You've never seen lasagna like this! Slow-braised beef short ribs and pork belly made into a meat filling and layered between homemade fresh pasta dough and chopped vegetables. Special Equipment: 3 large roasting pans, rolling pin. Courtesy of Michael McKeown of Prairie Harvest Caf.
Directions for: Prairie Harvest Lasagna
Ingredients
Braised Meats16 small tomatoes, whole
3 large carrots, chopped into 2-inch pieces
5 stalks celery, chopped into 2-inch pieces
2 large onions, thickly chopped
1 lb(s) beef short ribs
1 lb(s) pork belly
4 cup beef stock
Fresh Pasta Doughcup semolina flour
cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs
Meat Filling1 lb(s) ground beef
2 carrots, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 large onion, finely chopped
1 bulb garlic, finely chopped
cup fresh basil
Lasagna Assembly1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup Asiago cheese, grated
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
cup all-purpose flour
1 bunch spinach, washed and chopped
6 Tbsp ricotta (1 tablespoon per serving)
8 roasted whole tomatoes (2 per serving)
basil oil, to taste
Directions
Braised Meats1. To roast the tomatoes, preheat oven to 350F.
2. Place tomatoes in an ungreased roasting dish and roast for 60 minutes, or until the skin starts to peel off and the tomatoes begin to shrivel. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 425F.
4. In a medium greased roasting pan, combine carrots, celery, and onions.
5. Roast vegetables for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned; remove vegetables from oven and set aside while you prepare the meats for roasting.
6. Preheat oven to 550F.
7. Place short ribs on an ungreased baking sheet, fat-side down; roast short ribs in the oven for 7-10 minutes, or until brown. Transfer short ribs to a large roasting pan and set aside.
8. Repeat process with pork belly and transfer to a second roasting pan.
9. Reduce oven heat to 300F.
10. Evenly divide roasted vegetables between the pork belly and short rib roasting pans. Add two roasted tomatoes to each pan; reserve remaining tomatoes for plating.
11. Pour beef stock into each roasting pan until meat is half covered.
12. Cover both roasting pans in metal foil and cook for 2-3 hours, or until meat is fork tender and ribs are easily separated from the bone.
13. During last hour of braising, prepare the pasta.
Fresh Pasta Dough1. To make the dough, combine semolina flour and all purpose flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. While mixing on low speed, pour the oil into the flour. Once oil has soaked the flour, increase speed to medium and add eggs one at a time.
2. Mix on medium for 3-4 minutes, until the dough pulls always from the sides of the bowl and is elastic to the touch.
3. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap; set aside to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Meat Filling1. When pork belly and short ribs are done, remove meat from braising liquid and set aside. Strain braising liquid and discard vegetables.
2. To make a demi-glace, transfer braising liquid to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat.
3. Cook and stir occasionally for about 20 minutes, or until braising liquid reduces by half. Once reduced, remove liquid from heat and cool to room temperature. Skim off the layer of fat once cooled.
4. Pull meat from the short ribs and pork belly with a fork; combine meats in a large bowl, along with 2 cups of the cooled demi-glace. Stir and set aside until while cooking the ground beef and vegetables.
5. To make the lasagna filling, combine ground beef, basil, garlic, carrots, celery and onions in a large pan. Stir and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, or until the meat is uniformly brown.
6. Stir in 2 cups of the demi-glace and heat until liquid is warm; pour the gravy and vegetables into the pulled meat and mix well.
Lasagna Assembly1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, Asiago, and 1 cup of mozzarella; reserve remaining mozzarella for assembly.
3. Dust work surface with flour; remove pasta dough from plastic wrap and roll it out to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut pasta into 3 large noodles the width and length of your baking dish.
4. Lay one noodle across the bottom of the dish and top with a third of the meat mixture, a third of the cheese mixture, and a third of the spinach. Repeat for 2 additional layers.
5. Cover the lasagna with foil; cook for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling.
6. Remove foil and top with the remaining mozzarella; cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is brown and melted.
7. Serve each slice topped with 1 tablespoon ricotta cheese, 2 roasted tomatoes, a drizzle of the demi-glace and a drizzle of basil oil.
See more: Comfort Food, Italian, Main, Dinner, Pasta, Beef, Pork, Vegetables, Slow Cook