Try This Great Japanese Recipes

This has been an absolutely looney week here with prolongedly feverish kids, the littlest of whom likes to have febrile seizures just to scare the crap out of me. After a week where the only action my measuring spoons got was measuring out Tylenol and Motrin, it was nice to get back to the kitchen in time to complete this month’s Daring Baker Challenge.
The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge. The recipe is in three parts, the pasta, the béchamel sauce and the meat ragu.  

Lasagna of Emilia-Romagna

1 recipe Spinach Pasta, omitting the egg (I cannot in good conscience recommend this recipe, it you are so stubborn as to want to try it, please see our host’s post, otherwise, just use some boxed noodles.)

1 recipe Country Style Ragu (recipe follows)

1 recipe Bechamel (recipe follows)

Assembling the Lasagna:

Preheat the oven to 350.  Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Cook the lasagna pasta per the box directions.

Assemble the lasagna in a 9 x 13 pan.  Start with a thin layer of bechamel in the bottom of the pan. Then start building in layers: noodles, 1/3 of the ragu, a few tablespoons of bechamel, noodles, 1/3 of the ragu, a few tablespoons of the bechamel, noodles, the last of the ragu, a few tablespoons of bechamel, last layer of noodles. 

Cover the top layer of noodles with a layer of bechamel.  Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and top with 1 cup of mozarella and bake, uncovered for another 20 minutes until cheese melts and browns.  Let it rest for a few minutes before trying to cut and serve.

Bechamel

4 tablespoons dairy-free margarine (I used Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine)

4 tablespoons flour

2 2/3 cups freshly opened plain soymilk

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Pinch of nutmeg

In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the margarine over low to medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour, quickly whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

 Country Style Ragu’ (Ragu alla Contadina)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3 ounces minced bacon (3 slices or so)

1 medium onion, minced

1 medium stalk celery with leaves, minced

1 small carrot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 ounces ground veal

4 ounces ground pork or mild italian sausage without casings

8 ounces ground beef

2/3 cup dry red wine

3 &1/2 cups  chicken or beef stock (homemade if possible)

3 canned plum tomatoes drained or 3 small fresh tomatoes chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Browning the Ragu Base:

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.  Add the bacon, and cook until it renders som fat. Add the minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color.  Add the ground meats into the pan and slowly brown over medium heat. First the meats will give off a liquid and turn dull grey but, as the liquid evaporates, browning will begin. Stir often, scooping under the meats with the wooden spatula. Protect the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan by turning the heat down. Cook 15 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown. Turn the contents of the skillet into a strainer and shake out the fat. 

Reducing and Simmering:

 Add the wine to the pan, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir occasionally until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown glaze as the wine bubbles. Then add the browned meats back to the pan. 

Add the stock and slowly simmer, uncovered until the liquid has reduced by half. Partially cover the pot, and simmer for 1 hour. Stir frequently to check for sticking.

Add the tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pot. Cook uncovered, at a very slow bubble for another 30 minutes, or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper.

The ragu can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. It also freezes well for up to 1 month. Skim the fat from the ragu’ before using it.