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Monday, October 30, 2017

THE MENU LASAGNA ETC

Just a few remarks on this dish.
Tastes in these things vary widely. Some people like a firm casserole. Not me, I like it very saucy, so how do you do that?

You have to make the marinara or bolognese sauce for the lasagna runnier than you can imagine will be successful. Trust me.

Why? The main reason is that all the other ingredients in the lasagna, especially the noodles, and even though they have been pre cooked, suck up this moisture like a sponge while it is cooking. Cheeses also suck up sauce moisture. Ground beef or pork will do the same.

One exception to this rule, if you are someone like Robin Ellis and substituting squash for wheat noodles: you don't have to make the tomato sauce so thin, since the squash will not so readily absorb it, unless you have totally browned and dehydrated the squash before assembly.

I like a lasagna that seems to be swimming in somewhat thin tomato sauce when you put it into the oven to bake.

What are some obvious blunders one can make with lasagna?

The most obvious is to not layer enough sauce, even for a firm lasagna, assuming you like that firmness. This is the blunder most people make most of the time. My wife is an habitual offender.

An even bigger one is to put  a layer of noodles, uncovered, on the very top of the casserole. That is a blunder that cannot be corrected because the burnt and brittle, rock like, cooked top noodle layer cannot be later softened up.

If the second blunder is combined with the first, you might just as well throw it out!

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