This time we had to use our KitchenAid mixer pasta roller attachment, since our transformer for the Italian pasta motor had been fried by a French Raclette dinner at Geraldine's. We rolled each noodle from number 2 to number 6 one pass each to lengthen our 2 lbs of 9x2x2 = 36 noodles (each of 18 sheets cut in half lengthwise to 3 inch width), during which they increased in width to about 3 1/4 inch. Then we boiled 2 at a time for 1 minute each, and picked them out with our large Chinese strainer and put them into cold water so they could be unraveled by hand onto a cookie sheet covered by an old kitchen towel, then transferred to another kitchen towel where they were layered one on top of another, 4 noodles to a layer.
Here are the boiled noodes (left) and ready to boil noodles (right), also layered.
Ready for assembly after 1.25 hours. 36 noodles made about 13 layers, since 3 noodles fit into a layer in our 11x17 inner dimensions of the gigantic roasting pan, with excess cuts that could themselves be assembled into Frankenstein noodles to use the waste adding another layer plus enough for a mini-lasagna.
a shot of the finished pan from above.
and from the side. there was enough of the sauces left to make a mini-lasagna with the left over noodles and noodle pieces to jam in the freezer in a little ceramic dish that Rita had given us to take home some of Gabriella's lasagna years before.
and finally here is the plated portion, with our frequently served arugula, parmigiano and walnut salad and a wilted spinach and sautéed mushroom salad with crumbled feta cheese. and a pair of Carlino's garlic knots (garlic bread). crusty Carlino's semolina bread not shown. we served cream of chestnut soup as an appetizer this time.
lasagna 2011
finally we moved over to whole wheat pasta noodles for our lasagna to decrease the bad carb component of the dish with our new awareness of glycemic index matters... here is a 12 layer whole wheat bolognese lasagna, you really can't tell the difference by looking.
We also did a variation of pesto lasagna, whole wheat style.
Looks a bit oily, but with the pesto it is unavoidable.