What is a Lasagne?

Answer 1

Lasagne, also lasagna, is both a form of pasta in sheets (often rippled in North America and other countries, though seldom so in Italy) and also a dish, sometimes named Lasagne al forno (meaning "Lasagne in the oven") made with alternate layers of pasta, cheese, and sometimes ragù (a meat sauce). While it is traditionally believed to have originated in Italy, evidence has come to light suggesting that a very similar meal known as "loseyns" (pronounced 'lasan') was eaten in the court of King Richard II of England in the 14th Century. The recipe was also featured in the first cookbook ever written in England. However, the claim is far from universally accepted (see the much earlier Roman use of "lasanum" below). The Italian Embassy in London particularly speaks out against such theories [1]. It has also been claimed that the Scandinavian "Langkake", popular from the Viking ages, is a relative of, or even precursor to lasagne but there is as of yet no evidence that the true lasagne developed from this multilayered dish consisting of flatbread, meat sauce and cheese.

The word "lasagna" is derived from the Greek word "lasanon" meaning chamber pot. The word was later borrowed by the Romans as "lasanum" to mean cooking pot. The Italians then used the word to refer to the dish in which what is now known as lasagna is made. The word lasagna or lasagne (plural) now simply applies to the dish itself. The British (and Italians) generally use the plural "lasagne" to mean both the dish and the pasta while the Americans commonly use the singular "lasagna".

Many recipes call for several kinds of cheese, most often ricotta and mozzarella. The classic Lasagne alla Bolognese uses only Parmigiano Reggiano. Many recipes also add bechamel sauce (besciamella).

A variant is Lasagne verdi (green lasagne) which is the normal egg pasta with spinach added.

Lasagne was first recorded in the 13th century when it was used in a layered dish. This early version did not include tomatoes, which had not yet been discovered by Europeans.

Answer 2

Lasagne, also lasagna, is both a form of pasta in sheets (often rippled in North America and other countries, though seldom so in Italy) and also a dish, sometimes named Lasagne al forno (meaning "Lasagne in the oven") made with alternate layers of pasta, cheese, and sometimes ragù (a meat sauce). While it is traditionally believed to have originated in Italy, evidence has come to light suggesting that a very similar meal known as "loseyns" (pronounced 'lasan') was eaten in the court of King Richard II of England in the 14th Century. The recipe was also featured in the first cookbook ever written in England. However, the claim is far from universally accepted (see the much earlier Roman use of "lasanum" below). The Italian Embassy in London particularly speaks out against such theories [1]. It has also been claimed that the Scandinavian "Langkake", popular from the Viking ages, is a relative of, or even precursor to lasagne but there is as of yet no evidence that the true lasagne developed from this multilayered dish consisting of flatbread, meat sauce and cheese.

The word "lasagna" is derived from the Greek word "lasanon" meaning chamber pot. The word was later borrowed by the Romans as "lasanum" to mean cooking pot. The Italians then used the word to refer to the dish in which what is now known as lasagna is made. The word lasagna or lasagne (plural) now simply applies to the dish itself. The British (and Italians) generally use the plural "lasagne" to mean both the dish and the pasta while the Americans commonly use the singular "lasagna".

Many recipes call for several kinds of cheese, most often ricotta and mozzarella. The classic Lasagne alla Bolognese uses only Parmigiano Reggiano. Many recipes also add bechamel sauce (besciamella).

A variant is Lasagne verdi (green lasagne) which is the normal egg pasta with spinach added.

Lasagne was first recorded in the 13th century when it was used in a layered dish. This early version did not include tomatoes, which had not yet been discovered by Europeans

Answer 3

lasagne is a meal made with several cheeses, meat and lasagne(flat 1" wide) noodles stacked in layers covered with tomato sauce and cooked in oven.

Answer 4

lol leave it to the italian to explain.. its lasagna sometimes named 'Lasagne al forno' and its an italian cuisine made with alternate layers of pasta, cheese, and sometimes ragù (a meat sauce).

Answer 5

Yes and Yes

Answer 6

it's a italian pasta dish ,made with refined flour egg and water.ofcourse it is ready available in supermarket.

Answer 7

in hindi it stands for garlic

Answer 8

it is a delicious italian dish...

Answer 9

lol italian... you cut'n'pasted from wikipedia :D

Answer 10

Lasagna

Lasagna is a fine vehicle for improvisation. Below are two simple master recipes, one with ricotta and one with béchamel sauce, which can be a base for further experimentation.

No-Boil Lasagna

If you can find no-boil lasagna sheets, by all means try them. They do not need to be pre-boiled, and thus simplify lasagna. Scroll down to end of this page for note.

Ahead of Time Note

Any baked lasagna is of course most dramatic if brought to the table bubbling fresh from the oven.

To achieve this, and still prepare somewhat ahead of time, select a flameproof baking dish. This will allow a two-stage procedure, with bubbling at the end.

Follow the recipes below, but take the dish out of the oven after half an hour. It can hold perhaps an hour. 20 minutes or so before serving, turn up the oven to 400 degrees F., and heat the lasagna until bubbling.

Lasagna with Ricotta
MASTER RECIPE

This is as simple a lasagna as can be imagined. Only ricotta and tomato sauce fill the spaces between the noodle layers.

Variations begin with cheese addition and go on to various meat sauces.

Overall time is about 1 ½ hours. This includes a leisurely 1 hour baking time, which can be accelerated by half if necessary.

Serves 4

Lasagna noodles, 12, or no-boil sheets
Kettle, no cover

Emergency tomato sauce, 2 cups, or favorite tomato sauce
Sausage slices, cooked (optional)

Ricotta cheese, 2 cups, 1 pound
Hot water, 2 or 3 tablespoons

Parmesan cheese, grated, 1 tablespoon
Ceramic or Pyrex baking dish, 2 inches high, square 8 x 8 inches, or oval 10 x 7 inches, or
flameproof baking dish or skillet

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

To prepare elements

To boil lasagna noodles, bring a large quantity of water to vigorous boil in the kettle and add noodles. Boil until tender, with no taste of raw flour. When done, noodles will have a tendency to float.

Drain boiling water and replace with cold tap water. This will hold the noodles without sticking until ready to assemble the lasagna. (See Pasta Strategy.)

Stir optional cooked sausage slices into the tomato sauce.

In a bowl stir hot water into ricotta and beat until smooth.

To build and bake lasagna

At the start, reserve enough tomato sauce to cover the top layer of noodles so that they will not dry out.

Place a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish, then a layer of lasagna.

Place a little tomato sauce on the lasagna, then 2/3 of the ricotta, and a little more of the tomato sauce..

Add a second layer of lasagna, then the rest of the ricotta. Add the rest of the tomato sauce, except that reserved for the top.

Add the final layer of lasagna, then the final tomato sauce, then grated cheese.

(May be made ahead of time to this point.)

Place in preheated oven and bake until heated through and bubbling, about 1 hour. Serve immediately or within an hour.

Variation
To accelerate baking, use with a flameproof baking dish and 350 or 375 degrees F.

Cheese in Filling

To include cheese in the filling, add:

Parmesan cheese, grated, 2 ounces
Mozzarella cheese, thin sliced, 2 ounces

Add these when you add the bulk of the tomato sauce.

Apulian Meat Sauce for Lasagna

In the master recipe above replace tomato sauce with the following meat sauce from the Italian region of Apulia, a source of simple cooking in general. Use Pecorino cheese instead of Parmesan.

Makes [.. 1 ½.. ] cups

Olive oil, ¼ cup
Garlic, 1 clove, crushed
Pork sausage meat, ½ pound, 1 cup, or sausage in casing
Pork meat, chopped fine, ¼ pound, ½ cup
Red wine, ½ cup
Tomato paste, 2 tablespoons
Warm water, ½ cup
Salt and pepper
Basil, 3-4 sprigs
Sauté pan with cover

Heat oil in the pan. Add the garlic clove. Cook a few minutes until it begins to brown, then discard it.

If the sausage is in casing, slit the casing and peel it off.

Add sausage meat to the pan and crumble it. When the fat begins to run, add pork meat. Sauté meat gently until browned.

Add wine and boil down until reduced by half.

Place tomato paste in a cup and dilute with warm water. Stir into the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cover the pan and simmer gently until the sauce becomes thick.

Stir in basil and cook a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat. Set pan with the sauce aside until needed.

Lasagna with Other Meat Sauces

Any meat sauce may be used. For a different, distinctly non-Italian effect, try saltsa kima, the Greek meat sauce used for moussaka.

Creamy Lasagna with Spicy Tomato Sauce
MASTER RECIPE

Italians have many delightful lasagnas using béchamel sauce. These are roughly similar to the lasagnas above, with white sauce replacing ricotta.

Because of the greater bulk of the white sauce, the recipe below uses a concentrated, spicy tomato sauce, and incorporates spinach into the bechamel sauce. There is an intriguing interplay between the concentrated tomato sauce and the creamy white sauce. The dish has proven popular with guests, even those who formerly knew lasagna only in its meat-and-cheese guises.

To do everything in one session - boil noodles, make the béchamel sauce, and the tomato sauce - is a rather lengthy procedure. Things are simpler if you have prepared the tomato sauce on an earlier day and can lift it out of the freezer when needed.

Serves 4

Lasagna noodles, 12, ounces, or no-boil sheets
Kettle, no cover

Very thick bechamel sauce, 4 cups, made with 2 1/2 tablespoons
flour per cup of milk
Cooked, chopped spinach, frozen or fresh, 5 ounces

Tomato sauce, concentrated and spicy, 2 cups (see recipe below), or favorite tomato sauce

Parmesan cheese, grated
Pyrex or ceramic dish, square 8 x 8 inches, or oval 10 x 7 inches, or flameproof baking dish or skillet

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

To prepare elements

Boil lasagna noodles as described under Lasagna with Ricotta master recipe above.

Make a thick béchamel sauce, using 2 ½ tablespoons per cup of flour. Cook or thaw the spinach, chop it, and stir into the white sauce.

Prepare the tomato sauce.

To build and bake lasagna

At the start, reserve enough tomato sauce to cover the top layer of noodles so that they will not dry out.

Place a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish, then a layer of lasagna.

Place a little tomato sauce on the lasagna, then 2/3 of the white sauce, and a little more of the tomato sauce.

Add a second layer of lasagna, then the rest of the white sauce. Add the rest of the tomato sauce, except that reserved for the top.

Add the final layer of lasagna, then the final tomato sauce, then grated cheese.

(May be made ahead of time to this point.)

Place in preheated oven and bake until heated through and bubbling, about 1 hour. Serve immediately or within an hour.

Spicy Tomato Sauce
FOR LASAGNA

This concentrated sauce makes a nice counterpoint to the creamy bechamel sauce. The sauce is too spicy for most other purposes.

This is not a quick sauce, as the generous quantities of herbs need time to develop and concentrate flavors. Basic time is a leisurely hour, but this can be accelerated to about 30 minutes when pressed for time.

May be refrigerated or frozen.

Makes 2 cups of sauce

Canned tomatoes, drained and chopped, 2 14 ½ ounce cans, 3 cups
Basil, dried, 1 teaspoon or 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Thyme, dried, 1 teaspoon
Garlic clove, peeled (optional)
Salt (if needed)
Saucepan, no cover

Olive oil, 2 tablespoons

Drain the tomatoes, reserving juice. It is not necessary to puree them in the food processor as they will become soft through long cooking. .

Add tomatoes to the pan. Stir in thyme, basil, and optional garlic. Taste before adding salt, as canned tomatoes usually have salt.

Simmer tomatoes gently for about 45 minutes, longer if preferred. Stir up from the bottom from time to time. Add some of the reserved liquid whenever the Red Sea test is positive.

The Red Sea Test

Liquid will appear in pools on top of the tomatoes, but on the bottom there may be little or no liquid. To find out, scrape the bottom with a spoon. If there is a dry path, with a little liquid seeping into the open space, it is time to add some more liquid.

(If no dry path is formed, and pure liquid appears on the bottom, do not add more liquid at this time, but consider draining. If conversely there is a dry path, and no visible liquid at the edges, you are a little late with the addition.)

To finish

The tomatoes are done when soft and the flavors concentrated to the desired degree. Most or all of the reserved liquid will have been used up.

To finish, stir in olive oil and cook 5 minutes more. Allow to steep at least 10 minutes before using. Remove the garlic clove.

Variation
To accelerate the process, follow the same procedure, but use a hotter fire. You will have to watch and scrape almost constantly, but the tomatoes will be soft in perhaps 25 minutes. Then stir in oil, cook 5 minutes more, and serve.


Creamy Lasagna with Meat Sauces

In place of tomato sauce, meat sauces may be used. See suggestions under Lasagna with Ricotta master recipe above.

No-Boil Lasagna

No-boil lasagna sheets are a marvelous invention. These seem to be ordinary semolina pasta, but because of their extreme thinness cook during baking and do not have to be pre-boiled.

They greatly simplify lasagna making, making lasagna a week-night possibility, particularly if you use ricotta cheese.

Also, they introduce the possibility for quite a different kind of lasagna, one in which the filling becomes dominant, and pasta more in the background. I’m not sure how the Italians feel about this, but the possibility is there.

These are currently available in some high-end grocery stores and specialty food stores. Delverde company offers sheets that fit in an 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Barilla produces smaller, thicker sheets that fit in a bread baking pan.

How to use

No-boil lasagna sheets may be substituted for conventional noodles in any of the recipes above. Because they are not universally available, I have not incorporated instructions in each recipe.

Use as is, making sure the filling is quite moist.

Or, before baking, presoak 15 minutes in a baking dish filled with hot tap water.

You may wish to reduce the quantity, using 2 ounces per person instead of 3 ounces conventional noodles