Crinella Family Cookbook
Our Grandparents' Favorites
Anti Pasti
Soups
Salads
Pasta
Vegetables
Fish
Poultry
Meat
Wild Game
Sweets
Brunch or Luncheon Dishes
Odds & Ends
Sour Dough
Other Breads ETC
Table of Contents
Crinella Winery
|
Pasta
All-Purpose Pasta Dough
Simple Tomato Sauce
Tagliolini (Egg Noodles)
Noodle Scraps in Butter and
Cheese
Pasta Primavera
Spaghetti Alia E Olio
Abruzzi Spaghetti Sauce
Baked Lasagna
Linguini a la Vongole
Pasta with Pesto Sauce
Potato Gnocchi
Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce
Ravioli
Rotelli Pasta with
Pesto Clam Sauce
Farfalle with Italian Mushrooms
and Brown Sauce
Risotti
Mushroom Risotto
Lombardi Risotto
Risotto with Clams
Risotto Garibaldi
Italian Quiche
Roasted Pepper Rice
Polenta
Polenta Fritta
Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce
for Polenta Fritta
Meat Gravy for Polenta
2005 Sauvignon Blanc
2006 Pinot Noir
|
Baked Lasagna for Sis
|
Christina "Sis" Crinella was born on New Year's Day in 1977. She is the
last of Marino and Marian Crinella's grandchildren, and quite doted over
by the entire family. On New Year's Day each year, despite hangovers and
competition from football games, there is always a feast to celebrate
Christina's birthday, capped by New Year's party with hats and
noisemakers, the latter of which are used for a raucous celebration when
she blows out the candles on her cake. Each New Year's day, Christina
orders her favorite dinner, lasagna. This was originally Marian
Crinella's lasagna recipe.
2 pounds, lean ground beef
1 pound, unseasoned sausage
2 large yellow onions, finely chopped
12 medium to large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup, parsley, finely chopped
2 cups, dried Italian mushrooms (Porcini), soaked and cut into smaller
chunks
4 medium cans (about 16 ounces), peeled plum tomatoes
2 medium cans (about 16 ounces), water
1 small can (about 8 ounces), tomato paste
2 teaspoons, finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons, dried sweet basil
2 teaspoons, salt
1 cup, sweet sherry
1 cup, dry red wine
2 pounds mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
2 quarts, ricotta cheese
1/2 cup, olive oil
2 cups, grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
4 pounds, lasagna noodles
|
Saute beef and sausage in large skillet until brown and crumbly, then
drain off fat in colander.
Add 1/4 cup olive oil to skillet, and sautee
onions, garlic, parsley over medium heat.
Pour plum tomatoes, water,
tomato paste, mushrooms to large saucepan, bring to boil.
Add sauteed
garlic, parsley and onions, as well as meat.
Add pepper, basil and salt,
along with sherry and red wine.
When mixture boils again, reduce to heat
and simmer for 6 hours.
Bring 12 quarts of water to boil in large saucepan. Add pinch of salt and
a few drops of olive oil.
When water is boiling, add 2 pounds of lasagna
noodles.
Continue to boil until noodles are tender.
Drain water off, but
leave enough water to keep noodles from sticking, and add a tablespoon of
olive oil.
Spread a bit of the lasagna sauce in the bottom of baking pan (3" to 4"
deep at sides).
Spread a layer of noodles lengthwise over sauce;
add
layer of mozzarella;
add layer of noodles crosswise over mozzarella;
add
layer of sauce;
add layer of noodles lengthwise;
spread with layer of
ricotta cheese;
add layer of noodles crosswise;
add layer of mozzarella,
covered by sauce.
Sprinkle with grated Romano (or Parmesan) cheese.
Slide baking pan into oven pre-heated to 375 degrees, and bake until
grated cheese is browned.
You will usually have a sufficient number of remaining lasagna noodles to
make a second pan. Then, boil the other two pounds of noodles and make
two more pans of lasagna. Unless you have two large pasta cookers (at
least 12 quarts), don't try to cook all 4 pounds of noodles at once, as
they will be too starchy and stick together. Also, don't try to make more
than 2 pans of lasagna at one time unless you have an assembly line
operation.
When you remove the lasagna from the oven, cover pan with aluminum foil
and let lasagna sit for at least one hour before serving, or it will be
runny and break apart when slicing.
A chunk of lasagna that is about 3"
by 4" wide will make an adequate serving for a lasagna with this layer
structure. This entire recipe makes enough lasagna for a large party. We
usually feed about two dozen people and have a pan or more of lasagna left
over, which we refrigerate and reheat later in the week. This is one dish
that may be better reheated than fresh out of the oven.
|
|
|
