Cooking with Nonna

I brought this book home from BookExpo. With our trip to Italy coming closer and closer (May will soon be here), it seems like the perfect time to bring it out and try a few recipes.

What about lasagna? I felt like I have a pretty strong lasagna recipe, but let's see if Nonna can improve it.

Mama Rosa's Lasagna



For the Sauce:
Empty container of tomatoes & sauce into a food mill or blender and puree... set aside
In a pot, add 3-4 tablespoons of EVOO heat and then add the chopped onions until translucent then add the puree sauce.
Add 1 teapoon of sugar and season with salt & peper. Cook for about 15 mins.

For the Meat:
In a frying pan cook the chop meat. Break up the chop meat & cook until brown and drain.
Add the cooked chop meat to the sauce and cook for another 10 mins.
When done, set aside.

For the Pasta:
Put water in a 5 Qt pot and add 1 tbsp salt to it and bring water to a rapid boil.
Add the pasta 2 pieces at a time and stir gently until all the pasta is in the pot.
Return to a rapid boil.
Cook uncovered and stirring gently occasionally for about 10 minutes. Drain well.
Separated cooked lasagna and lay each one on wax paper to keep from sticking together.
In the 13 X 9 inch baking pan spread some meat sauce on bottom of pan.
Place about 4-5 pcs of the cooked pasta lenghtwise over the sauce, overlapping edges.
Place a little bit of sauce on top of the pasta, then spoon some ricotta all over the pasta and then sprinkle the mozzarella over it.
Cover with some meat sauce and then sprinke the grated cheese.
Keep on repeating the pasta, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, meat sauce and grated cheese until you reach the top of the baking pan. Cover pan with foil.
Place tray of Lasagna into the oven that has been pre heated at 375.
Cook for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
After pan is taken out of the oven, put foil back on the pan and let it stand for about 5-10 mins before serving.


My thoughts? Honestly, this recipe for lasagna is almost exactly like the recipe for lasagna I have always made. There really were no significant taste differences or differences in appearance.

Nonna, I'll give you one more chance. Next week I'll try pizza.



I had good results with my first attempt at using Cooking With Nonna (see my post here). I made Nonna's Four-Cheese Lasagna, and the lasagna was...well, good.

But I'm looking for spectacular.


So I had to give Nonna another chance.


Spectacular was what I got with Nonna's Pizza Rustica. Oh my goodness. Spectacular deep-dish pizza. Spectacular appearance. Spectacular flavor.


Here's my (somewhat less spectacular) photo:



Results: I've made a lot of homemade pizzas in the past, but this pizza was like no homemade pizza I've ever made before. It was a true pizza pie, thick and rich, with lots of cheese flavor. Instead of the suggested meats, I used ham for two pizzas and substituted peppers and onions for a veggie version in the other two pizzas. We loved these pizzas. I will make them again.

Here's the recipe I used:
Nonna's Pizza Rustica
For the Dough:
1 pound all purpose flour
2 large eggs
pinch of salt
1/2 pound butter, cold
milk, as much as needed
For the Filling:
1 pound basket cheese or ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1/4 pound provolone - sharp
1/4 pound mozzarella
4 tablespoons grated pecorino cheese
1/4 pound prosciutto
1/4 pound sopressata
1/4 pound mortadella
fresh black pepper, as desired
1 large egg for the egg wash

Directions
Prepare the Dough:
In a stand mixer, add the flour, salt and the butter cut in cubes.
Let the flour absorb all the butter. Add the eggs and let them mix well.
Add enough milk (about 1/4 + Cups) until you have a firm ball of dough.
Let it rest.
Prepare the Filling:
Cut all the meats and cheeses in small cubes and put in a large bowl.
Add the grated Pecorino and mix.
Add the eggs and mix.
Add the basket cheese and mix well. Add fresh black pepper as desired. Set aside.
Assemble the Pizza Rustica:
Preheat the oven at 350F
Butter and flour a 9” springform pan.
Cut a little less than 1/3 of the dough and set aside.
With a rolling pin, roll the large piece of dough in a thin circle.
Place the dough over the springform pan so that it overflows the borders of the pan.
Add the filing and spread it evenly.
With a sharp knife, cut the excess dough from around the border of the pan.
With the remaining dough, roll it thin and with a ravioli cutter, cut strips to make the criss-cross strips and arrange them on top of the filling.
Wet the strips with egg wash and bake for about 1 hr and 15 mins.