Lasagna

Cook 2 lb sweet Italian sausage, 1 minced onion, and 4 crushed garlic cloves over medium heat in a dutch oven. Stir in 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes, 12 oz tomato paste, 13 oz canned tomato sauce, and 1/4 c water. Season with 1 T sugar, 2 T fresh basil, 1 t fennel seeds, 2 t Italian seasoning, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper and 2 T fresh parsley. Simmer for 1 1/2-6 hrs (if you are making this the day before, only simmer 1/2-1 hr and let the flavors blend in the fridge overnight!).
Let 12+ lasagna noodles sit in hot salted tap water for 25-30 min to half-cook (it will cook the rest of the way in the oven). Combine 1 1/2 lb ricotta with 2 eggs, 2 T fresh parsley, 1/2 t salt, and 1/2 t nutmeg. Preheat the oven to 375F and assemble the lasagna! You will need 1 lb sliced mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese, and 1/4 c grated pecorino romano cheese. [(sauce + noodles + ricotta + mozzarella + sauce + parmesan + romano) x2 + noodle + sauce + mozzarella + parmesan + romano + foil] Cook for 25 min, take off the foil, cook for another 25 min, and finally let cool for 15 min.

Note: This is a HUGE recipe! if you don't have one of those huge aluminum party thingies, this will make two smaller lasagnas, so plan your layers accordingly. I like to make my own ricotta cheese because the taste of fresh ricotta is amazing and nothing supermarket-bought can compare. I also made my own Italian sausage to avoid all of that extra salt and preservatives. If you choose to make your own cheese and sausage, prepare 1 day ahead of assembling lasagna. Recipes for both ricotta and sausage are below!  :)

Ricotta:
Line a large sieve with a layer of heavy-duty, fine-mesh cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl.
Slowly bring 3qt milk, 1 1/2 c heavy cream, and 3/4 t salt to a rolling boil in a 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add 4 1/2 T fresh lemon juice, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture curdles, about 2 minutes.
Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let it drain at least 1 hour. After discarding the liquid, chill the ricotta, covered; it will keep in the refrigerator 2 days. The longer you chill it, the firmer it will become.

Sweet Italian Sausage:
Mix together 2 lb ground pork, 1 T salt, 1 T ground fennel seed, 1 1/2 T sweet paprika, 1 T minced garlic, 1 T sugar, 1 t black pepper, and 3 T red wine vinegar. For best results, let sit in fridge overnight before use.

A delicious slice of my homemade lasagna :)

One of the two lasagnas that this recipe yielded... the other one was smaller

Beef Noodle Soup

Arrange a rack 4" from broiler and heat. Put 4 large unpeeled shallots and 4" unpeeled ginger on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and broil, turning often, until blackened, about 15-20 min. Let cool. Scrape peels off of shallots and ginger. Halve ginger lengthwise and press each piece with the side of a knife to flatten, set aside with shallots. Heat 1 t fennel seeds, 5 star anise, 3" stick of cinnamon, and 1 crushed pod of black cardamom in a small skillet over medium heat and toast, swirling pan, until fragrant, about 3 min. Transfer spices to a small bowl and set aside.

Cut 5 lb beef leg bones into 2-3" pieces and place into 12qt pot and cover by cold water by 1". Bring to a boil and cook for 3 min. Drain and rinse bones. Clean pot and return bones to pot along with reserved shallots and ginger, 1 1/2 lb boneless beef chuck (trimmed and cut into 4x2x1 1/2" thick pieces) and 6qt cold water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Add reserved spices, 1/2 oz dried scallops, and 2 T kosher salt. Cook, skimming surfcae, until beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hrs.

Using tongs, transfer beef to a bowl of ice water and cool for 10 min. Drain beef and thinly slice crosswise. Transfer to a plate, cover, and refrigerate. Continue cooking broth for 1 1/2 hrs more, remove from heat, and pour through a cheesecloth-lined fine strainer over a clean 6qt pot. Discard solids and skim fat from surface. Stir in 1/4 c fish sauce and white parts of 8 scallions (reserve green parts for serving). Combine 1 1/2 t unseasoned rice vinegar and 2 thinly sliced serrano chiles in a small bowl and set aside. Thinly slice 1 medium yellow onion and soak in cold water for 30 min. Cut 8 oz beef sirloin across grain into 1/16" thick slices.

Pour boiling water over 2 lb small flat rice noodles in a medium bowl and let soak until al dente, about 10 min. Rinse noodles in cold water, drain, and divide between 8 serving bowls. Top each with chilled beef and raw sirloin. Top with onions, thinly sliced scallion greens and cilantro. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and ladle hot broth over each bowl, placing one white scallion piece in each bowl. Serve chiles on the side.

The recipe, cut in 1/3, still yeiled more than enough for 4... we will be eating this for lunch tomorrow! :)

My bowl of noodles :)

Substitution Confessions: I cut the recipe in 1/3, and did not use the chiles because my family cannot tolerate any spiciness. I did not have flat rice noodles, so instead used round egg noodles. I also did not have a cardamom pod, and substituted ground cardamom. Since I cut down the ingredients, I also cut down the cooking time - my broth cooked for about 1 hr total. I already had chuck steak on hand but not the sirloin, so I used extra chuck steak to compensate.

Tapioca Pudding

Bring 4 cups milk, 1/2 cup large pearl tapioca, 1/4 t kosher salt, and seeds of one vanilla bean to a boil in a 4qt saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until tapioca is tender, about 25-30 min. Whisk together 1 c heavy cream, 3/4 c sugar, and 4 egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, add yolk mixture to tapioca. Cook, stirring, until mixture thickens and just begins to boil, about 8-10 min. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl, let cool to room temp. Meanwhile, whisk 4 egg whites until frothy. While whisking, sprinkle in 1/4 c sugar and whip to stiff peaks. Fold meringue into room-temp pudding. Jar and chill. Or, if serving within a few hours, chill in individual servings. To serve, sprinkle with ground cinnamon to taste.


Substitution Confessions: We only had almond milk on hand, but I will definitely use regular milk next time - while delicious, it didn't turn out as thick as I hoped.

 

This is about 1/3 of the whole batch - the total recipe yields 8 servings

I served the pudding in little glass cups with plenty of cinnamon :)