A gift for you -- Lasagna

So, I've been on a blogging hiatus because I never have any time.  I go to school, work, play lots of video games, cook, and play on facebook, so that leaves very little time for sitting in front of a computer typing.  Okay, that's really not an excuse.  To make up for it, though, I give you a simple recipe for the best tasting lasagna you've ever had.  Risking offense to my family, I dare say this is even better than Nana's lasagna.  Why is this so much better?  Two words: Homemade Ricotta.  The other thing that makes this the best recipe ever is that you can easily make a meat or vegetarian lasagna with only a small change to the sauce.  Note that the ricotta could be made a day or two ahead of time as well.

I'm a big fan of properly crediting my sources, and this lasagna is a compilation of several great sources.  I made absolutely no changes to the ricotta recipe posted by smittenkitchen.com, adapted a marinara sauce recipe from allrecipes.com, and I debated about making my own mozarella, but I didn't.  Without further adieu, here you go:

Meat Lasagna
Prep Time: 1 1/2 hrs (making the ricotta, sauce, and putting the lasagna together)
Cook time: 1 hr (baking the lasagna)
Yield: 9 x 13" pan of lasagna, which is enough for 8-10 people, I'd say.

Ingredients for ricotta:

• 6 cups whole milk, as fresh as you can find (almost an entire 1/2 gallon)
• 2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream
• 6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Ingredients for sauce:

• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, ground.  If you can't find it ground, just remove the casings.  Omit if you want vegetarian lasagna.
•  4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 - 1/4 cup dried minced onions (or 1/3 cup fresh minced onion)
• 5 - 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 x 14.5 oz cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 x 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 tsp each of parsley, basil, and oregano (Italian seasonings could be substituted)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)

Remaining ingredients for lasagna:

• 12 - 16 lasagna noodles (NOT the ready-to-bake variety)
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese 
• 3/4 - 1 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced or grated at the deli.  If your deli doesn't have mozzarella anymore like mine, you can slice or grate the freshest you can find.
• 1 egg, beaten

Kitchen Items Needed:

• large pot (3 - 4 Qt) for heating milk and cream for ricotta (no lid needed)
• skillet for sausage
• medium pot (2 - 3 Qt) with lid for sauce
• pot for cooking lasagna noodles (no lid needed)
• strainer
• colander
• 9" x 13" baking dish
• blender or food processor
• cheesecloth
• candy thermometer that reads at least 195 degrees (F)

Instructions for ricotta:

1. In a large pot, combine the whole milk and heavy cream.
2. Bring to 195 degrees (F) [90 degrees (C)].  Remove from heat and add lemon juice; stir slowly twice.  Let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Line a strainer with 2 layers of cheesecloth.
4. Pour into cheesecloth-lined strainer, and let strain for 1 hour.  If you have a use for the whey, save it, if not, discard it.  The longer after 1 hour that you strain it, the closer to a cream cheese like consistency it will get.

• Note: This can be done a day or two ahead of time, if the ricotta is stored in an airtight container and refrigerated.

Instructions for sauce (can be done while ricotta is straining):

1. In a skillet, brown the Italian sausage until cooked through.  Pour off any fat, and set sausage aside.
2. In a food processor or blender (I used a magic bullet in two batches), blend the stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.
3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot.  Saute the garlic and onions for 2-3 minutes until slightly browned.
4. Add the tomato mixture and sausage, stirring to mix well.  Heat to a boil. 
5. Once the sauce reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

Last bit of prep work:

1. Once the sauce is done, in the third pot, cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions.
2. Rinse with cold water in a colander.  Set aside for making the lasagna.
3. When the ricotta is done straining, mix in the beaten egg.  Set aside for making the lasagna.

Putting it all together:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
2. In the bottom of the 9" x 13" dish, spread 1 1\2 cups of sauce.  
3. Arrange 6 - 8 of the lasagna noodles to cover the sauce.
4. Spread half of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles.
5. Add 1/3 of the mozarella slices (or sprinkle 1/3 of the grated mozarella)
6. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of sauce over the mozarella, and repeat layers 2 through 4.
7. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
8. Cover with foil, being sure not to let the foil touch the cheese or it will stick.
9. Bake for 25 minutes; remove foil, and continue baking another 25 minutes.
10. Cool for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

The Recipe Rundown

Difficulty: The difficulty in this recipe is not in any part of the cooking, but in getting the timing down.  That being said, the cheese takes an hour to strain, the sauce takes about 35 minutes, and the noodles should take 8 - 10 minutes, so timing isn't all that hard either.  Plus, even if your timing is a little off, nothing is so delicate that it can't sit for a few minutes.  Since it takes a reasonable amount of time though, I can't consider this one of the simplest recipes ever.  If I was grading each piece (ricotta, sauce, and lasagna) independently, they'd each get a 1/5, but putting them together all at once I'll say is a 2/5 for difficulty.  Beginner chefs should have no problems, but be prepared for some tired feet from spending more time on them then you might be used to in the kitchen.

Taste: There's no need for discussion on this one; homemade ricotta makes this the best lasagna I've ever had.  Next time, I may even get crazy and make the mozzarella too.  This gets a 5/5 for taste.

Overall: This recipe is worth every minute of time you invest in it.  You can easily tweak the sauce recipe for a vegetarian lasagna, or use a different meat to suit your tastes.  I think everyone should try making the ricotta themselves once in their lives.  This recipe definitely gets an overall 5/5.

Suited For: You can make this to impress anybody, as homemade ricotta comes with certain bragging rights.  The whole family will love it, too, so this is suited for just about anybody that's hungry.

Serving Suggestions:  For a full meal, begin with your favorite salad, serve up the lasagna nice and hot, and finish off with a cool dessert like a tiramisu or an Italian gelato (or less exotic ice cream).