ROLL BABY ROLL…The Daring Bakers make Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna
Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)
Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time
10 quarts (9 litres) salted water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce
1 recipe Country Style Ragu
1 cup (4 ounces/125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
You can find the recipe at The Daring Kitchen in the recipe archive, or you can visit Mary, Melinda and Enza.
YAY…I was finally done. I rolled & rolled like there was no tomorrow. The lasagna got huge THUMBS UP & HIGH FIVES all around. I had a question though. With that amount of dough, I got enough lasagna sheets for 2 batches, though my chicken in the ragu, & the bechamel was only enough for one batch. My kitchen was like a laundrette with sheets hanging all over the place. I used quite a few, rolled a few into cannelloni … till they were coming out of my ears. Then it got to me, & I just did away (???, sorry about that) with the sheets remaining on hangers. Did I roll it out too thin? O BTW, you gotta see my biceps guys!!!
Mary was quick to reply to my ‘roll too thin’ query…”No, you didn’t roll it too thin – thin lasagne sheets have a sublime silky taste. The recipe amount allows for thicker pasta but part of the challenge was to aim for that lovely thin sheet. Well done…Guess it’s too late to tell you to freeze undried pasta sheets between plastic – not something a true fresh pasta fanatic would do, but I do. (Sorry Enza, you can thump me in person, hahaha)”. Yes, it was too late, but seriously will give this a go more often. Tough to go back to store bought tough lasagna sheets again. They look so dry & unappetizing now!
My first shot at home made pasta, and lasagne never looked & tasted so good before. I was so thrilled that the layers came out so beautifully. It was T E D I O U S to roll out, & took the whole morning. Don’t attempt it if you are pressed for time, and you have kids to deal with. This takes long, but is well worth ever moment.
I started the chicken off in the morning while the dough was resting, & made the bechamel while the rolled out sheets were drying. Assembled & baked the whole thing covered in foil the previous day, cooled it & refrigerated it. Then baked it again the next day for 10 minutes with the foil cover on, & then for 15 minutes without the foil so the cheese got nice & brown. Rested it for 30 minutes before slicing & serving, & it behaved so well. I served garlic buttermilk ranch baked baby potatoes & garlic butter artisan loaf on the side. Forgot all about the salad in my hurry to take pictures…we had that later!I made the basic tomato sauce for the ragu 2 days before & refrigerated it. Ragù is an Italian term for a meat-based sauce, which is traditionally served with pasta. The word is phonetical Italian spelling of the French ragoût, a noun derived from ragoûter (to revive the taste).. RAGU / TOMATO SAUCE
Ingredients:
8-10 plum tomatoes, peeled & roughly chopped
2 roasted bell peppers – red & yellow; chopped
1 onion; chopped fine
1 head roasted garlic
2-3 bay leaves; torn
6-8 balls of whole black pepper
Handful of fresh oregano leaves (or 1 tbsp dried)
1 finely grated carrot
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil Method:
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Heat oil, add whole black pepper & torn bay leaves. Add onion & saute till pink, then add roasted garlic. Mix well.
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Add the tomatoes, bell peppers & carrot, oregano leaves. Mix well, season with salt & pepper & simmer for 30-45 minutes till thick & chunky. ( Sometimes I pressure cook it for 5 minutes, & then simmer for 10-15 minutes). Run an immersion blender roughly through it to get a chunky sauce .
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Take plenty of chopped garlic & onion & saute in oil for 2-3 minutes till light brown. Add chicken, & saute on high till water dries & chicken nice & brown. Add the tomato sauce &3-4 fresh peeled & chopped tomatoes & cook till sides leave oil, & no moisture remains. A dry ragu will make sure that the pasta doesn’t get soggy.
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The bechamel recipe is from hosts site. I used loads of freshly grated nutmeg.
Garfield was my fave cartoon strip right through middle school, through college & even now. I just couldn’t get enough of this mad cat … from comic strips, to tees, to coffee mugs, to posters, to suitcase tags, to key chains … he ruled my life. He’s obsessed and can never get enough of lasagna, though it was one thing I never developed a love for, until now! My first memories of lasagna were queuing up in the BA canteens at training centres at Heathrow & Gatwick where lasagna reigned supreme. Pasta was unheard of at our table back home in those days, pizza being the only link to the Italian culinary world.The hub declared that this was the best ever lasagna he’d ever had, the kids didn’t notice ‘green‘ within, (big sigh of relief), & the daughter packed some before lunch for her pals at school. Smart girl coz she knew it wouldn’t last, & it didn’t! Thank you ladies for making me a proud ‘pasta from scratch’ DB. Must admit I was slightly skeptical to begin with, but this was just fabulous! Do check out here what the other Daring Bakers have been rolling out this month. There are quite a few surprises as I’ve seen some stunning sneak peeks at our forum, including some awesome sweet lasagna too!
71 Comments
Marija
So beautiful Deeba!
Snooky doodle
Deeba, your creations are always delicious, This dish is awesome I m getting hungry. That soinach pasta looks so nice. Well done.
Helene
I would love to have dinner with you. Fantastic!
I gave you an award.
Gera @ SweetsFoods
So festive roundup and the lasagne is a must.. but takes long time, albeit the effort is well rewarded 🙂
Deeba your lasagne looks irresistible!
Cheers,
Gera
Laurie
Molto buon!! Fantastico! Bello!!
You do us Italians proud!!
Lucy
Simply a wonderful creation!! YUM!
Barbara Bakes
What a beautiful post! You did an amazing job!
Donna-FFW
Absolutely gorgeous!! I love it! What a beautiful dish!
Pavani
Good job Deeba. Those home-made noodles look scrumptious. I could never imagine doing that myself though.
steph- whisk/spoon
looks great, and love the roll-ups, too! you are right–store bought noodles now seem so sad!
Cakelaw
Looks fantastic Deeba. I love the canneloni rolls – very appetising. I was skeptical too, but was won over by how good this was.
noble pig
Oh what a beautiful job done here. It’s really yummy looking…wow, you went all out!
Very appetizing.
Soma
This is just unbelievable!! I am so out of words… Deeba u rock!
Not Another Omnivore
I’ve missed a couple posts, but the desserts look fantastic and all the green here is just beautiful!
NAOmni
DCRose
Unbelievable. You are awesome.DCRose
Nags
Such beautiful pics Deeba, and the rolls look amazing!!
jordan
WOW, that looks AMAZING!!
Reeni♥
How delicious!! Home made pasta is the best. Your hard work turned out beautiful!
Divya Kudua
As usual..the pics look too tempting Deeba..loved the home-made lasagna..great job!!
Arwen from Hoglet K
Wow, you’ve done an amazing job. Half a day spent rolling pasta is really something to be proud of. I’ve never made lasagna before. I have a little extruder for spaghetti which is easy to use and doesn’t require muscles. It does sound like the lasagna was more rewarding though.
Dwiana P
Looks yummy! Oh don’t you love spring? Officially spring is here but still pretty cold most the time. The picture of bugs look great dear:)
A_and_N
I’m in awe. I cannot believe you guys made the pasta!
Nachiketa
hmmm so now we will compare biceps when we meet next….
Mehar’s a really smart cookie… 🙂
it looks yummyyyyyy…..
Rachel
AM glad you rolled 🙂
Anonymous
Wow..now healthy whole wheat spinach sheets are a ‘real’ possibility. And I loved the Garfield quote. That’s exactly how it is at our home, a week without pasta and we get withdrawal symptoms! Good job. Regards Angela
Aparna
So it did work out just fine. Looks very good, Deeba. Now we know how to exercise those biceps!
Arundathi
Gorgeous Deeba. You’ve done a lovely job.
MAHIMA
LOOks yummmm deeba 🙂 Awesome job again 🙂
lisamichele
Once again, your stunning photos amaze me. As for the lasagne, beautifuly executed!! Deeba, you are one talented lady!
Rosa's Yummy Yums
Your Lasagne and pictures look wonderful! Your dish looks ever so good! Very well done!
Cheers,
Rosa
Zita
Love your opening quote, Deeba 😉 your lasagne looks super delish!
shellyfish
Your photos are so beautiful! And let’s see those biceps! It’s funny you mention Garfield, I kept thinking about him while making this challenge, too.
Jo
Absolutely divine photos and a really delicious looking lasagne.
Curry Leaf
Looks absolutely divine.Love all the pics.Sometimes I come here just to look at the pics.So so so beautiful.DBs are surely flexing biceps and going great guns.
Elra
Such a beautiful lasagna Deeba, hey look at you being creative here, you also made cannoli. I would have dried pasta sheet to cut the/shape the lasagna, why didn’t I think of that? Well done as always dear.
Xoxo,
elra
kellypea
You always do such an amazing job. A fabulous post, Deeba. I wish I’d thought of the roll ups — they’re perfect. And all your production photos…Wow. Very, very nice. Glad your kids didn’t figure out the green. It was tasty, wasn’t it? ; )
meeso
That is a LOT of work!!! I’m not a lasagna person, but I would eat this one up with relish!!!
Gloria
Wonderful dear Deena and amazing!! We love lasagna and your look fantastic.!!! xxxGloria
Love Garfield too!!
(I think is as my Dad now, eat and sleep)Ja!
jesse
Wow Deeba, that pasta… just brilliant. The colours are so vibrant and lively!
Courtney
what a fantastic post, your pictures are all beautiful, truly works of art!
glamah16
Gorgeous post.Love the baby rolls.
Alli
Love all your step by step photos, your baby rolls are gorgeous!
Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti
Your lasagna looks so wonderful! I never even thought of Garfield but I bet he would love this recipe 🙂
I had a lot of the past left over too –it was nice to have an extra meal from it. I’d definitely make more bechamel sauce next time –i didn’t have enough for the top.
Simran
This was a true dare…and you made it look so lovely
BC
Garfield reins supreme – he would be so proud. Beautiful job and I bet your biceps are in fabulous form!
Mary
Ivy
I love making homemade pasta but never made any with spinach. Must try this recipe one day. Yours looks soooo gooood.
Mary
Your pasta dough just cries out “spring”. Gorgeous!
ARLENE
What a magnificent job you’ve done! And your photos were just great.
una donna dolce
Your compositions are just beautiful and I love that you rolled it!
JMom
You take the most beautiful photos! It almost looks too good to eat 🙂
Hannah
Wonderful pictures, and I LOVE your lasagna rolls! They seem much easier to make, and I bet they would be a whole lot of fun to eat.
wütende Bäckerfrau
Hello! I’m a DB too and found your blog through the grapevine 🙂
Your lasagna is beautiful, and you take awesome shots. Great job!
Namratha
Very nicely done Deeba, love the look of your lasagna, esp the browned cheese on top. Nice pics!
Arlette
Amazing photos, and everything looks yummy Deeba.
you gave me an idea with the rest of the lasagna i have in the freezer, Roll baby roll.
Singing Horse
Your photos are stunningly beautiful! I’m just speechless. I’ve been enjoying reading your blog. Always nice photos and great recipes. Thanks for sharing such inspiring work!
Y
I’m with you being initially sceptical, and then ended up totally enjoying the whole process of building the lasagne. Great photos too!
Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella
Gorgeous pics Deeba, I really like how vibrant your dough looks!
Nidhi
Hey Deeba, strangely enough, the recipe said……..hint of nutme, and I saw my self tasting ans adding more as i went about;-). Great pics, as always!!
Lauren
Mmm, your lasagne looks amazing!! I love all of your pictures, they’re beautiful =D.
sunita
Great job on the challenge Deeba 🙂
Chris
Great job, Deeba! Love the pictures. 😉
ice tea: sugar high
hahahhaa. love the Garfield quote. too cute. Great photos as always Deeba.
Yasmeen
what lovely colors,fabulous job Deeba:)
Molly Loves Paris
great looking lasagna, great raves, and great pics.
TeaLady
Great looking lasagna. It looks absolutely luscious. And delicious. And yummy!!!! Your pics are true ‘food porn’.
And I don’t know what I was reading, but you did NOT have to cook the spinach. I wonder where I got that.
Bread and Jam
Your posts are like looking through a picture book! So beautiful! I can’t wait to have an afternoon to browse through your site in it’s entirety.
nikki
Love your pictures! and LOL, Garfield! Oh how I loved that fat cat ^_^
Dharm
Fantastic! You totally aced this challenge!! You gotta see my biceps too Deebs!
creampuff
Nicely done, Deeba! Love the Garfield quote!
Purnima
U r on top of each challenge! U hv rolled belans, quite evident! This is the most perfect Lasagna I hv seen on blogosphere! N yes..I know ur coffee cup thru ur archives!So u must hv made ur coffee cup happy! Something that Gar. just loveeeeees! 😀 Great post!
Alison
Gorgeous photos on your blog!! And great job on this month’s challenge!