New York Style Lasagna
A New York Italian lasagna made with fresh homemade pasta sheets, a garlickly tomato sauce, and buckets of creamy ricotta and mozzarella.
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce/Ragu
- 1 medium sweet vidalia onion, diced (my photos show a red onion, because...that's all I had!)
- 4 cloves garlic (how New York do you want it?), minced
- 1 red pepper, diced (optional if for a more peppery sauce)
- 1 small carrot, peeled and diced (optional for a more Euro flair, but you can simply add a small chunk of carrot or a teaspoon of sugar if you're a GoodFella.)
- 1 lb ground beef/ground pork (2 parts beef to one part pork, but you can play with the ratio and add veal, etc. if preferred), salt and pepper added.
- 4 cups red wine
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 28 - oz. can of crushed tomatoes (I use Tuttorosso)
- Handful of chopped parsley and/or basil (save some basil for the top of the lasagna) lasagna)
- Red pepper flakes (for a kick), oregano, additional salt and pepper, and a bay leaf for good luck
- olive oil (my mother's favorite was Filippo Berio in a huge golden tin)
Ricotta/Cheese Layer
- 16 oz container ricotta (BelGioioso or Galbani are good choices)
- 2 eggs
- drizzle of olive oil
- ½ bunch parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper, some additional red pepper
- 16 oz package of whole milk mozzarella, shredded
Homemade Lasagna Sheets
Instructions
Tomato Sauce/Ragu
- Salt and pepper the ground meat and add to a saucepan with a tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Brown until all the meat is lightly cooked and break up the pieces as you do so. Set aside. Drain the pan of most of the fat.
- In the same pot, add a touch more oil and brown the onion, pepper, carrot if using, and garlic for 5-10 minutes, until the flavors meld and the onions and peppers soften.
- Add the meat back in and combine for a few minutes.
- Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the red wine into the mix; de-glaze the pot, scraping up any bits from the bottom. Once the red wine liquid is almost gone, spoon in the tomato paste. After a minute, add the can of crushed tomatoes (or whole tomatoes if preferred).
- As the sauce comes to a boil, adjust salt/pepper levels, adding any additional red pepper flake and some oregano to taste. I add a bay leaf, because my Croatian relatives' yard in Split is peppered with bay leaf trees (my leaves are dry on this side of things) and my mother always added a bay leaf to her sauces.
- Once boiling, lower to a slow simmer and cover for at least 2 hours, more if you have the time of a Sicilian grandma on a Sunday.
For the Ricotta/Cheese Layer
- Shred a pile (how big do you want your cheese blanket) of mozzarella cheese (16 oz. pack of Sargento is a good basic brand, but buying the pale, unmarked, clearly wrapped ball of Italian mozzarella is absolutely more creamy.)
- As the sauce cooks,empty the ricotta into a bowl. Crack two eggs into it, add a drizzle of olive oil, along with, yes, red pepper flakes, salt, and chopped parsley. Whisk until creamy and smooth. Set aside with the shredded mozzarella.
To Assemble
- In a lasagna tray/glass baking dish, spoon a little red sauce on the bottom of the dish, spreading it around.Start with a layer of lasagna strips (trim where necessary and overlapping is a good idea.)
- Add a layer of the meat ragu, a layer of the ricotta mix, and a good sprinkle of mozzarella.
- Add more sauce, pasta, ricotta and mozzarella. You can end with the ragu layer, adding as much of a down comforter of mozzarella cheese as you like. You can also have added parmesan to any layer desired. On the very top of the mozzarella, you can add more parm, and some basil leaves, plus a drizzle of olive oil like a good New Yorker.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for a good 35-40 minutes until the cheese is bubbling away. Remove the foil and move to the very top of the oven to broil for 5-10 minutes to achieve the perfect golden brown shade of mozzarella that you love the best.
- Allow to cool for at least 15-20 minutes, so that the intricate patchwork structure can set. Cut into nice, big,NY bagel/doughnut/muffin/pizza/anything sizes and enjoy.
