View Single Post
Old 03-18-2012, 05:09 PM   #542
plthijinx
Master Dwellar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,197
so my roommate has been pestering me to make my from scratch lasagna. today i did just that. the key to great marinara is FRESH spices. what i used today was all fresh of course: basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram (trust me on that one), rosemary, sage and peeled/smashed garlic. with the "stemy" spices i like to strip the stalks of the leaves then mince them up. whether or not that helps with the flavor, i know not. but i like to do it so as to not have a toothpick to use because i missed a stem while mincing. i also incorporated 5 fresh roma tomatoes, 5 links of hot spicy Italian sausage, 2 lbs coarse beef and a fullers ESB in place of water. you might note that there is no onion involved. that's because my roommate absolutely can't stand them. i so wish i could put them in there. i recommend a texas sweet 1015 onion. anyway, i also used 2 12 oz cans of tomato paste and then brought it to a boil and then covered it for an hour and a half stirring every 5-10 minutes or so. then turned the heat off and let it "rest" for an hour. after that i boiled the noodles and built the layers using LOTS of mozzarella and a light sprinkle of feta cheese in each layer. bake covered with foil for 45 minutes then 15 uncovered. now if you'll excuse me, i've got to go gain about 10 lbs now.
Attached Images
    
__________________
For your dreams to come true, you must first have a dream.
plthijinx is offline   Reply With Quote