Baked Classic Lasagna

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Baked Classic Lasagna

Lasagna al Forno

Lasagna, almost every region of Italy have its own type of Lasagna. Sometimes the name

Lasagna indicates simply a dish of flat large egg noodles dressed with tomato sauce. The

multi-layered lasagna is also called Pasta al Forno (Baked Pasta.) The most popular type oflasagna, the one I propose here, originated in Bologna. This easy Lasagna recipe is made of

layers of fresh pasta, filled with tomato meat sauce, Balsamella white sauce, and topped withParmigiano Reggiano cheese. Using fresh pasta gives the best result, but also dry lasagna sheets

can be used.

Puff pastry Pate a choux


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Basics >> Puff Pastry (Pte Choux)

Puff Pastry or Cream Puff (Pte Choux in French) are improperly called bigne in Italian. ThePuff Pastries (Pte Choux) are a simple type of pastry that can be easily transformed in many,

sometime spectacular, preparations.

Risotto with Asparagus

Risotto con gli Asparagi

ends of the asparagus. Cut the spears away from the asparagus and reserve. Cut the stems in 1/2

inch (1 cm) long pieces. Warm the broth to a simmer.Put 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, and turn the

heat to medium. When the butter starts foaming, add the onion. Saut' until the onion is soft.Add rice, stir for about 2 minutes, and add salt and pepper.

Add the wine, and stir for about 2 minutes until absorbed.Add asparagus stem and one quarter cup broth. Stir to prevent the rice from sticking to the pan.

When the rice begins absorbing the liquid, add more broth.Repeat this step of adding the broth and stirring, keeping the rice at the consistency of a dense

paste.After about 12 minutes, add the asparagus spears.

After about 18 minutes, add the rest of the butter, parmigiano reggiano cheese, and continuestirring and adding broth. The rice will be ready in about 2 more minutes, when al dente (firm

but not too soft or overcooked). Cooking time may vary. Let the risotto set for about 2 minutes.Serve hot.

Risotto can be flavored with all kinds of ingredients. Asparagus is a perfect complement to

risotto. The delicate taste of asparagus blends perfectly with the cheese, and the decoration withthe asparagus spears makes for a spectacular presentation.

Pork Roast with Orange

Arrosto allArancio1/2 lb (200 g) prosciutto, finely sliced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


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1 tablespoon butter2 oranges, juiced

1 carrot, chopped1 stick celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 orange, slicedSpread the herbs over the meat on all sides.

Tie the pork roast with a kitchen string.

Place the olive oil in a saute pan large enough to contain the meat. Turn heat to medium. Whenthe oil is hot, transfer the meat to the pan.

Brown the meat, uniformly turning it on all sides.Add the butter . . .

. . . the orange juice . . . .

. . . and the chopped vegetables.

Stir, cover the pot, and cook on medium low for about 45 minutes. Turn the meat occasionally.Add a little broth if necessary. When the meat is done, set the gravy and vegetables aside, and let

the meat cool to room temperature.Place the butter in a large skillet on medium heat. When the butter starts foaming, add the orange

slices. Saut briefly for 1 or 2 minutes, turning them so that both sides saut.Slice the meat like a fan, without separating the slices.

Transfer the meat in an oven-proof serving dish. Add the gravy with the vegetables on top andaround the meat.

Cut the orange slices in half. Insert the orange slices among the meat slices. Cover the dish withaluminum foil and place it briefly back in the oven to warm the meat before serving.

The final dish makes an impressive presentation and is just delicious!

Whipped Cream CakeZuccotto


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Zuccotto, filled with ice cream or whipped

cream, is the modern version of a layer cake from Florence, not conventionally arranged, butshaped in the form of a dome. Zuccotto it is said to have been inspired to the shape of the Cupola

of the Duomo of Florence.

one recipe sponge cake (see recipe here)

Sicilian Fig CookiesCuccidati (Buccellati)

Cuccidati are wonderful tasting cookies of Sicilian origin. This preparation, probably the

precursor of the American fig bars, is dear to many American-Italians of Sicilian descent.

My mother was not big at baking. Her cooking was basic and simple as she was too busy takingcare of me and my three sisters (not an easy task). Living in Rome she missed Sicily and Sicilian

sweets, and fig cookies were her favorites. They are relatively simple to prepare, and they tastefantastic.


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Ravioli with Spinach and Ricotta CheeseRavioli con Ricotta e Spinaci

Ravioli is a traditional Italian dish done by stuffing pasta pockets with different fillings. The

shape of Ravioli can be obtained in two different ways. One way is to place the filling on onepasta sheet, overlapping the next, and then separating the ravioli by cutting the squares around

the pasta pockets; or they can be done by cutting pasta sheets in rounds, placing the filling in thecenter and closing the ravioli overlapping the pasta to form a sort of half-moon shape. The filling

vary from vegetables (spinach, mushrooms, squash) to different kind of meat, cheese, or evenseafood. Ravioli are boiled and then dressed in many different ways, generally butter and herbs

or light tomato sauces, but also ragu or cheese.

Historically Ravioli go back to medieval times and are mentioned in manuscripts as early as the

thirteenth century. Today industrial made Ravioli can be easily found in any grocery store, butnothing compare to the home made one.

Beans Soup (Pasta Fasul)

Pasta e Fagioli


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Beans Soup or Pasta Fasul?

Pasta Fasul is the name many Americans of Italian heritage call "Pasta e Fagioli" or Bean Soup. The

dish is very popular in every region of Italy and there are infinite variations of Bean soup (pasta fasul) asalmost every area of Italy has a different way of making it.

Common beans were imported in Europe after the discovery by Columbus of the American continent. It

was one of the few edible vegetables to have almost immediate diffusion. The reason is probably that

beans, (the black-eyed variety originally from North Africa) were already known for centuries, therefore

people was looking at a familiar food.

Italian soups are not smooth but chunky and most of the time contain pasta. There are no ingredients

that could tone down the flavor, on the contrary everything in them tend to enhance the taste of the

main ingredient that is predominant. Bean Soup (pasta fasul) is no exception. Bean soup (pasta fasul) is

traditionally slowly cooked in terracotta pots, often with the addition of prosciutto or Italian bacon

(pancetta) to enhance its flavor.

Madeleines

Maddalene


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Oh, the stories about the Madeleines! There are so many accounts about the origin of these little

cookies that everyone must be confused by now. The only thing we know for sure is that they have

always been associated with the French town of Commercy.

The story goes that the nuns of the convent of St. Mary Magdalen (St. Madeleine) made and and sold

the cookies to support themselves and their school. After the French revolution, the monasteries wereclosed, and the nuns supposedly sold the recipe to the bakers of the town for a large amount of money.

Not surprisingly, the Larousse Gastronomique favors the version that claims a master pastry chef

named Jean Avice, working with Prince Tallyrand, invented them by baking these little cakes in aspic

molds.

Another less credible story alleges that they were invented by a young girl by the name of Madeleine,

who worked as a servant for Stanislas Leszczynsky, the deposed king of Poland exiled to Lorraine. When

his daughter Marie married Louis XV, the Madeleines, as King Stanislas named them, became very

popular in Versailles.

Whatever the true story is, they were made famous by Marcel Proust, who wrote about them in his

autobiographical novel la recherche du temps perdu, (translated Remembrance of Things Past). He

left the novel unfinished, and his brothers published the book upon his death in 1923.

Madeleines are not Madeleines without their distinctive shape, ridged on one side like an elongated

shell. Madeleines are soft and moist after having just been baked, not too sweet, and perfect when

sipping some coffee or a cup of tea.

Sicilian CannoliCannoli Siciliani


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Cannoli derive their name from canna (cane or reed) because of their tubular shape, andbecause in the past, before the introduction of the metal tubes, they were shaped around a reed

section. They represent the Sicilian dessert par excellence.

Typically part of the festivities for carnival (mardi gras), cannoli were sent in the past by the

dozen as a present to friends. They are now available all year round in pastry shops all aroundItaly and wherever Sicilians have settled. Cannoli are among the most magnificent Sicilianpastries. The fried wafers are traditionally filled with ricotta cheese sweetened with powdered

sugar, with the addition of candied fruit, pistachios, and chocolate chips.

Baked Classic Lasagna

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