New York Lasagna

I dated a girl many years ago from New York who was Italian and she taught me to make the lasagna she grew up eating. While NY is not in Italy, we’ve all seen enough mob movies to know its as close as you can get to Italy and still be in America – both geographically and culturally. She would always make her noodles fresh, which I often do, but you can sneak by with store bought. I even, and don’t tell anyone, have used the dry noodles that you don’t have to cook. This is a three-meat lasagna that will take you about five hours to make, six when you factor in mise en place.

  • For Sauce
    • 1 lb Italian sausage – mild
    • 1 lb Ground sirloin – can use hamburger
    • 8 oz Pancetta – diced (see note below)
    • 0.25 cups Percorino Romano – freshly grated
    • 2 eggs
    • 4 garlic cloves – large – diced – divided
    • 10 Parsley sprigs – leaves only
    • 4 oz Olive oil – divided
    • 0.5 cups flour
    • 2-28 oz cans plum tomatoes
    • 2 TBL tomato paste
    • 12 oz Red wine – dry and preferably Italian
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • 1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
  • For Assembly
    • 16 oz Mozzarella cheese
    • 15 oz Ricotta cheese
    • 2 cups Percorino Romano – freshly grated
    • 16 Lasagna noodles – homemade preferred but its on you
    • 2 eggs
    • 0.5 cups Parsley – chopped

Process

  1. Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
  2. Make the Sauce
    1. Heat a heavy bottom pot (cast iron is best) on medium heat.
    2. Make a roux by adding the 2 oz olive oil and letting it get hot.
    3. Add the flour and stir until flour is slightly toasted.
    4. Add onions and pancetta and cook ~10 mins or until onions are translucent.
    5. Season generously with salt and pepper
    6. During the last minute of cooking, add half of the garlic
    7. Raise heat slightly and add wine. Cook until reduced ~20 mins.
    8. Crush tomatoes into the pan and add their juice.
    9. Add the tomato paste and 2 cups water.
    10. bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a slow simmer.
    11. Simmer covered for 1 hr. Stirring often.
  3. Prepare the Meat
    1. Combine sirloin, cheese, half the garlic, and parsley.
    2. Season generously with salt and pepper, them mix well.
    3. Shape into golf ball sized balls and set aside.
    4. Heat heavy bottom pan. Add remaining olive oil and let get hot.
    5. Dust meatballs lightly in flour and place in pan
    6. Brown meat on all sides but do not cook through.
    7. Transfer to sauce.
    8. Clean the pan and cook the sausage with fennel seeds (if using)
    9. Transfer to sauce.
  4. Simmer sauce for 1.5 hours
  5. Assemble Lasagna
    1. Heat oven to 350 F.
    2. Prepare the noodles per the recipe for the type of noodles you are using.
    3. Combine Ricotta, 2 eggs, Romano, parsley, and all but 1 cup of Mozzarella. Season with S&P.
    4. Remove meatballs from sauce as set aside to cool, then chop coarsely.
    5. Cover the bottom of a 9″x12″ lasagna pan with sauce and place a layer of noodles on top.
    6. Cover noodles with sauce (~1/4th of remaining sauce).
    7. Add 1/3rd of the meat and 1/3rd of the sauce on top.
    8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 two more layers.
    9. Top with a layer of noodles.
    10. Cover that with remaining sauce.
    11. Top that with reserve cup of Mozzarella.
  6. Bake 20 mins covered and 10 mins uncovered
  7. Let lasagna rest for 10 mins before serving, it will not finish baking, it will slice better and be safer to eat.

Note: Pancetta can be hard to find, so you can substitute bacon, however, try to get un-smoked and blanch in boiling water for two mins. I recommend dicing the bacon before blanching.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email