Lasagna : Layers of fun

Thinking of Italy ~ wonderful people~ delicious food

     The first time I had lasagna I was six years old. We were on a trip to visit family in Texas and my aunt prepared a big tray of lasagna for a family meal. If you are wondering if it was good or if I enjoyed it; suffice it to say that here I am writing about it forty-four years later. It made quite an impression on me.  

     I’ve eaten and made lasagna many times over the years but today is a first for me. I’m making the pasta for the dish from scratch. We are having friends over for dinner tonight but since our house is full of packing boxes we are having them over at their own house. We will bring the dinner over and they will set the table. If you haven’t guessed yet I’m making homemade lasagna.   

Step one

I prepared a basic pasta dough

2 eggs $.50

2 cups flour  $.40

3 TBS water

1 tsp salt

I mixed it in the food processor today

wrapped it in plastic and set aside for an hour.

After it rested I put it through the pasta maker to make the sheets to fit my pan. It took me two strips for each layer.

I used to roll the dough by hand until recently.

 Step two

Made a meat sauce

Onion

$.59

½ lb. Ground beef $2.00

Garlic $.35

For spices (I like a bit of this and that)

Italian herbs

Red pepper flake

Garlic powder

Onion powder

 Salt pepper

28 oz can organic peeled crushed tomatoes $2.00

Simmer as you would your favorite meat sauce till done

Step three

Béchamel sauce

1 tbs butter (melt in saucepan $.35

2 tbs flour

(add slowly to the melted butter and whish so no lumps for)

Basically like a roux

Cook for a minute or to –it will get the flour taste to cook out

Add 1-cup milk slowly and keep whisking till bubbly and thick $.75

A creamy smooth soft delicious creation

Add a pinch of nutmeg salt and white pepper.

Step four

Grate about a cup of Parmesan  $1.25

for inter layer sprinkledge~ set aside

Then the fun begins!!

Put a layer of the béchamel on the bottom of the 9X9 pan

Top (to cover) with cooked pasta sheets 

Layer of meat sauce

Top with béchamel

(I have leftover ricotta, which I inserted as well (optional)

Sprinkle of Parmesan

Layer of cooked pasta sheets 

  leftover pasta sheet prior to cooking

 Repeat above layering process

Top with final layer of cooked pasta sheets and sprinkle Parmesan liberally over the top

carefully layered and ready to pop in the oven

 Cook at 350 degrees for about ½ hour and the cheese on top has slightly browned and bubbled

Total under $7.00

TIP OF THE DAY: If you make a big batch of something good, call an friend and share the feast. Most people would be thrilled to be able to share a great meal with friends in the comfort of their own home especially if they don’t have to spend half their day cooking it. This could really be a blessing to someone who has been working a lot of overtime or hasn’t been feeling well. Sometimes it’s just a nice feeling to be home and free of all the preparation stress that can accompany a get together.