Lasagna Sheet's?

[Pixel-Snapper]

Now i've done lasagna to the hilt as I enjoy it. But I found a different recipe while bobbing around the net today, use spinach and ricotta cheese instead of a normal cheese sauce.

However, the recipe called for the lasagna sheet's to be placed in hot water for 15 minutes before the building commences.

Is this normal as I just put them in dry? does it make any differnce to the taste.

Edited by Pixel-Snapper on Thursday 6th January 16:36

[Shaw Tarse]

Wouldn't have thought it would affect taste, possibly texture?
I tend to use lasagna dry, with chilled meat.

[Ultuous]

Depends on the sheets/ other ingrediants - some sheets say they don't need pre-soaking, but I've made the mistake of making a vegetarian lasagne with them before and not soaking them, only to find that there wasn't enough moisture in the other ingrediants to rehydrate the pasta!

[prand]

You need to cook the lasagne sheets otherwise they would try and absorb all the free liquid in the spinach/ricotta mixture. I woudl not imagine is a very "wet" filling.

You would end up with a rather dry/crunchy result.

I find cooking a couple of sheets a few minutes at a time is easiest to stop a while pile sticking together in the boiling water.

[N Dentressangle]

You can use them dry. It will make little difference: they don't absorb that much water.

One thing I did notice recently was the difference between the pikey cheap lasagne we normally buy and expensive (relatively ) Napolina which I was forced into lately. Different colour, taste and texture - won't be picking up the cheap stuff again!

[shirt]

i wouldn;t say so, but if you're on a tasty lasagne quest you should have a bash at making your own.

[anonymous-user]

I buy the fresh sheets and boil for a few minutes - as said so that they don't absorb too much of the liquid of your filling. It makes a difference, not much, but for the effort required it's well worth it.

I haven't found a dry lasagne sheet that I think tastes anywhere as good as fresh, they seem to be too thick, sticky and stodgy for my liking.

[sleep envy]

remember to add salt and olive oil to the water when you cook the sheets and add them one by one!!

also, cheese sauce in lasagne??

might try that instead of bechamel

[anonymous-user]

sleep envy said:

add them one by one!!

This, and criss cross them which also helps with removal from the water and prevents them sticking quite so much!

[calibrax]

I just put them in dry. Works fine.

As for the thread title, I also never put an apostrophe when it's a plural...

Edited by calibrax on Thursday 6th January 18:39

[Pixel-Snapper]

oops good point about the title hehehe.....

In the end I went with some fresh sheets as I had spotted some in the reduced pasta section... Yipee

Will try soaking posh dry sheets next time, but as you say I fear after i've had fresh they'll be no going back.

I'll posty some pics once me phones charged and the bad boys cooked.

Thanks for all the advice PH.

Always welcome.

P-S

[Pixel-Snapper]

Well here we go, its wasnt for the faint hearted. The pictures dont do it justice, I blame it on the tools....

So whoever said fresh lasagna sheets are the best.....wow! why have I been using dryed for so long, stayed soft and juicy im truely converted. Next step will be to make my own as suggested.

Spinach and ricotta sauce.... so much more richer and dare I say a more ground up flavor than standard bechamel.

Was possibly! quite an expensive meal to have with all the ingrediants. 400g Beef mince, 400g pork mince, chorizo, tinned tomato, onions, carrot, celery, soy sauce, balsamic syrup, beef stock, 500g ricotta cheese, spinach, 200g italian hard cheese and shop bought fresh pasta.

However with the quantities I made 6 portions. Three have gone into the freezer for another day and the other I will take to work for lunch tomorrow.

Pre-oven



Cooked



Plated

[paulrockliffe]

Ace.

I usually make the sauce a little extra-wet, then construct the lasagne dry, but leave it to stand for an hour or so, so that the hot sauce cooks the lasagne, before banging it all in the oven and finishing it off.

[shirt]

o/t but mr scruff tea is fantastic.

[Zeek]

shirt said:

i wouldn;t say so, but if you're on a tasty lasagne quest you should have a bash at making your own.

I agree. I've been making good use of the xmas present for the KitchenAid..the pasta maker. Surprisingly easy and quick to make, easily quicker than boiling the dried stuff first.

[sleep envy]

Do you have the raviolo attachment?

[Zeek]

sleep envy said:

Do you have the raviolo attachment?

No, the roller, the spaghetti and tagliatelle cutters. The ravioli one looks a bit messy! I've made ravioli using the flat sheets and a cookie cutter though.

If I see the ravioli maker cheap in the States I might get one, but it's the sausage maker next!

[sleep envy]

I've got the trays and an imperia but am wondering if the raviolo machine is worth shelling out for

[Pixel-Snapper]

shirt said:

o/t but mr scruff tea is fantastic.

Hahaha I did wonder if anyone would pick up on that.

Lemongrass and mint flavors lush.

[Mobile Chicane]

Pixel-Snapper said:

shirt said:

o/t but mr scruff tea is fantastic.

Hahaha I did wonder if anyone would pick up on that.

Lemongrass and mint flavors lush.

I'd noticed the tea. Mint and chilli sounds lovely.

I've never heard of it - where can you buy it? (Darn Sarf, this is.)