{"id":36481,"title":"Authentic Italian Lasange","description":"This lasagne was a special treat in the Recalde household.  Growing up in Rome meant not only learning how to cook authentic Italian recipes, but also learning how to eat like an Italian! Being surrounded by family, cooking enough food to feed a small army and of course enjoying a good bottle of wine.","content":"<p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/noxarp8uweb0qig1bfbqrs3shsugzy70z7quzqxln9jqouue.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"Freshly cooked lasange in a baking tray\" title=\"Freshly cooked lasange in a baking tray\" \/>This lasagne was a special treat in the Recalde household. Growing up in Rome meant not only learning how to cook authentic Italian recipes, but also learning how to eat like an Italian! Being surrounded by family, cooking enough food to feed a small army and of course enjoying a good bottle of wine.<\/p><p>Lasange as we know it today originates from Naples with one of the first recorded recipes going as far back as the 14th century. Today, thousands of variations exist and each culture has their own twist. This recipe takes it back to basics - the secret is making your own tomato sauce. You can of course use store bought if you'd like to cut corners, but the depth of flavour won't quite be the same. The choice is yours!<\/p><p><strong>Serving size:<\/strong><br \/><br \/>Serves 8<\/p><p><strong>Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><p>450g ground beef<\/p><\/li><li><p>450g Italian or pork sausage<\/p><\/li><li><p>Pinch of basil<\/p><\/li><li><p>2 teaspoons garlic powder<\/p><\/li><li><p>1 tablespoon dried oregano<\/p><\/li><li><p>2 teaspoons ground black pepper<\/p><\/li><li><p>2 tablespoons minced garlic<\/p><\/li><li><p>1 tablespoon dried onion flakes<\/p><\/li><li><p>1 packet of dried lasagne noodles<\/p><\/li><li><p>230g Parmigiana cheese<\/p><\/li><li><p>450g shredded mozzarella cheese<\/p><p><\/p><\/li><\/ul><p><strong>For the homemade tomato sauce (or substitute with 400g marinara sauce):<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><p>8 medium tomatoes<\/p><\/li><li><p>1 white onion<\/p><\/li><li><p>3 or 4 cloves of garlic<\/p><\/li><li><p>2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar<\/p><\/li><li><p>Olive oil<\/p><\/li><li><p>Salt<\/p><\/li><li><p>Basil (fresh or dried)<\/p><p><\/p><\/li><\/ul><p><strong>For the B\u00e9chamel (<em>Besciamella<\/em>) sauce:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><p>500 ml fresh milk (whole fat if possible)<\/p><\/li><li><p>50g unsalted butter<\/p><\/li><li><p>50g all-purpose flour<\/p><\/li><li><p>Freshly grated nutmeg<\/p><p><\/p><\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Method:<\/strong><\/p><p>1. Preheat the oven to 200\u00b0C.<\/p><p>2. Chop up the tomatoes into quarters and add to a baking pan. Chop up the onion and garlic, tossing into the same baking pan. Sprinkle salt to taste, drizzle over olive oil, the balsamic vinegar and the basil. Bake for 30-40 mins at 200\u00b0C depending on the quantity of tomatoes used. This will form your homemade tomato sauce or <em>passata<\/em> in Italian.<\/p><p><em>*Tip: You can freeze any leftover sauce to use in other dishes.<\/em><\/p><p>3. Brown the ground beef and sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess grease. Season with basil, garlic powder, oregano, sage, pepper, minced garlic and onion flakes. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.<\/p><p>4. Stir in the homemade tomato sauce and simmer for a further 15 minutes (the longer the better for more depth of flavour - just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn\u2019t dry out).<\/p><p>5. Next, make the bechamel sauce by melting the butter in a stainless steel saucepan on medium heat. Sift in the flour and mix quickly with a whisk or wooden spoon. Stir until smooth with no lumps.<\/p><p>6. Gradually pour in the milk, constantly stirring. Pour a little at the time to let it get absorbed into the roux (the term for a cooked mixture of equal parts flour and fat\/butter) until you have a fairly thick consistency. Don\u2019t pour in all the milk at once - the mixture will be too liquid in consistency. Keep stirring for 10-15 minutes and add in a small amount of salt, freshly ground pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.<\/p><p>7. Turn down the heat in the oven to 190\u00b0C.<\/p><p>8. Place a layer of the meat and sauce in the bottom of the 22x33cm baking dish. Cover with a layer of dry lasagne noodles. Pour some B\u00e9chamel sauce over. Spread a thin layer of mozzarella cheese over the top. Cover with another layer of sauce and repeat layering ending with the meat and sauce on top. Save about 1\/2 cup of mozzarella cheese for later.<\/p><p>9. Cover with foil to let the steam from inside cook the lasange sheets quicker, and prevent it from drying out.<\/p><p>10. Bake for 45 minutes, however check after 30 minutes depending on how thick the lasagne sheets are. You will easily be able to pass a knife through the lasagne when it's cooked. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and all of the Parmigiana cheese on top and return to the oven to brown (remove the foil for this last step).<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><strong>Let cool and enjoy!<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>\ud83d\udca1Behind the recipe  <\/strong>by Co-Founder Manuel<\/p><p>Moving to Italy without speaking the language was always going to be difficult. My mother did an amazing job of navigating the cultural nuances and how to deal with situations like locals frequently peering into her shopping cart unabashedly to see what she could possibly be buying.<\/p><p>She turned those moments into learning opportunities, asking what sauce to make tonight, or what new dish to attempt at home. This resulted in a deeper connection to the Italian lifestyle and occasionally a word for word recipe passed down by generations from a virtual stranger. Her cooking, and specifically her Italian dishes are the most prominent and comforting scents and tastes of \"home\" I retain to this day. All credit to my Mum for this recipe. Grazie Ma!<\/p>","urlTitle":"authentic-italian-lasange","url":"\/blog\/authentic-italian-lasange\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/authentic-italian-lasange\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/that-third-culture-life.teemill.com\/blog\/authentic-italian-lasange\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1707656710,"updatedAt":1708100238,"publishedAt":1708100238,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":88263,"name":"That Third Culture Life"},"tags":[{"id":3136,"code":"recipes","name":"Recipes","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/recipes\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/c8jpbqdayj8716k1kqxtg7oyrj1lsvu6hh4ofmmgpvhqsyje.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/c8jpbqdayj8716k1kqxtg7oyrj1lsvu6hh4ofmmgpvhqsyje.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/c8jpbqdayj8716k1kqxtg7oyrj1lsvu6hh4ofmmgpvhqsyje.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"Authentic Lasange | That Third Culture Life","metaDescription":"","series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":36631,"title":"Italian Caprese Salad","url":"\/blog\/italian-caprese-salad\/","urlTitle":"italian-caprese-salad","division":88263,"description":"Caprese salads are traditionally made from fresh tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. Interestingly, these elements can be layered in turn as a symbol of the Italian flag (red tomatoes, green basil and white mozzarella)!","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/8ctoltzt6xgllxdd3ef6evuwal3bu3givz9nrrvj1zqvukpt.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/8ctoltzt6xgllxdd3ef6evuwal3bu3givz9nrrvj1zqvukpt.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":36687,"title":"Tiramisu","url":"\/blog\/tiramisu\/","urlTitle":"tiramisu","division":88263,"description":"This caffeinated dessert serves as an excellent way to combat the post dinner lethargy. Tiramisu literally means 'pick me up' in Italian. It's so quick and easy to make, and it's sure to be a hit with your guests!","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/rlpnhazahznmw98pwxsylfj8f3yrldsar3bknmwwgoh8btxt.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/rlpnhazahznmw98pwxsylfj8f3yrldsar3bknmwwgoh8btxt.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":37484,"title":"Cooking Up a TCK Life with Jordan","url":"\/blog\/cooking-up-a-tck-life-with-jordan\/","urlTitle":"cooking-up-a-tck-life-with-jordan","division":88263,"description":"What does home taste like for a Third Culture Kid (TCK)? For Jordan, home tastes like a fusion of flavours from all the places he's lived.  Jordan was born in Namibia to a Namibian mother and Kenyan father.  His French stepfather entered the picture later","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/g4ubbzvcqpkjl9zimkfht7jijcyfqyyy0fjeh6aeyojwygmq.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/g4ubbzvcqpkjl9zimkfht7jijcyfqyyy0fjeh6aeyojwygmq.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}