Prepper's Pantry: Lasagna

The history of traditional foods is deeply connected with the history of poverty, for many of our favorite cultural dishes are direct descendants of meals that were developed when that culture (or subculture) was at a low point economically.

Lasagna is just one example of this. There are an infinite variety of lasagna recipes; it can be made with nearly any type of meat (or none at all), a variety of cheeses, and all sorts of vegetables and sauces. Many of these ingredients are available canned, or in other forms of long term storage.

What all these recipes have in common is the separation of the different ingredients with layers of noodles or other sheets of starchy foods, such as thin rolled flat bread. According to the Bread Cube Law, this makes lasagna a cake.

www.cuberule.com

What follows is an estimation of my family recipe. I say estimation, because as with any multi-generational set of instructions, people, tastes, and ingredients change. For example, my great-grandmother mixed peas in with the ground beef. However, My Wife (tm) doesn't like peas, so I leave them out.

The noodles can be store-bought, or home-made if a pasta maker is available. For my latest batch, I used a combination of both store-bought and home-made as I had a half box of noodles in the cupboard from the last lasagna I baked.

The Ingredients

 

Ingredients for one 9x13 tray of lasagna:

• Minimum 3 lbs ground beef/pork
• Minimum 32 oz Ricotta cheese
• 1 lb mozzarella
• Minimum 2 quart jars tomato sauce
• 1-2 cans tomato paste
• Minimum 8 hard-boiled eggs
• Minimum double batch of pasta dough (2 cups flour, 2-3 eggs, 1-2 tbsp olive oil, Roll noodles out to at least setting 5 on an Atlas pasta maker)
• Or 2 boxes standard lasagna noodles

Recipe

• Brown the meat and drain the grease.
• While still warm, add the paste and about half a jar of sauce, mix well.
• Slice the hard boiled eggs.
• If using home-made noodles, store them under a damp towel until needed.
• In the bottom of a tall, 9x13 oven safe pan, cover the bottom with a layer of sauce then follow with the following:
• Noodle
• Ground beef
• Noodle
• Cheese
• Noodle
• Hard-boiled egg
• Noodle
• Cheese
• Noodle
• Ground beef
• Noodle
• Sauce
• Shredded cheese topping

Assembled and ready for oven or refrigerator

Once done, the lasagna can be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for a few days. When it's time, bake at 350° F for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the cheese is nicely browned and bubbling.

Cooked and ready to eat

Serve with garlic bread and, if you like, a nice red wine. Buon appetito!