Day: July 26, 2018

Celebrate National Lasagna Day with Buddy V

 

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Buddy V’s Nonna’s Lasagna al Forno. Photo” Buddy V’s Ristorante, used with permission.

National Lasagna Day is a holiday commemorated annually on July 29th to celebrate one of the most quintessential Italian dishes. A dish that is not only popular in the United States, it also has enormous popularity around the world even though there is debate among culinary historians over when this dish was created.

Straight from Buddy Valastro’s vault of family recipes, Nonna’s Lasagna al Forno is the holy grail of lasagnas and this is ultimate recipe needed to celebrate National Lasagna Day. Courtesy of Buddy V’s Ristorante at The Shops at La Cantera, this colossal dish features Italian sausage, bolognese, ricotta, provolone, parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Bring home one of the Cake Boss’ most beloved heirloom recipes. (Buddy V’s Ristorante, 2018)

Nonna’s Lasagna al Forno – Courtesy of Bryan Forgione

Béchamel Ingredients
8 oz. butter
10 oz. all purpose flour
10 oz. chicken stock
2 bunches Thyme
Salt

Method

  1. Make roux with butter, chicken stock, and flour, cook out for a few minutes.
  2. Add rest and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid sticking to the bottom.
  3. Strain through china cap.

Nona’s Lasagna Al Forno Ingredients
11 sheets Lasagna Pasta
1 lb. Shredded Mozzarella
4 oz. Grana Grated
½ Gallon Ricotta
1 Bunch Basil Leaves
12 oz. Marinara
1/2 lb. ground beef, Cooked
1 lb. ground Italian sausage, cooked
12 oz. Béchamel

Method

(1) Spray heavily with non-stick all sides and bottom of a pan roughly the same size as the pasta.
(2) Lay down parchment paper to cover bottom.  Lay down pasta evenly covering ENTIRE bottom corner to corner, start layering –béchamel –marinara -meat –mozzarella –ricotta–grana -basil.
(3) Add a layer of pasta and push down using another pan.
(4) Repeat process until you end up with 11 sheets of pasta total.
(5) Cover with parchment and plastic wrap and put in cooler, place the pan on top and weigh it down evenly overnight.
(6) Next day, use a grill spatula to loosen up all the sides.
(7) Flip onto a parchment lined sheet pan.
(8) Cut into 4 rectangles and wrap individually.

Notes
For each layer: 1 qt. of meat, 1 qt. of béchamel, 2 cups of mozzarella, 1 cup of ricotta, 1 cup of grana, 6 oz. marinara.