Lauren's Lasagna

When I make lasagna it is usually pretty simple. You need the following ingredients:;

no boil lasagna noodles  (i use barilla)
red sauce (i usually use bertolli 4 cheese: 2 bottles typically)
parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese (3-4 cups? totally depends on your taste)
sausage (i use a package of johnsonville mild or sweet basil)
sometimes I add frozen (drained) spinach to the sausage and cook it together
white sauce (see this post for my white sauce recipe: http://dinnergroupohio.blogspot.com/2011/11/pasta-al-forno.html) you can double this recipe if you like a really creamy lasagna

You can layer these ingredients however you want to. I usually do something like this:

thin layer of red sauce
layer of noodles: 4-6 noodles (depending on size of pan)
1/3 of sausage mixture
1/3 of red sauce
1/3 of white sauce
layer of noodles
1/3 of sausage mixture
1 cup of mox. cheese approx.
1/3 of red sauce
1/3 of white sauce
layer of noodles
1/3 of sausage mixture
1/3 of red sauce
1/3 of white sauce
layer of noodles
thin layer of red sauce (hopefully you have a little left)
1 cup of mozarella cheese approx.
parmesan cheese.

But just follow the directions on the back of the lasagna box if you need to. It is really hard to mess this part up.
Bake according to box instructions.

Potluck Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Italian stewed tomatoes, cut up
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
• 1-1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 6 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley and garlic; remove from the heat.
• In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish, layer with three noodles, half of the cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and half of the meat sauce. Repeat layers.
• Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Or, cover and bake 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 25-30 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160°. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
• To use frozen lasagna: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bake as directed. Yield: 12-15 servings.
• Note- I like my lasagna to have more noodles, so I added a few extra.

Amanda

The Italian American Civic Club Sandwich

This is a sandwich from DiPasquale's in Baltimore.  Not much of a recipe, but here's what's in it.:

Bread
Pesto Mayonnaise (about 80% pesto)
Pancetta
Turkey
Tomatoes
Arugula

Minestrone

Ingredients
2 slices pancetta or bacon
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 cup peeled and sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
28 oz. canned whole tomatoes
1 1/2 cups peeled diced potatoes
8 cups water or broth
1 bunch swiss chard
38 oz. canned cannellini beans
1 zucchini sliced and quartered
3/4 cup ditalini pasta
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tbsp. olive oil


Instructions
In a soup pot, heat pancetta over medium heat. Once it is cooked, add 2 tbsp. olive oil, onions, salt and cook, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another minute. Crush the tomatoes and add with their liquid and water or broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery, bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes.  


Separate the stems and leaves of the swiss chard.  Chop the stems, similar to the celery, and cut the leaves into 1 inch wide strips.  Lay on top of the soup, cover with a lid, and reduce the heat to simmering.  Let it simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Add beans and zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes.  

15 minutes before you are ready to serve the soup, bring the soup to a rolling boil and add the pasta. 

While the pasta is cooking, combine the basil, grated cheese and oil in a small food processor or blender. Processes until you have a rough paste, adding a little more oil if necessary. Season to taste with salt and add to the soup just before serving.

Stuffed Shells

This is the recipe I use for my stuffed shells (link is here). The Essence is not needed (I've made it with and without and either way it is still good). When I made this I used a little less than 2 boxes of shells and I almost doubled the stuffing ingredients (more like x1.5). Luckily, you don't have to have exact proportions on anything and it still turns out good. This is an especially great meal if you need to bring dinner to someone. After you assemble the shells they can put in the freezer until you are ready to use them. Then just thaw, put the topping on and throw in the oven. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (18 to 20 shells)
• 2 cups finely chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 pound ground veal (I just used sausage)
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Basic Red Sauce, recipe follows ( I just used jar sauce)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pasta shells, and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally with a long-handled spoon to prevent the shells from sticking together. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain.

In a medium skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until very soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the ground veal and cook, stirring, until cooked and browned. Add the squeezed spinach and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Add the spinach mixture, the extra-virgin olive oil, Essence, remaining teaspoon of salt, the basil, oregano, and pepper, and stir to combine thoroughly. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the spinach-ricotta filling into each cooked pasta shell. Place the filled shells in the prepared dish.

Pour the Basic Red Sauce over the filled shells and top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Stromboli & Calzones

For the dough we use Alton Brown's pizza dough recipe, except that we don't split it like the instructions say.  It is best to prepare this a day ahead of time.

Italian Stromboli
5 oz. Genoa Salami
5 oz. Large Pepperoni
5 oz. Cappicola
5 oz. Ham
6 oz. Mozzarella Cheese

Veggie Stromboli
2 cups spinach
1 cup broccoli
6 oz. Crimini / Baby bella mushrooms
4 oz. roasted red peppers
4 oz. Sun dried tomatoes
6 oz. Mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 500°.

1. Make pizza dough and stretch into a rectangle.

2. Layer ingredients one at a time leaving some room around the edges.

3. Roll the dough and seal all the edges.  Cut slits into the top so it doesn't explode.

4. Bake for about 8 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.


Calzone

6 oz. Mozzarella cheese
6 oz. Ricotta cheese


1. Preheat oven to 500°.

1. Make pizza dough and stretch into a circle.

2. Place cheeses on one side of the dough leaving about an inch of dough around the edge.

3. Fold the dough in half and seal the edge.  Cut slits into the top so it doesn't explode.

4. Bake for about 8 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.


Sauce (called gravy in South Philly)
Olive Oil
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
2 cans stewed tomatoes
Fresh Basil- about 8 - 10 leaves
2 tsp. oregano
1 cup chicken stock
Salt
Pepper

1. Heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a stock pot over medium heat.

2. Sautee onion for about five minutes, then add crushed garlic cloves and sautee for another minute.

3. Add the tomatoes, chopped basil, oregano, and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 hours.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste.  To achieve your desired consistency use an immersion blender or food processor to puree some of the sauce.

Pasta al Forno

Pasta al Forno (I just winged this. Quantities listed should feed 8-12 adults at least)

Ingredients

-2 boxes rigatoni
-beschamel sauce (recipe below)
-2 jars red sauce (store bought)
-1 package sausage
- 2-4 cups of mozarella cheese
- parmesan to taste

Beschamel sauce: (I usually double this because I like a lot of white sauce but the quantities listed below will probably still give you enough if you want it less creamy)

-3 cups whole milk (I just use whatever milk I have...usually 1% or 2%)
-6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
-6 Tablespoons all purpose flour
sea salt

Directions:

Cook sausage. Cook pasta al dente (I usually cook 8-9 minutes). Prepare beschamel sauce. You will want to have about 10 minutes of uninterrupted time to make the beschamel sauce so it doesn't burn. When you're done, layer all the ingredients any way you want. I usually start off with some red sauce on the bottom and a layer of rigatoni. I usually don't put cheese on every layer but how you do it is up to you. Top it off with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan to taste. Cook at 350 for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. I usually cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes and then cook it 5 minutes without the foil.

Directions for beschamel sauce: In a sauce pan of medium heat, heat the milk until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, in a heavy, nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until a thick, smooth paste forms, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Slowly drizzle 1-2 Tablespoons of the hot milk into the flour paste while whisking constantly. The mixture will immediately become thick and lumpy. Continuing to whisk vigorously, add the milk about 2 tablespoons at a time. The Sauce will gradually become smooth. After adding about 1/2 cup of the milk, slowly add the remaining milk in a thin, steady stream while whisking constantly. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, return the pan to medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 1 minute. Makes about 2 cups.