Lasagna Al Forno
Nothing is more of a crowd-pleaser than a big dish of baked lasagna—at any age and any time of year! Mixing the meat and cheese sauces may sound odd, but it makes the sauce taste richer.
1 hour
35–40 minutes
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing 1 red onion, chopped 1 carrot, peeled and grated 3/4 cup chopped cremini mushrooms 1 garlic clove, crushed 14oz can crushed tomatoes 1/4 cup tomato paste 2 tbsp ketchup 1lb ground round 2/3 cup beef stock 1 tsp light brown sugar 1/4 tsp dried oregano 9 no-boil lasagna noodles 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Cheese sauce1/4 cup cornstarch 21/2 cups milk 1/2 cup mascarpone Freshly grated nutmeg
Heat the oil in a large,
deep frying pan and cook the vegetables gently until soft and lightly
browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Transfer the vegetables
to a blender and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and ketchup. Blend
until smooth. Set aside.
Brown the beef in the
pan, then add the tomato mixture, beef stock, sugar, and oregano. Simmer
until thick, about 30 minutes. Season to taste.
Make the cheese sauce
by mixing the cornstarch in a saucepan with a little of the milk until
smooth. Whisk in the remaining milk. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking,
until thick, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the
mascarpone. Season to taste with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Lightly oil a
large rectangular baking dish (about 11 x 7 inches). Mix half of the
cheese sauce into the meat sauce. Spread 2 tbsp of the remaining cheese
sauce over the bottom of the dish, then put on a layer of three lasagna
sheets. Spoon half of the meat mixture over this, then add another layer
of pasta. Spoon the remaining meat mixture on the pasta and top with a
final layer of pasta. Cover with the remaining cheese sauce and scatter
the grated cheeses over the surface.
Preheat the oven to
375°F. Bake the lasagna until golden brown on top and cooked through,
35–40 minutes. Test by inserting a knife down through the center; you
should feel no resistance. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and
serving.
The unbaked lasagna can
be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. It can also be
frozen wrapped well in foil; when needed, thaw in the refrigerator for
24 hours. To bake a chilled or thawed lasagna, preheat the oven to
350°F. Bake for 40 minutes, then increase the oven to 400°F and bake
until golden brown on top and piping hot, about 10 minutes longer. Let
stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Broiled Chicken Yakitori
I find that broiled skewers of chicken thigh are more tender and moist than chicken breast, and this yakitori glaze is delicious. These skewers would also be great grilled over coals.
10 minutes
15 minutes
4 fairly large skinless, boneless chicken thighs 4 scallions 4 small bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 20 minutes 2–3 tbsp sunflower or olive oil Yakitori glaze3 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine) 3 tbsp honey 2 tsp rice vinegar 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 small garlic clove, crushed
To make the glaze,
combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until
reduced to a fairly thick and syrupy glaze, about 5 minutes.
While the glaze cooks,
trim away the excess fat from the chicken thighs. Cut each thigh into
three pieces—they’ll be about 3/4 inch wide. Cut each scallion into
three pieces.
Preheat the broiler
and line the broiler rack with foil. Open out the pieces of chicken and
thread onto the soaked skewers, alternating with the scallions. You
should have three pieces of each on a skewer. Place on the foil and
brush all over with oil.
Broil for about 5
minutes on each side, then turn the skewers and brush with half the
glaze. Broil for 3 minutes, then turn over again and brush with the
remaining glaze. Broil until the chicken is cooked through, 2–3 minutes
longer.
Remove the chicken from the skewers and serve, with the cooking juices spooned over, if desired.
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