centre, from 20 to 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Sauce:
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 liters canned tomato puree
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
tomato paste (to thicken if desired)
1. Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add green pepper and continue to sauté until onions are clear and peppers have softened. Add mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms have expelled their liquid. Add garlic and sauté for about 1-2 minutes.
2. Add tomato puree and all spices. Bring to boil then simmer partially covered for about 1 hour. If not thick enough, add 1-2 teaspoons of tomato paste and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Season to taste.
Note: You will likely have more sauce than is needed for the above lasagna recipe. It freezes well if don't use it all up!
Hope you enjoy the recipe and remember, you can always have a second (or third) helping of lasagna because according to Garfield, "Diet is 'die' without the 't'".
Buon appetito!
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