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jenkToday, for the first time ever, I came out EVEN.
Sauce:
1 lb hamburger
1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, pressed
1 can olives, minced/chopped
2 small cans sliced mushrooms
2 small cans tomato paste
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can stewed tomatoes
A few green onions
Small amounts of olive oil, chili powder, salt, pepper, basil.
-o-
Other:
1 lb cheddar, shredded
1 bag shredded mozzarella
1 lb mozzarella, shredded
2 boxes dried lasagna noodles
-o-
First I made the sauce. I sauted the onion in olive oil so it was a bit browned, then turned the heat on low and let them sweat. In a bigger pot I browned the hamburger with a bit of pepper and chili powder, then pressed the garlic in with it. Added the mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, and some basil, stirred it a bit to check consistency (goal is a thick sauce) and turned the heat down to medium before setting the timer for 10 minutes. I started eating lunch. When the timer dinged I checked to see if the sauce was simmering; it was, so I turned it to low and set the timer for 20 minutes. Then I let that all cook for an hour or so while I finished lunch, dealt with laundry, picked up, and took out the garbage - using the timer to make sure I stirred it periodically. Well, and checked to make sure it was hot enough to cook down but not burning on the bottom.
I also washed the cutting board, knives, and so on so the sink was empty. After that I put some salted water on to boil in another large pot and put the pasta strainer in the sink.
While the noodles were boiling I got out a couple medium mixing bowls, the 4-sided grater, and a a wide-bottomed bowl to put the grater into. I emptied the bag of shredded mozzarella into one mixing bowl. I cut off about 1/4 of the 2-lb block of cheddar and grated it into the wide-bottomed bowl. I poured that into the other mixing bowl, wiping cheese off the grater and bowl into the mixing bowl, but I didn't bother to clean it yet since both cheeses will end up in the finished lasagna. Then I cut a 1-lb block of mozzarella in half, grated it, and mixed that in with the pre-shredded mozzarella. I left the grater/bowl combo next to the cutting board for later.
Somewhere in here the water was boiling steadily, so I dropped in 1/2 a box of lasagna noodles. Yes, I knew that wouldn't be all I needed but I wanted to make sure there was a good noodle-to-water ratio. I undercooked them a bit - 9 minutes or so - to make them stiffer while handling. When they were done I poured them into the strainer, refilled the pot, and put it back on the stove.
The strainer went in another wide-bottomed bowl on a part of the counter I hadn't been using. I put a lasagna/cake pan next to it. The mixing bowls of cheese went behind the pan, along with a hot pad. The pot of sauce went on the hot pad.
Now I was ready to start.
I poured a little olive oil in the bottom, and used a noodle to wipe it around in the bottom of the pan. I followed this with a 1/2 ladle of sauce, trying to get mostly liquid. Then 3 noodles laid side-by-side to fill the bottom of the pan, followed by a ladle of sauce — focus on getting the chunks on each noodle — a layer of mozzarella and a layer of cheddar. Noodles, sauce, cheese; noodles, sauce cheese; noodles, sauce, cheese. How many layers depends on the depth of the pan, the chunkiness of the sauce, and the amount of cheese.
By the time I ran out of noodles the first pan was nearly finished & the water was boiling again. While the noodles cooked I grated more cheese.
Half way through the second batch of noodles I finished the first pan of lasagna with a last, heavy layer of cheese, and a scattering of green onion for color, covered it foil, and put it on an empty shelf in the freezer. Then I started on the second pan. By the second time I ran out of noodles I only had room for 2 layers. I was also getting low on sauce and cheese. I counted out 6 noodles into the boiling water.
Ten minutes later I realized: I ran out of sauce, cheese, and noodles all at the SAME TIME. Usually I run out of one of the three, or two of the three. No, for once, I came out EVEN.
In retrospect, I think the fact that I deliberately prepped the cheese and noodles in small amounts helped a lot. I primarily did it that way to make each task smaller. But it also helped me to manage my ingredients :)
In other news, I feel rather stiff. Apparently I'm not used to standing for 2 hours at a time...
Sauce:
1 lb hamburger
1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, pressed
1 can olives, minced/chopped
2 small cans sliced mushrooms
2 small cans tomato paste
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can stewed tomatoes
A few green onions
Small amounts of olive oil, chili powder, salt, pepper, basil.
-o-
Other:
1 lb cheddar, shredded
1 bag shredded mozzarella
1 lb mozzarella, shredded
2 boxes dried lasagna noodles
-o-
First I made the sauce. I sauted the onion in olive oil so it was a bit browned, then turned the heat on low and let them sweat. In a bigger pot I browned the hamburger with a bit of pepper and chili powder, then pressed the garlic in with it. Added the mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, and some basil, stirred it a bit to check consistency (goal is a thick sauce) and turned the heat down to medium before setting the timer for 10 minutes. I started eating lunch. When the timer dinged I checked to see if the sauce was simmering; it was, so I turned it to low and set the timer for 20 minutes. Then I let that all cook for an hour or so while I finished lunch, dealt with laundry, picked up, and took out the garbage - using the timer to make sure I stirred it periodically. Well, and checked to make sure it was hot enough to cook down but not burning on the bottom.
I also washed the cutting board, knives, and so on so the sink was empty. After that I put some salted water on to boil in another large pot and put the pasta strainer in the sink.
While the noodles were boiling I got out a couple medium mixing bowls, the 4-sided grater, and a a wide-bottomed bowl to put the grater into. I emptied the bag of shredded mozzarella into one mixing bowl. I cut off about 1/4 of the 2-lb block of cheddar and grated it into the wide-bottomed bowl. I poured that into the other mixing bowl, wiping cheese off the grater and bowl into the mixing bowl, but I didn't bother to clean it yet since both cheeses will end up in the finished lasagna. Then I cut a 1-lb block of mozzarella in half, grated it, and mixed that in with the pre-shredded mozzarella. I left the grater/bowl combo next to the cutting board for later.
Somewhere in here the water was boiling steadily, so I dropped in 1/2 a box of lasagna noodles. Yes, I knew that wouldn't be all I needed but I wanted to make sure there was a good noodle-to-water ratio. I undercooked them a bit - 9 minutes or so - to make them stiffer while handling. When they were done I poured them into the strainer, refilled the pot, and put it back on the stove.
The strainer went in another wide-bottomed bowl on a part of the counter I hadn't been using. I put a lasagna/cake pan next to it. The mixing bowls of cheese went behind the pan, along with a hot pad. The pot of sauce went on the hot pad.
Now I was ready to start.
I poured a little olive oil in the bottom, and used a noodle to wipe it around in the bottom of the pan. I followed this with a 1/2 ladle of sauce, trying to get mostly liquid. Then 3 noodles laid side-by-side to fill the bottom of the pan, followed by a ladle of sauce — focus on getting the chunks on each noodle — a layer of mozzarella and a layer of cheddar. Noodles, sauce, cheese; noodles, sauce cheese; noodles, sauce, cheese. How many layers depends on the depth of the pan, the chunkiness of the sauce, and the amount of cheese.
By the time I ran out of noodles the first pan was nearly finished & the water was boiling again. While the noodles cooked I grated more cheese.
Half way through the second batch of noodles I finished the first pan of lasagna with a last, heavy layer of cheese, and a scattering of green onion for color, covered it foil, and put it on an empty shelf in the freezer. Then I started on the second pan. By the second time I ran out of noodles I only had room for 2 layers. I was also getting low on sauce and cheese. I counted out 6 noodles into the boiling water.
Ten minutes later I realized: I ran out of sauce, cheese, and noodles all at the SAME TIME. Usually I run out of one of the three, or two of the three. No, for once, I came out EVEN.
In retrospect, I think the fact that I deliberately prepped the cheese and noodles in small amounts helped a lot. I primarily did it that way to make each task smaller. But it also helped me to manage my ingredients :)
In other news, I feel rather stiff. Apparently I'm not used to standing for 2 hours at a time...
