I made lasagna from scratch a few weeks ago, and let me tell you that it was a learning experience.
Clockwise from right: 2 pork chops; rack of pork ribs; sweet Italian sausages; jar of lard.
Melt lard. Brown meats in batches. Remove to a plate.
3 cloves garlic, smashed; 1 cup cabernet sauvignon; 1 large onion, finely diced. Not shown are 4 cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes and a few sprigs of parsley.
Brown the ribs, then remove to a plate.
After the meats have been browned, add the onion and garlic to the pot. Sweat until softened.
Return browned meats to the pot (although you may have to transfer everything to a larger pot as you see here). Season with salt and pepper, then add the red wine..
.and the crushed tomatoes and parsley.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5-6 hours.
Meanwhile, make the meatballs.
Clockwise from center: 1/2 lb. each organic/free-range ground beef and ground pork; 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; 5 tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley; 3 cloves finely minced garlic; stale bread soaking in milk; 1 egg.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper (remember that the cheese will taste salty so you'll probably want to go easy on the salt). Mix thoroughly. You'll want to use your hands for this one.
Shape into meatballs using a teaspoon.
Fry in vegetable oil until browned on all sides.
Lift out with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain.
I added the meatballs to the batch of Sunday sauce and braised them in the sauce during the last hour of simmering.
Polpettine.
Braised pork ribs and pork sausage. (They were amazing.)
Ricotta cream: 8 ounces ricotta cheese mixed with: two eggs, 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, sea salt, black pepper, 2 tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley and 2 balls of mozzarella cheese that were diced into cubes.
Sweet (non-spicy) Italian sausage fried in lard.
Lasagna being assembled.
We stuffed the layers with polpettine, chunks of sausage and braised pork ribs. First a layer of sauce, then some no-cook lasagna sheets (which I will definitely not be using next time; I think I'll make my own from scratch), then a layer of meats, then sauce, then ricotta cream. Rinse and repeat, finishing off with any ricotta cream, leftover mozzarella cheese and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or until the top begins to brown. Remove from oven and rest for 15-20 minutes. Serve.
This recipe is sized for 6-8 people.
Finished dish:
Recipe adapted from: http://memoriediangelina.com/2010/02/14/lasagna/#.V2NJYrsrLq4
