Hand-Rolled Lasagna
About a year or so after my father sold his restaurant and retired, I decided to get back in the restaurant business part-time, mostly to earn some extra money. I got a job waiting tables at a restaurant called Biscotti in Ridgefield, CT where the chef, Silvia Bianco was doing some amazing things in the kitchen. One dish I remember fondly was her individual hand-rolled lasagnas, I always thought they were a great idea. Each night she would have a special one with different fillings. Biscotti is no longer around, but I was able to contach Chef Silvia and she graciously agreed to contribute a hand-rolled lasagna recipe.
Chef Silvia began conducting cooking classes in her restaurant kitchen in 1995. Today, she offers them in her home-based demonstration kitchen to private groups and some of America’s top corporations, including: GE, Unilever, MetLife, Nestle, Pepperidge Farm, The Gap, and many, many more. She is the author of Simply Sauté
Chef Silvia continues to grow a strong on-line presence through her web site: www.chefsilvia.com; her monthly essays on food and life, “Notes From the Chef” which can be found on: http://chefsilvia.blogspot.com and includes recipes and tips. She can also be found on the critically acclaimed on-line food resource: www.food411.com where she is resident chef and answers visitor questions though their “Ask Chef Silvia” feature.
Hand-Rolled Lasagna with Ricotta/béchamel, Asparagus and Roasted Red Peppers (Topped with a fresh pomodoro sauce)
by Chef Silvia
Hand rolling each lasagna noodle is a wonderful way to not only make this classic comfort food look fancy, but it allows you to customize each piece–if you want to–without having to make a full tray of the flat, layered type. So, if someone doesn’t care for peppers, for example, you can easily leave them out. It’s also a perfect solution if you want to make lasagna for just a few.
The ricotta-béchamel filling, gives each piece a creaminess that is more interesting and lighter than using ricotta alone. I especially like completing the filling with fresh mozzarella, asparagus and roasted red peppers–but any combination of your favorites are fine. Top it with sautéed grape tomatoes and this lasagna is elevated to that of the sublime. I made a variation of this dish when I cooked at the James Beard House. It was a big hit!
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Makes 2-4 servings
4 lasagna noodles
1 cup filling (see below)
4 1/4 inch slices fresh mozzarella
12 pieces fresh asparagus–blanched, ends cut
1/2 cup roasted red pepper filets (buy prepared or better yet, roast your own)
2 cups pomodoro sauce (see below)
3 large fresh basil leaves–slivered
2 sprigs of whole basil leaves–for garnish
Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of boiling, salted water for about 10 minutes, and drain while the noodles are still firm. Rinse the noodles under cold water to stop further cooking (remember, they will cook more in the oven.) Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
To Assemble
Lay each noodle flat. Divide the filling evenly in the center of each noodle. Top each with a slice of the mozzarella, 3 pieces of asparagus, and a few filets of the peppers.
Fold one end of the noodle over the filling and then roll. Place each piece in a greased baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until the center is warm. While the lasagna is baking, make the sauce.
Remove the lasagna from the oven and place two pieces on each plate, as in the photo. Top with the sauce. Garnish with slivered basil and sprig.
Ricotta/béchamel Filling
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon parmesan cheese (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir with a wire whisk until it forms a paste. Slowly add the milk, stirring until the mixture forms a paste and all the milk is absorbed. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes–stirring occasionally–until the sauce is smooth and thick. Remove from heat and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the ricotta, the parmesan, stir and season.
Pomodoro Sauce
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 fresh clove garlic–medium diced
2 cups grape tomatoes–halved
1/3 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Add oil to a sauté pan and heat over medium/high heat until the oil is hot but not smoking. Add the tomatoes and cook for about one minute. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds, add the broth and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a minute more and remove from heat.
Note: For a light meal use one piece of the lasagna per serving and combine with a fresh salad.
Grilled Pizza Puttanesca
I was going to include this pizza in the same post as the Grilled Pizza with Cherry Tomatoes I featured recently. At the time I was just topping it with chopped olives and capers and it was very good that way, but I still felt something was lacking. So, I held off on sharing the recipe, while I tried to improve it. I think what I eventually came up with, the addition of chopped anchovies and sautéed onions, really takes it to another level. Once again it is a good idea to read our Grilled Pizza article before trying this recipe.
Grilled Pizza Puttanesca
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Makes 2 pizzas
4 anchovy filets, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia, diced
15 pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Capers, rinsed and chopped
1 28 oz can imported Italian plum tomatoes
2 large basil leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
2 balls of grilled pizza dough
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add anchovies and onion and sauté until onion is translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add olives and capers and cook for 1 minute more to combine flavors. Transfer mixture to a bowl.
- In a medium bowl, crush tomatoes with your hands, and stir in basil, garlic, salt & pepper. Set up olive mixture, crushed tomato sauce, parmagiano, and olive oil at your grilling station for easy access.
- Prepare a charcoal grill for grilling pizza creating a very hot fire on one side with a couple of layers of charcoal just a few inches from the grate, and a low fire on the other side with just a few coals.
- Oil the bottom of a baking sheet and place one of the dough balls on it. Using your hands flatten it out to about 1/8 inch thick. Carefully slide the dough onto the hot side of the grill. Watch the dough closely making sure it doesn’t burn by lifting it with tongs and peeking under.
- When the dough is charred on the bottom, flip it over and brush it with olive oil and quickly sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Next use tongs or your hands to place the tomatoes over the surface, trying not to take too much of the juices with them. Finally, top with strategically placed dollops of olive, caper and onion mixture. With either the tongs or a spatula, slide the pizza to the cooler side of the grill, cover making sure the vent holes are open and cook for 3-5 more minutes. The pizza is done when the toppings are heated through and the bottom is slightly charred. Using a spatula, remove pizza from grill to a serving tray, slice and serve. Repeat with second ball of dough.
Grilled Pizza with Cherry Tomatoes
I recently came across some delicious cherry and grape tomatoes at my local farmers market. I was planning on making some grilled pizza and as soon as I tasted them, I knew that they had to go on least one of the pizzas. I did two versions, one replaced the sauce completely with the tomatoes, cut in half and charred on the grill, and one had the sauce and the tomatoes. Both were amazing but I preferred the one with just the tomatoes, mostly because it is different. Before trying this recipe I recommend reading our detailed set-up and technique for grilling pizza, which can be found in our Grilled Pizza article.
Grilled Pizza with Cherry Tomatoes
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Makes 2 pizzas
20 cherry and/or grape tomatoes, halved
salt & pepper to taste
2 balls of grilled pizza dough
extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into small chunks
4 large basil leaves, torn into pieces by hand
- Place tomatoes, cut side down, in a oiled grill pan. Grill over direct heat until tomatoes are slightly charred on top, then transfer them to a bowl and season with salt & pepper. Set up the bowl of tomatoes and the other ingredients at your grilling station for easy access.
- Prepare a charcoal grill for grilling pizza creating a very hot fire on one side with couple of layers of charcoal just a few inches from the grate, and a low fire on the other side with just a few coals.
- Oil the bottom of a baking sheet and place one of the dough balls on it. Using your hands flatten it out to about 1/8 inch thick. Carefully slide the dough onto the hot side of the grill. Watch the dough closely making sure it doesn’t burn by lifting it with tongs and peeking under.
- When the dough is charred on the bottom, flip it over and brush it with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano, dot with half of the fresh mozzarella and scatter half of the tomatoes on top. With either the tongs or a spatula, slide the pizza to the cooler side of the grill. Cover grill, making sure the vent holes are open, and cook for 3-5 more minutes. The pizza is done when the cheese is melted and the bottom is slightly charred. Using a spatula, remove pizza from grill to a serving tray, garnish with half of the basil, slice and serve. Repeat with second ball of dough.
Sicily: Culinary Crossroads
Italy’s Food Culture is a series of regional Italian cookbooks, translated into English, from publisher Oronzo Editions. Two volumes have been released so far, Puglia: A Culinary Memoir and Sicily: Culinary Crossroads. The noble goal of this series is to give the American reader an unfiltered look into the rich regional culinary history and recipes of Italy, and it is off to a great start. Although Sicily by Giuseppe Coria is actually the 2nd volume in the series, my Sicilian roots attracted me to it first (nothing personal against Puglia of course). Sicily often gets the short end of the stick when discussing the cuisine of Italy, only recently here in America are chefs and cookbook authors starting to give it the attention it deserves. Coria is the perfect guide to this island’s unique and robust cooking and food culture. He doesn’t just present us with a list of recipes, but gives us history and context, punctuated with great stories.
The introduction gives an overview on how the history of Sicily and all of the different cultures that have occupied it over the years have contributed to molding the cuisine. The book is then broken down by region representing the provinces of Messina, Catania, Siracusa and Ragusa. All 4 of these cities are actually on the east coast of Sicily, so the original Italian title of the book, La Cucina della Sicilia Orientale (The Cooking of Eastern Sicily) might be considered more accurate. But, this is a minor quibble, because Coria’s history covers the whole island and the recipes capture the spirit of Sicilian cooking in general.
Each section starts off with a brief overview of the region it covers, then the recipes are organized by category, first courses, meat dishes, fish dishes, etc. Even the typical cheeses produced in each province are discussed. The two recipes I am reprinting here, Pasta a la Norma and Mussel Soup are from Catania and Messina, respectively. There are many other excellent recipes from all 4 regions in this book, including a Holiday Ragu from Ragusa and Fish Soup Siracusa-Style. It is also a very nice looking book with great pictures of Sicily and it’s ingredients.
My parents are from Francavilla di Sicilia which is right between, Catania and Messina. I showed this book to them for a quick authenticity check. My mother went straight to the Pasta al a Norma Recipe, read it and exclaimed, “They got it right!” My father after reading it had one question, “Can I have it?” Two pretty strong seals of approval. Sicily: Culinary Crossroads is a must for anybody interested in the gastronomy of Sicily.
Recipes:
