L'ultimo Lasagna

Some recipes you treasure. Hidden away from prying eyes, these recipes aren't in the roll a dex. Whether it be handed down through the family or one which you have carefully cultivated over years and years of attempts, these recipes are always a bit closer to your heart.

This is one of those recipes for me. When my Mum first got me into cooking it was a Lasanga that she showed me how to make.  Ask a person to name 3 Italian dishes and no doubt Lasagna would be one of them.  Along with Spaghetti Bolognese and Pizza these three dishes have spread the world over and become synonymous with Italian Cuisine.  From the student who every other night calls dinner some canned good upon toast to the 30-something foodie who owns 17 types of Oil, every palette can recognize the taste and every cook will have tried to replicate their own version.

Commonly thought of as the bolognese it is the rich tomato and meat stew actually know as a ragu which forms the base of two of these champions of Italian cuisine.  The sauce gets it's western name from the region of Italy of which it is a specialty, Bologna.

Like an Italian woman a good Ragu gets better with age.  Slow cooking the sauce allows the rich aspects of the dish to come together and will result in a deep flavor that will leave a lovely linger on your tatstebuds and have you crying out for crusty garlic bread and a good chianti

The recipe below has reached it's crescendo.  Altered throughout the years with the addition of this and the subtraction of that it is now at that point where I am happy to pass this down to the next generation as Ant's famous Lasagna.  Should 2012 come true this will be the last supper.

So here it is.  In all it's glory.  L'ultimo Lasagna P.S.  It's a long ingredient list but you'll find you probably have most of the ingredients in the pantry.  It's time consuming.  But it's worth it.

L'Ultimo Lasagna

One BIG pot of slow cooked Ragu.

Serves 6
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cooking time 2.5-4.5 hours

Ingredients

1 250g ball Mozarella sliced as thin as you can or replace with grated mozarella for a cheaper option

12 dried Lasange sheets.

1/2 Onion, skin removed.
1 Bay leaf
1 Sprig Rosemary
6 Peppercorns, lightly crushed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
750ml Milk
50g Butter
3 Tbsp Flour
100g Parmesan Cheese, grated

500g Beef Mince
250g Pork Mince
150g Streaky Bacon, chopped.
2 x 400g cans Chopped Tomatoes (the more Italian the better)
1 tube Tomato Paste (the more Italian the better)
400ml Beef Stock
750ml wine (minus chef's quota)
1 Carrot, Finely Chopped
1 1/2 Onions, Finely Chopped
2 Stalks Celery, Finely Chopped
3 cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped.
1 tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Worchestshire Sauce
2 Bay Leaves
A few sprigs Thyme
2 Tbsp Dried Oregano.

The Pasta Sauce

• Heat 2 Tbsp Olive Oil in your largest saucepan on a medium heat
• Add the bacon and cook for 5 minutes until crisp. 
• Turn the heat down a bit then add the onion, celery and carrot and sweat gently for a further 10 minutes.

This trio of vegetables is known in French cookery as a Mire Poix and is the start to many savory sauces.  In Italian cooking it is known as the Soffritto.  In Creole cuisine it is called the Holy Trinity.  Bow down to it's savory goodness.

• Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 minute.
• Turn the heat up high and add the pork and beef mince.  Break the mince apart with the back of a wooden spoon and brown the mince until all the liqiuid it produces is absorbed.  This will take about 10 minutes.
• Add ONE WHOLE BOTTLE OF WINE.  Yes, that's right.  A whole bottle.  

This helps to give the pasta sauce a richness.  If you can't bring yourself to do it then you can add less (400ml if you must).  When choosing the wine go for something quite strong like a shiraz or a cab sav.  There is no need to buy an expensive bottle but don't buy something that you wouldn't drink and was found on special, hidden in the back of a liqour store.

• Allow the wine to reduce by three quarters.  About 20-30 minutes.
• Add the remaining ingredients.  Give a good stir and leave to simmer on a very low heat for as long as possible, but anywhere between 2-4 hours, stirring occasionally.  If the mixture gets too dry add more stock.
• Season with plenty of salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
• Allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes before compiling the lasagna.

Once your pasta sauce is bubbling away you can turn your attention to your bechamel.

The Bechamel Sauce

One of my favorite things I learned in my Lasagna years was the flavoring of the milk for the bechamel sauce.  It turns an ordinary cheese sauce into something much more interesting, with a fantastic savory characteristic that goes so well with the rich pasta sauce.

• Rinse a medium sized saucepan under water.  Without drying it add the 750ml milk.  This will help prevent the milk from burning to the pan.
• Add the onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, rosemary and garlic to the milk.
• Place the milk on a low heat, warming it gently, stirring every now and then until just before it boils.  Take off the heat, place a lid on the saucepan and then leave to infuse until your pasta sauce is off the heat.

Once the pasta sauce is cooling you can start to put together the bechamel.

• Gently reheat the milk.
• Strain the milk into a pouring jug. 
• In a separate saucepan add the butter and melt on a low heat. 
• Once melted add the flour.  Stir to mix.  Let it bubble away for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. 
• Add about 1/4 cup of milk and Combine well.  When all the milk has been absorbed, add a little more.
• Continue to do this until all the milk has been added, whisking continually. 

The art to a smooth bechamel is all in how you add the milk, ensuring you use as much elbow grease as you can muster to ensure that the milk is fully incorporated, with the mix resembles a smooth paste, before adding any more. 

• Continue cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
• Take off the heat add the parmesan  cheese.  Mix until it is melted.
• Season with salt and pepper.

Putting it all together 

• Cook Pasta sheets as per packet insturctions. Drain.
• Make a layer of pasta sheets in the bottom of a greased 20x28cm oven proof dish. 
• Add 1/3 of the ragu then 1/4 of the bechamel.  Top with 1/3 of the Mozzarella Repeat twice. 
• For the top layer lay out the pasta sheets then cover with the remaining bechamel.  Sprinkle a little extra grated cheese on top.
• Cook for 30-40 minutes until the top layer is golden.
• Allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes when out of the oven to help the layers stay together when cutting.

Served with a light salad.  You can't get better!

In memory of a dear friend......The Vegan adventurer.

Evolution has lead us Humans to be very aware.  Through the power of thought and the power of our five senses (yes alright ladies, not forgetting your 'sixth sense') we have become lighting rods for the happenings of our world.

That is why a good meal is such a precious thing. It stands as one of only a few experiences which allow us to invoke this multi-sensory power which we have become accustomed to.  Smell, taste, sound, sight, touch.  All playing together to create an experience and a memory.  Without going into too much detail the only other experience I can think of that is this powerful involves a Man, a Woman, a Barry White CD and some candles!

We all have memories of certain foods.  Ice cream at the beach.  Fish and chips in the park.  Christmas Turkey with all the family.  Grandma's Chocolate Cake with a cup of tea.  And when we recall these memories it is almost as if we can feel, smell and taste the food again.  It is this power that I wanted to enhance this Wednesday, when I cooked a very special meal in honor of a dear friend.

Our dear friend Cherie at a monkey sanctury

Our friend Cherie was a loving person who held strong to her beliefs.  She believed in the good within people.  She believed in traveling the globe to see all that she could see.  And she believed firmly and utterly in the rights of all living things.  A few years ago Cherie was taken from us.  A victim of a disease which would normally affect the old she was taken away before her time.  Wednesday gone would have been Cherie's 32nd birthday.

Now by the time she passed away Cherie had developed into the ultimate of Vegan's.  To clarify for those who get a red mist when they read that word a Vegan will not make use of any animal product.  So this isn't just about avoiding the meat isle in the supermarket.  It goes a bit further than that.  No dairy.  No eggs.  No processed product which contains animal products of any nature.  You would be surprised by the number of things in your supermarket that this would include.  Many beers and wines for instance have some form of animal product in them.  

My stance on food is a slightly different one.  I am not adverse to eating anything.  Put something in front of me and tell me it tastes good, chances are I would have swallowed before I ask you what I'm eating.  Saying this I am all for Free range and Organic produce.  I've seen too much coverage of battery farmed chickens to be able to knowingly support that industry.  Happy animals taste better.  Fact!

We decided that in memory of our friend we would travel down to the mountain that she loved and dine for that evening as she would have had us dine in her abode.  And so it was that I went into an adventure of attempting a Vegan, Masterchef quality, meal.

Cherie was always happy when she was near a Mountain!

I've cooked for people with restrictive diets before.  In fact one at one dinner party I wound up cooking for a vegetarian, a pescatarian, a pregnant lady, a Hindu and a Muslim all at the same table!  I find it is always interesting to try cooking within boundaries so you can test yourself and see what you can come up with.  Cooking vegan however was not something I had tried.

The main meal was a simple decision.  Vegetable Stack!!  The idea here was to get the freshest produce available and to cook it to perfection.  Adding in a few flavors and making the most of the herbs on offer to enhance the dish.  The Stack would then be spiced up by a few simple accompaniments.  A rocket and garlic oil and a sun-dried tomato pesto.

The end result was delicious.  The peppery rocket oil and sweet pesto gave so much flavor to the dish.  I was worried that the garlic may overpower the rest of the flavors but the level of woosh worked out perfectly.  We served it up, poured a glass of wine for all, as Cherie would have had it, and toasted our dear friend.  You may not be with us in person but you are here in our hearts and we will eat this food and we shall remember you.

Cherie's Vegan Stack Tribute

Serves 6
Prep Time 60 minutes
Cooking Time 60 minutes

Ingredients

3 Capsicum
6 Portobello Mushrooms
6 Courgette
2 Eggplants

50g rocket
300 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cloves of Garlic


1/2 cup Sun dried Tomatoes in oil
Large Bunch Basil
1/2 cup Toasted Cashew Nuts

3 Red Onions
4 Tbsp Malt/Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Few sprigs of Thyme.

Method

Firstly you want to salt your eggplant.  Cut the eggplant into 2 cm thick rounds.  Modern eggplants have been genetically breed so that they are nowhere near as bitter as they used to be however I still like to salt the eggplant when I bake it as it gets rid of the moisture which would otherwise make the rounds soggy.  Lay the rounds out on an oven tray lined with some paper towels.  Sprinkle over table salt liberally.  Leave for at least 30 minutes.  You will see the moisture come out of the eggplant.  After the half hour rub the salt and excess moisture off the eggplant and they are then ready to use.

Thinly slice the red onions then place in a frying pan on a medium heat with a little bit of olive oil.  Cook the onions for about five minutes then turn the heat down to low.  Continue to cook for a further 10 minutes, slowly sweating the onions down.  Then add the brown sugar, malt vinegar, stripped thyme leaves, salt and pepper.  Cook for a further 10 minutes until the onions are tender and syrupy.  I used Malt vinegar as it is all we had available but balsamic vinegar would work even better.

Prep the remaining stack vegetables by cutting the capsicums in half.  Remove any pith and then make a small incision at the base of the capsicum so that you can push the half flat, when cooked.  Remove the skin from the mushrooms.  Cut the ends off the courgettes then slice lengthways into about five pieces.

For the pesto place the sundried tomatoes, the cashew nuts and the basil into a food processor and add about 150ml of the EV olive oil.  Blitz until you have a paste.
 
For the rocket oil gently heat about 3 Tbsp EV olive oil.  Finely chop the garlic cloves and then place in the oil.  Cook very gently for about five minutes so that the garlic flavor infuses into the oil.  You do not want the garlic to color. Take off the heat and allow to cool till warm.  Place the garlic and oil in a mini food processor then add the Rocket.  Add the remaining EV olive oil and blitz for about a minute.  Season.

Place the eggplant, capsicum and mushrooms on a couple of oven trays, season, drizzle over olive oil and then place into an oven at 200 Celsius for around 25 minutes, turning the vegetables once during cooking.

Fry the courgettes in a pan with a little olive oil for about 2-3 minutes each side until nicely browned, seasoning as you go.  Only do as many courgettes that will fit face down at a time. 

To serve place a couple of spoonfuls of the red onion in the centre of the plate then top with a large eggplant round, a mushroom, the red capsicum and then a slightly smaller eggplant round.  On top of the eggplant place a dollop of pesto and then top with the courgette.  Drizzle around the plate the rocket oil.

Enjoy!!  Best served with some nicely grilled Ciabatta so that you can sop up the extra juices of this extremely friendly dish.