ROLL BABY ROLL…The Daring Bakers make Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna

“When the lasagna content in my blood gets low, I get mean”
Garfield the Cat

The net is buzzing with excitement as we, the Daring Bakers, take up our latest challenge ‘biceps on’ … literally!! Rolling lasgna from scratch! Adding to the buzz is our new website ‘The Daring Kitchen’ …… spunky, creative & colourful. The labour of love of our talented creators, Lisa of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice who have nurtured it since November 2006. Today, The Daring Bakers span the world as bakers of all nationalities come together once a month to try something new in the kitchen! As Spring enters the northern hemisphere & Autumn descends into the southern, we present the March 2009 Challenge. True global input in every sense, with the three hosts living in three continents: Mary from Canada, Melinda from Australia and Enza from Italy, & their choice – Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno). The most important part of this challenge is the hand-made Spinach Egg Pasta. So welcome to our world where we march ahead & compare biceps, ooops, I mean lasagna!!
The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.
As the 3 very talented ladies say, “Lasagne is a dish that has successfully transcended borders and is today made around the world, albeit with many variations from the Italian original. Even within Italy, there are many variations and each region has its own lasagne tradition. But, as Lynne explains in her introduction to the recipe –and Enza, as our Italian expert for this dish, also agrees – the dish should always be a “vivid expression of the ‘less is more’ philosophy of cooking. Mere films of béchamel sauce and meat ragu coat the sheerest spinach pasta. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese dusts each layer. There is nothing more; no ricotta, no piling on of meats, vegetables or cheese; little tomato, and no hot spice. Baking performs the final marriage of flavours. The results are splendid.”

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:

  • Heat oil, add whole black pepper & torn bay leaves. Add onion & saute till pink, then add roasted garlic. Mix well.
  • 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 .
  • 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.
  • 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!

Posted by Deeba @ PAB

Published by

Deeba @ PAB

About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.

71 thoughts on “ROLL BABY ROLL…The Daring Bakers make Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna”

  2. Deeba, your creations are always delicious, This dish is awesome I m getting hungry. That soinach pasta looks so nice. Well done.

    Reply

  4. 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

    Reply

  9. Good job Deeba. Those home-made noodles look scrumptious. I could never imagine doing that myself though.

    Reply

  10. looks great, and love the roll-ups, too! you are right–store bought noodles now seem so sad!

    Reply

  11. Looks fantastic Deeba. I love the canneloni rolls – very appetising. I was skeptical too, but was won over by how good this was.

    Reply

  12. Oh what a beautiful job done here. It’s really yummy looking…wow, you went all out!

    Very appetizing.

    Reply

  14. I’ve missed a couple posts, but the desserts look fantastic and all the green here is just beautiful!

    NAOmni

    Reply

  19. As usual..the pics look too tempting Deeba..loved the home-made lasagna..great job!!

    Reply

  20. 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.

    Reply

  21. 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:)

    Reply

  23. hmmm so now we will compare biceps when we meet next….

    Mehar’s a really smart cookie… 🙂

    it looks yummyyyyyy…..

    Reply

  25. 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

    Reply

  26. So it did work out just fine. Looks very good, Deeba. Now we know how to exercise those biceps!

    Reply

  29. Once again, your stunning photos amaze me. As for the lasagne, beautifuly executed!! Deeba, you are one talented lady!

    Reply

  30. Your Lasagne and pictures look wonderful! Your dish looks ever so good! Very well done!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply

  32. 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.

    Reply

  34. 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.

    Reply

  35. 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

    Reply

  36. 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? ; )

    Reply

  37. That is a LOT of work!!! I’m not a lasagna person, but I would eat this one up with relish!!!

    Reply

  38. 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!

    Reply

  43. 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.

    Reply

  45. Garfield reins supreme – he would be so proud. Beautiful job and I bet your biceps are in fabulous form!

    Mary

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  46. I love making homemade pasta but never made any with spinach. Must try this recipe one day. Yours looks soooo gooood.

    Reply

  51. 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.

    Reply

  52. Hello! I’m a DB too and found your blog through the grapevine 🙂
    Your lasagna is beautiful, and you take awesome shots. Great job!

    Reply

  53. Very nicely done Deeba, love the look of your lasagna, esp the browned cheese on top. Nice pics!

    Reply

  54. 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.

    Reply

  55. 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!

    Reply

  56. I’m with you being initially sceptical, and then ended up totally enjoying the whole process of building the lasagne. Great photos too!

    Reply

  58. 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!!

    Reply

  62. hahahhaa. love the Garfield quote. too cute. Great photos as always Deeba.

    Reply

  65. 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.

    Reply

  66. 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.

    Reply

  70. 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!

    Reply

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