Lasagna Al Forno
I think we have all had lasagna in one way or another and while the classic meat sauce and bechamel/ricotta lasagna is great, there are a good deal of variations that, I think, help make this humble dish even more exciting.
Today, I am going to share with you a variety of lasagna from Taranto known as Lasagna Al Forno, which is layered with little meatballs, a very rich tomato sauce, some mozzarella and even a bit of ham for a ton of flavor that will make anyone you serve it to ooh and ah as they dig into it. It’s a dish that is a bit labor intensive, I’ll give you that, but one bite into this unique lasagna and you will find that it was well worth it.
It’s great for a party, a family get together, or for any occasion where you want your dining guests to feel loved and special.
Serves 4-6
Time: About 3 hours
For the Meatballs
9 oz of ground veal or beef
5 oz of ground pork (sausage meat is also delicious here)
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
1 ounce of grated pecorino or parmigiano
Vegetable oil, for frying
5 oz of ground beef
For the Tomato sauce:
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
2 ounces of ground beef (this will give depth of flavor to the sauce)
1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon of salt
2 (14 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes
For the Pasta (You can also use pre-made lasagna sheets if you’d like, just stay away from the no-boil sheets.):
300g/10.5oz of finely ground semolina flour
2/3 cup of tepid water
To assemble:
9 oz of thinly sliced ham, shredded into ribbons
5 oz of mozzarella balls, cubed
3 eggs, beaten
2 oz of grated pecorino, plus more to finish
(There are many components to this lasagna and feel free to make them in any order you wish, but here’s how I did it.)
Step 1: Make the Meatballs
Pulse together the ground veal, pork, parsley and cheese in a blender or food processor until combined. Chill the mixture for 30 minutes so it’s not so sticky.
Wet your hands then form the meat mixture into equal, marble-sized balls, you should end up with about 50 of them.
Pour a thin layer of vegetable oil into a wide skillet then heat until the oil starts to shimmer. Fry the meatballs in batches for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until they’re browned on all sides, if you overcrowd the pan then the meatballs will end up steaming rather than browning. Drain the meatballs with a slotted spoon, then set aside on paper towels.
Fry the ground beef the same way until browned, not grey, then set aside with the meatballs.
Step 2: Make the Sauce
(You can do this while the mix for your meatballs is chilling)
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. Cook the veggies for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent, then add the ground beef and cook until browned, it’ll take about 4 minutes.
Stir in the rosemary, salt, and tomatoes. Fill the empty tomato cans half full with water, swirl that around, then stir that into the sauce. Bring it to a simmer, then let it cook for about 40 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and reduced nicely. Season with salt to taste.
Step 3: Make the Pasta (Skip if using dried pasta)
Combine the semolina flour and tepid water in a small bowl, then stir until a stiff dough forms. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is elastic and smooth, then cover with either plastic wrap or an inverted bowl and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
Bring a shallow pot of salted water to a simmer.
Once rested, roll out the dough with either your pasta roller or a rolling pin until it is as thin as you can get it, should be about 2 millimeters. Cut the dough into sheets about 1/3 the size of the dish you plan on baking your lasagna in.
Lower your pasta sheets, using 1-2 at a time, then simmer for about 1-2 minutes, or until the sheets float to the water’s surface. Remove each sheet and lay onto kitchen towels to cool and dry.
Step 3: Assemble and Bake
Once your sauce is done, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12x16 baking pan with oil.
Spread a thin layer of your tomato sauce onto the bottom of the pan, then lay on a layer of pasta sheets in as even of a layer as possible. Some say you shouldn’t make the pasta overlap, but I say that it’s not the end of the world if they do a little bit.
Layer on a combination of meatballs, ground beef, some sliced ham, mozzarella, beaten egg, grated pecorino, and more tomato sauce. Repeat this two more times, or until you’ve used up all of your ingredients.
Add a layer of grated pecorino on top of your lasagna, cover with foil then bake for 45 minutes. Let the lasagna cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
For as much effort that went into this lasagna, it was certainly worth it to taste the results!
There’s a bit of smokiness from that ham, creamy cheesiness from the mozzarella, those meatballs added nice little pops of flavor, and the sauce was sweet and flavorful and did it’s job to tie the whole dish together!
