Nick-4- Favourite Dish

                MON AMOUR ' LASAGNE'

There are three theories on the origin of lasagne, two of which denote an Ancient Greek dish. The main theory is that lasagne comes from Greece , a flat sheet of pasta dough cut into strips. The word λαγάνα (lagana) is still used in Greek to mean a flat thin type of unleavened bread.

Another theory is that the word lasagne comes from the Greek λάσανα (lasana) orλάσανον (lasanon) meaning "trivet or stand for a pot". The Romans borrowed the word as "lasanum", meaning "cooking pot" in Latin.The Italians used the word to refer to the dish in which lasagne is made. Later the name of the food took on the name of the serving dish.

A third theory proposes that the dish is a development of the 14th century English recipe "Loseyn"as described in The Forme of Cury, a cook book in use during the reign of Richard II. This has similarities to modern lasagne in both its recipe, which features a layering of ingredients between pasta sheets, and its name. However, an important difference is the lack of tomatoes, which did not arrive in Europe until after Columbus reached America in 1492. The earliest discussion of the tomato in European literature appeared in an herbal written in 1544 by Pietro Andrea Mattioli while the earliest discovered cookbook with tomato recipes was published in Naples in 1692, though the author had apparently obtained these recipes from Spanish sources.

  

Ingredients and recipe;

• 8 ounces lasagna noodles
• 2 tablespoons salt for cooking water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 16 ounces low fat ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces sliced Mozzarella cheese
• Sauce
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground chuck or round
• 1 large can (28 ounces) tomatoes
• an (28 ounces) tomatoes
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons salt
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups water

Start preparing the sauce about 30 to 45 minutes in advance.
Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are soft; add ground beef and brown. Pour off excess fat. Add remaining ingredients; stir well. Simmer slowly, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Cook noodles in boiling water with 2 tablespoons of salt for about 25 minutes, or until tender, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Drain; add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange noodles in a shallow 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Make 3 layers each of noodles, ricotta cheese, Mozzarella cheese, meat sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 45 minutes.