We’ve been experimenting with this Italian-American Meat Sauce or Sugo di Carne for years, it’s based on Lidia Bastianich’s recipe from her book ‘Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen’ and her PBS television show which I love, hi Grandma! The sauce I’m making today is for Lidia’s Lasagna recipe from the same book, it’s moist and flavorful and highly addictive, you definitely need to make a large quantity of this because you’ll be going back for seconds and thirds. It is without question the best Lasagna I’ve ever tasted.
Because we’ve been making this recipe (almost weekly) for so many years, it’s changed and developed to our own tastes. We’ve omitted some of Lidia’s ingredients and added others, I’m not sure it’s the same sauce two weeks in a row. But any way you cook it, if you follow Lidia’s general direction, it’s going to turn out amazing. Definitely buy the book, and definitely, watch the show.
This is my version of Lidia’s Sugo di Carne:
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Onions, medium, finely diced
- 6 Cloves Garlic, crushed and chopped
- 1 Pound Sliced Mushrooms
- 1 Pound Italian Pork Sausage, casing removed, chopped
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
- 2 35 Ounce Cans Italian Plum Tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Basil
- ¼ cup Fresh Chopped Rosemary
- 1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 Teaspoons Salt, (add in stages to your particular taste)
- ¼ Cup Vodka
PROCESS:
-Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, chopped onions, and garlic, sauté for 3-4 minutes
-Add mushrooms to the onions, stir briefly, cover for about 4 minutes to release the juices, remove cover and sauté until mushrooms have begun to brown slightly and juices have reduced
-Remove mushroom mixture from pot
-Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, ground beef, pork sausage, and all the herbs, cook until well browned
-Crush, chop or puree the tomatoes to whatever texture you’d like, I usually give them about 10 seconds in a blender for a smoother sauce, but hand crushed is awesome too
-Add the mushrooms back to the pot along with the tomatoes and vodka
-Taste, adjust salt and red pepper to your tastes
-Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least two hours.
Lasagna (adapted From ‘Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen’)
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Recipe of Italian-American Meat Sauce
- 1 Pound Ricotta Cheese
- 1 Egg
- 1 Pound Lasagna Noodles
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 ½ Cups Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, grated
- 1 Pound Mozzarella, Fresh, sliced thin
PROCESS:
-Preheat oven to 375F
-If there is a lot of liquid in the ricotta, drain the cheese through cheesecloth, discard the extra liquid and add the egg, mix well
-Cook Lasagna noodles per package instructions, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the water (only add oil to lasagna noodles water, no other pasta should be treated this way)
-Ladle ¾ cup of sauce on the bottom of a 15×10 inch baking dish
-Place a single layer of noodles over the sauce
-ladle 2 cups of sauce over the noodles, sprinkle with ½ cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
-Place a single layer of noodles over the sauce
-Gently spread the Ricotta cheese evenly over this layer
-Place a single layer of noodles over the Ricotta
-Place half of the Mozzarella over the noodles, ladle one cup of sauce over the mozzarella, sprinkle ½ cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano over this layer
-Place a single layer of noodles on top, place the remaining Mozzarella over the noodles, ladle 2 cups of sauce over the Mozzarella and sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano
-Cover loosely with aluminum foil, making sure the foil doesn’t touch the lasagna
-Bake for 45 minutes
-Remove foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes
-Let rest for 20-30 minutes (it’s blistering hot)
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