Chef Kevin Lasagna – Meat and Four Cheese

Chef Kevin Lasagna – Meat and Four Cheese


Ingredients:

Pasta:
2 cups flour
1 tsp table salt
2 eggs
2 tbs. water

Sauce:
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Dried Red Pepper Flakes
1 yellow onion
5 - 10 whole clove garlic
5 to 6 roma tomatoes
1 cup red table wine
Fresh Basel
Fresh thyme
Bay leaves
Salt pepper

Meat:
1 lbs chuck steak with a good amount of fat
1/2 lbs pork chop(if you can't grind your own meat use 80/20 ground beef and ground pork)
1 qt. Low sodium beef broth

Cheeses:
1 lb smoked provolone
1 lb Philadelphia cream cheese
1 lb feta cheese
1 lb mozzarella cheese in liquid

Instructions:

Pasta: To make pasta from scratch, you will need the right equipment. There are pasta makers but I recommend that if you have a kitchen aid, get the attachment. If you don't want to bother with making your own pasta you can use the readymade lasagna noodles (follow the box instructions).

First take 2 cups flour and a tsp of table salt in the standing mixer, mix till combined. Beat the 2 eggs with the 2 tbs of water until combined. Start the mixer on medium speed with the dry ingredients in the bowl with the dough hook attached. Slowly add the egg and water mix to the flour until a dough ball forms, about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, if the dough hasn’t formed a good ball, DON’T add water. Just take the dough out and finish it on a lightly floured table.

Once it is combined into a ball wrap it tight in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. While dough is resting put a pot on the stove with 1 gallon of water and bring it to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, start the sauce.

Sauce: Coarsely chop the tomatoes and fine dice the onion, dice the garlic, Basel, thyme, keeping them all separate. Take a 12 inch skillet on the stove top and heat the oil over medium high heat add the red pepper flakes till just fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the onion and cook till just brown on the edges about 5 minutes. Add the garlic cook till just fragrant about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and wine bring to a low boil. Reduce heat till you have a simmer. Add bay leaf and cover till well combined about 30 minutes. While waiting on sauce, start grinding the meat.

Meat: Again if you have a kitchen aid, use the meat grinding attachment. If you don't have the grinder attachment use 80/20 hamburger and mix with fresh ground pork. Cut the steak and pork chop into long strips about an inch thick, run them through your grinder to combine. Bring beef broth to a boil and add ground meat. Cook till slightly pink season with salt and pepper to taste. Put cooked meat into strainer set aside.

Once the sauce is done cooking, remove the bay leave and add the fresh basil and thyme. Combine with the drained meat. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

Take your rested pasta ball and divide it into about golf ball size pieces. Run the pasta through the pasta attachment until it has reached number 7 on the dial. Trim into two even pieces, about 2 inches wide and 12 inches long. Place in the boiling water for about 5 minutes then drain water and place pasta in cold water just to stop the cooking process, pull out when just warm.

Mix the cream cheese and the feta together in a bowl and soften in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

To assemble take some of the sauce and coat the bottom of your lasagna pan. Apply a layer of pasta. Then take your cheese mix and place in a piping bag and pipe strips down the length of the pasta. Place a layer of sauce. Apply a layer of provolone then pasta. Repeat two or three more times for the top lay down a layer of sauce and place the mozzarella cheese evenly onto of the lasagna. Cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the tin foil and cook another 15 to 20 minutes till the cheese has browned. Remove from oven and let rest for 20 minutes cut and serve. Enjoy!