Al Browns Lasagna Recipes

THE BEST LASAGNA

Steps:

• Place the beef in a large bowl and "pull" it apart with two forks as if you were shredding pulled pork, breaking up the clumps and loosening the meat without compacting it.
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the meat is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a large bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.
• Spread the beef in an even layer in the same pot and cook undisturbed until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, breaking up any clumps and scraping up any browned bits from the pot, until the meat is browned and completely cooked, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the browned meat with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the pancetta, leaving the fat in the pot.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrots, celery, onions, half the garlic, the bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it's very fragrant and brick red colored, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine, bring to a boil and reduce until the liquid is very thick and no smell of alcohol remains, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the reserved pancetta and beef, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Add the basil and Parmesan rind and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce resembles sloppy joes, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. There shouldn't be any rapid bubbles while cooking. Instead, the ragu should release occasional small bubbles. If the ragu reduces too quickly, add 1/2 cup of water and continue cooking. Repeat if necessary. The ragu needs the full 2 to 2 1/2 hour cook time to develop the flavors.
• Discard the bay leaf, basil and Parmesan rind. Break up any remaining clumps of meat with the back of a spoon, making an even textured sauce. Season with salt and set aside until ready to assemble.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the noodles, stirring occasionally and separating them to prevent sticking, until softened and bendable but are still hard and chalky in the center, about 5 minutes. Transfer the noodles to a large bowl of cold water and set aside until ready to assemble.
• Stir together the ricotta, 1 cup of the Parmesan, the remaining grated garlic and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside until ready to assemble.
• Lightly oil a 13-by-9-inch glass or ceramic baking pan. Spread 1 cup of the ragu evenly in the bottom of the pan. Lay a single layer of noodles over the ragu (if you're using long noodles, you will need to cut some noodles to fill the gaps). Spread 1 1/2 cups of the ragu over the noodles. Dollop 3/4 cup of the ricotta mixture over the ragu and spread lightly with a small offset spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, followed by another layer of noodles. Repeat with the remaining pasta, ragu, ricotta mixture and mozzarella, creating 4 layers of pasta and ending with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. (The lasagna should come just above the top of the pan but it will sink down slightly as it cooks.) Top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Lightly oil a piece of foil and cover the pan. Put the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake the lasagna until bubbling gently around the edges, about 1 hour.
• Remove the lasagna from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Remove the foil and then continue to bake the lasagna until the top is browned and crisp around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

SLOW COOKER LASAGNA

Steps:

• Place the lasagna noodles in a 13 by 9-inch metal pan and pour over enough hot water to cover the noodles. Set aside until pliable, about 30 minutes. Drain the water from the noodles, separate, and set aside.
• Place the eggplant and zucchini in the bowl of a salad spinner. Sprinkle with the salt and purge for 20 minutes, tossing after the first 10 minutes. Remove the sausage from its casing and chop or pinch into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.
• Rinse the eggplant and zucchini under running water and spin until mostly dry.
• Use 4 pliable lasagna noodles to line the sides of a 3-quart slow cooker. Overlap the noodles slightly and press against the sides so they stick. Crush 1 tomato with your hand onto the bottom of the slow cooker. Cover with half of the sausage. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning, one-fourth of the flour, and one-fourth of the goat's milk powder. Add one-fourth of the purged vegetables in a layer, slightly overlapping the pieces. Add one-fourth of the sliced mushrooms in a layer. Add one-fourth of the remaining noodles in a layer, cut to fit any gaps, slightly overlapping the pieces. Gently press down on the noodles before building next layer. Crush another tomato and place atop the noodles. Add half of the ground pork, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning, one-fourth of the flour, one-fourth of the goat's milk powder, one-fourth of the vegetables, and one-fourth of the mushrooms. Repeat 2 more times with the remaining ingredients. You will have 4 layers.
• Spread 2 tablespoons of the tomato juice from the can on the top of the last layer of the noodles. Set the slow cooker to low, cover, and cook for 5 hours. Remove any excess fat that has accumulated by pressing down directly on the top of the lasagna with a dish or small lid. Turn off the slow cooker. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and leave for 30 minutes. Brown the cheese, if desired, using a propane torch or heat gun.

WORLD'S BEST LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

AL BROWN'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.
• In a skillet cook beef, celery, onion, and garlic till meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain off fat if any, and wipe out the pan.
• To the meat in the pan add the seasonings, cream, and cream cheese. Cook and stir over low heat to melt the cheese.
• Stir in wine. Gradually add cheddar and gouda cheese, stirring and heating till cheese is nearly melted; remove from heat.
• Stir together egg and cottage cheese.
• Layer half the noodles in a greased 13x9 baking dish. Top with half the meat sauce, half the cottage cheese, and half the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers.
• Bake uncovered in a 375 F oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes about 12-16 servings.