One day I intend to be a good cook. That is why I make Lasagna. Because a good lasagna makes a good cook. According to a friend.

Another one wanted me to cook it for her on a warm, spicy afternoon. 
So I did.
Its dead simple. However, YOU DO NEED A FEW THINGS. 
Firstly, Lasagna sheets.
Secondly, minced meat. 
Thirdly, tomatoes.
Fourthly, garlic.
Fifthly, Ricotta cheese. Or, in my case, a blend of home-made cottage cheese and heavy cream. 
Sixthly (i don’t think that’s a word, though), Mozzarella cheese. Yes. This post is a cheesefest. Quite like Oktoberfest. Only with cheese.
Making Lasagna is a step-by-step procedure. You need stealth and courage, and a need to stop eating when you can. 
This is how you begin. With the sauce. Because all good lasagna must have a good base. Your sauce is your base. So cook it gently.
Heat a tablespoon of oil and add 2 tbsp. chopped garlic. Stir fry for a minute, and add 300 gm. minced meat (my poison’s beef, but you can use lamb, chicken or mutton too. Not pork though… pork is too much fat for lasagna only). Stir thoroughly, breaking up the meat, so that it resembles crumbled mince meat, like the picture at the bottom. 

Once your meat is cooked, add 1 finely chopped onion. Fry for another 2-3 minutes before adding 200 ml. tomato puree and 4 chopped tomatoes. Add a big pinch of oregano and some salt and sugar to taste.  Cook, covered for 20 minutes. Add white wine or water, mix thoroughly, so that you get a lovely, gravy-like sauce.

The sauce is the key here.

Mix together 200 gm. paneer with 200 ml. fresh cream. Blend thoroughly. You now have Ricotta cheese. 400gm. worth. Add salt to taste.

Grease a 6 x 6 baking pan with butter. Put a ladle of sauce on the bottom to avoid lasagna from sticking when done.

Strategically put 2 sheets of lasagna at the bottom. The two sheets you see have been cooked for a minute in boiling salted water.

Cover with more sauce and then line with half the ricotta cheese.

Pour more sauce on top and line with even more ricotta cheese. Make sure the ricotta is finished at the second layer, and then, cover with two more sheets of lasagna.

Cover the sheets of lasagna with more sauce and then top with thick slices of mozzarella cheese (I assume around 150 gm. does the trick. did for me).

Put this in a 180 degree centigrade oven and bake for 20 minutes. Make sure you keep a bowl of water inside the oven too, to keep the lasagna from drying out.

So, this is where I stand. The final state of happiness. All ready to be cut into. 
Sad, half-eaten Lasagna picture. 
And, the final, food mourn moment, where you know that this baby is not pretty, even with all that ricotta.
I do hope you make this at least once. It is worth every damn minute’s work. 

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0 Responses

  1. ei quiche banano shekhabi re? 😛
    Not the snooty british version of Simon Hopkinson types…something with your touch in it…

  2. Had such a craving of this when I read your post that I made it this weekend. Followed your recipe to the T. It was a runaway hit, so much so that I already have a repeat order for the next weekend 🙂 Thank you dahling!

  3. Aree spinach and mozzarella is a match made in heaven…a carnivore like you, I stumbled onto this combo and now can't get enough of it…I am not suggesting lasagna, but it tastes amazing in pizza, quiche et al….

    This lasagna looks awesome…am waiting for winter, more precisely Christmas to make lasagna 🙂

  4. i am totally not making this with spinach. this is the ultimate carb-fat-protein fest, and I will keep it carnivorous, thankyou!!

    Ar Rahul, I will take you up on that offer.

  5. Bah, these looks very good. You can do something with ricotta and spinach. I think I had that at Fire and Ice and loved it. For this particular dish they substitute lasagne sheets with crepes. It is very delicious.

  6. i am a lasagna crazy person…. but i like my lasagna wid veggies……..

    Primevera… to be accurate

    ek din toke kore khawachhi

    also try the making moussaka using the same mince and aubergine slices…

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About Me

Hi, I’m Panushwari

Welcome to my blog which is mostly about Food, Travel, Lifestyle and Beauty. I generally review restaurants and hotels in Kolkata and my work as a Restaurant Consultant and Food Critic in Kolkata allows me to maintain this blog as a showcase of my work. I am also a published author and have been a panelist at many events.

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