Homemade Lasagna


Last night I pulled the heaviest pan of lasagna out of the oven, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it had to weigh at least five pounds. This isn’t just a dinner, it’s a full-on event — the kind of meal that makes the whole house smell amazing and leaves plenty for the next day. My cousin is the one who hooked me on ZENB pasta, and I instantly fell in love with their Yellow Pea Lasagna Sheets. They bake beautifully, hold up to all the layers, and my kids absolutely love them. Best of all, they’re oven-ready, which means no boiling required. Sadly, ZENB has decided to stop all sales to the United States. Their website says products are still available in some retail stores while supplies last, but it’s only a matter of time before they’re gone. Luckily, I can still find the lasagna sheets at Ocean State Job Lot here in town, though who knows for how long. Even if you can’t get your hands on them, don’t worry — just use any lasagna noodles you have on hand. If you’re using regular noodles, you’ll want to start by cooking them in salted water until they’re just tender, then toss them with a little olive oil so they don’t stick.

The best part about making lasagna is that it’s two dinners in one. I always refrigerate the leftovers overnight, then the next day I cut the lasagna in half. One half goes back in the fridge for quick lunches or second helpings, and the other half I wrap up and freeze for another night. It’s like having a homemade meal ready to go on a busy evening — and that makes all the effort of layering and baking feel even more worth it.

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Gluten Free Stromboli

Last night I made Stromboli for dinner. Is a type of turnover filled with various cheeses, typically mozzarella, Italian meats and / or vegetables. The dough traditionally used is Italian bread dough or pizza dough that is rolled into a cylindrical shape and then baked. For mine, the dough was a little sticky and I didn’t get that perfect cylindrical shape. Nevertheless, it came out really tasty.

stromboli1

INGREDIENTS:

Homemade Pizza Dough ( I used Hodgson mill gluten free pizza crust mix )
Mozzarella Cheese, grated
6 slices Provolone Cheese
8 Ham slices
1/2 cup Turkey Italian Sausage, crumbled
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
4 ounce can of mushrooms
Olive Oil
Salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 450º F .

stromboli2On a lightly floured sandstone used roll the dough out to a large rectangle.

Sprinkle the Parmesan Cheese over 3/4 of the pizza dough leaving borders on all sides of the dough.

Layer your Provolone Cheese, Ham, Sausage and Mushrooms, then top with the shredded Mozzarella Cheese.

Fold over the sides then roll the dough 1/3 of the way. Grab the other side of the parchment and fold it over the rest of the way. Position the Stromboli seam-side down.

stromboli3Brush the entire roll with olive oil and make diagonal slits for venting. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove and allow the stromboli to cool for 5 minutes before slicing 1 to 2 inch strips.

Serve with pizza sauce for dunking.

stromboli4

Gluten Free Pork Mozzarella

I was craving what all I can say is Chicken Parmigiana, but of course I can’t have chicken and well I was all out of parmesan cheese. Regardless of my predicament I decided I was going to make something similar. I was defrosting a pork shoulder roast, sliced it up into 7 steaks and began the process of making a Gluten Free Pork Mozzarella. My Italian grandmother (rest in peace) would be proud of my off the cuff Italian dinner tonight.

PorkMozzarella

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