AROUND THE WORLD: ITALIAN CUISINE

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 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about

Italian cuisine

Authentic Italian Lasagna Recipe | FAMOUS ITALIAN FOOD (VIDEO) - Easy Italian Recipes

Italian cuisine (Italian: Cucina italiana) is a Mediterranean cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula since antiquity, and later spread around the world together with waves of Italian diaspora. Significant changes occurred with the colonization of the Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize and sugar beet — the latter introduced in quantity in the 18th century. It is one of the best known and most appreciated gastronomies worldwide.

Italian cuisine includes deeply rooted traditions common to the whole country, as well as all the regional gastronomies, different from each other, especially between the north and the south of Italy, which are in continuous exchange. Many dishes that were once regional have proliferated with variations throughout the country. Italian cuisine offers an abundance of taste, and is one of the most popular and copied around the world. The cuisine has influenced several other cuisines around the world, chiefly that of the United States.

One of the main characteristics of Italian cuisine is its simplicity, with many dishes made up of few ingredients, and therefore Italian cooks often rely on the quality of the ingredients, rather than the complexity of preparation. Italian cuisine is at the origin of a turnover of more than € 200 billion worldwide.

The most popular dishes and recipes, over the centuries, have often been created by ordinary people more so than by chefs, which is why many Italian recipes are suitable for home and daily cooking, respecting regional specificities, privileging only raw materials and ingredients from the region of origin of the dish and preserving its seasonality

MAMA'S BEST LASAGNA

The Best Lasagna is here! Layered with a rich meat sauce and a creamy parmesan white sauce, plus the perfect amount of mozzarella cheese! NO ricotta cheese needed!

  • PREP: 20 MINS
  • COOK: 1 HR 45 MINS
  • TOTAL: 2 HRS 5 MINS
  • SERVES:  12

INGREDIENTS

Meat Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic cloves, minced
  • 24 ounces (700 grams) ground beef mince
  • 10 ounces (300 grams) ground pork mince, or beef
  • 24 ounces (700 grams) Passata
  • 14 ounces (410 grams) crushed tomatoes
  • 3 heaped tablespoons tomato paste, (I use garlic and herbs flavoured)
  • 2 beef or vegetable bouillon cubes, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon each dried oregano and basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar, (if desired)
  • Salt and pepper, season to your tastes

White Sauce (Béchamel):

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup flour, all purpose or plain
  • 3 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 cup fresh shredded parmesan

Lasagna:

  • 13 ounces (375 grams) fresh lasagna sheets*
  • 17 ounces (500 grams) fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Meat Sauce:

  1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add in the onion and carrots and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until softened. Add in the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
  2. Add beef and pork (if using) and cook while breaking it up with the end of your spoon, until browned.
  3. Pour in the Passata, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, crushed bouillon and dried herbs. Mix well to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Season with desired amount of salt and pepper (I use about 3/4 teaspoon each) and sugar if needed. Cover and cook for about 20-30 minutes, occasionally mixing, until the sauce has thickened slightly and meat is tender.
  4. Adjust salt, pepper and dried herbs to your taste.

Parmesan White Sauce:

  1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from hot plate; add the flour and whisk for about 30 seconds, or until well blended.
  2. Place pot back onto stove, reduce heat down to low and slowly whisk in 1 cup of the milk until well combined. Once well blended, add the remaining milk in 1 cup increments, mixing well after each addition, until all the milk is used and sauce is free from lumps. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk until it turns into a nice and creamy consistency.
  3. Increase heat to medium and continue cooking sauce while stirring occasionally until it thickens (about 6-7 minutes) and coats the back of your wooden spoon.
  4. Add in the parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and mix until the cheese is melted through.

To Assemble:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F | 180°F.
  2. Spoon about 1 cup of meat sauce on the base of a 9x13-inch baking dish, then cover with lasagna sheets. (Trim sheets to fit over the meat if needed.) Layer with 2 cups of meat sauce (or enough to cover pasta), 1 cup of white sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers (leaving the remaining cheese for the top).
  3. Pour the remaining meat sauce and white sauce over the last layer of lasagna sheets and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
  4. Garnish with parsley and let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking

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