Lasagna is one of the traditional Italian dishes known far beyond the borders of this country. There are many ways to prepare lasagna, allowing the use of rather unusual ingredients in the recipe for this dish. However, the classic lasagna recipe remains unchanged to this day.
Lasagne with chicken and mushrooms
The basis for any lasagna, be it the classic version, which was prepared by Italian chefs more than one hundred years ago, or the simpler modern Lasagna with chicken and mushrooms, is dough. For its preparation you will need: – 250-300 g of flour; – 2-3 eggs; – vegetable oil. After mixing flour and eggs, add a little butter to them, then knead the dough until it stops sticking to your hands. After that, divide it into several equal parts – depending on how many layers will be in the climbing. Usually, no more than six such layers are made. Roll each part of the lasagna dough thinner so that the sheet is no more than a millimeter thick. Cut rectangles out of the dough in the shape of a baking sheet and set them aside separately from each other so that they do not stick together.
Heat a skillet with a little vegetable oil. Add one finely chopped onion there, you can also add a couple of chopped garlic cloves. Saute the onions and garlic over low heat until they begin to turn transparent. Then add 300-400 g of ground beef to them. You can also make lasagna with chicken or ham, but the classic lasagna recipe involves the use of beef. If you don’t eat meat, you can substitute vegetables or make mushroom lasagna. As the minced meat is browned, periodically add some dry red wine to it. After 10 minutes, add 300 g of canned tomatoes, cut into small pieces, to the pan, mix them lightly with the minced meat, and then cover and simmer for about an hour over low heat.
Do not forget to peel the tomatoes to make the sauce smooth.
Not a single method of making lasagna is complete without béchamel sauce. It is done very quickly and easily, you will need: – half a liter of milk; – 3 tbsp. l. flour; – 40 g butter. Heat the milk on the stove until it starts to boil. In the meantime, put the butter in another small container and melt it over medium heat, then add the flour and stir the mixture for a few minutes. Then pour the boiled milk into it, add salt, then turn the heat down to low and heat the resulting sauce for another 3-4 minutes, without stopping stirring it.
Add some nutmeg and spices to the béchamel sauce for piquancy
Lightly grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil, then place the first sheet of dough on it. Pour the meat sauce on it in an even layer, then the béchamel sauce, then sprinkle them with Parmesan cheese on top. This type of cheese is considered an essential ingredient in classic lasagna, but as a last resort, you can replace it with another hard cheese or refuse altogether if you decide to prepare a vegetarian version of the lasagna with mushrooms, but without meat. Layer by layer in this way. The last sheet of dough does not need to be watered with sauce, you can only sprinkle it with cheese, after which the lasagna will be ready to go into the oven preheated to 50-60 degrees. If you don’t have an oven at hand, you can cook the lasagna in the microwave, but in this case, the time will take not an hour, but about 80–90 minutes.