Pinwheel Lasagna
This recipe comes from The Italian American Cookbook by Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli. Yes, it has a few steps but is well worth it .
Northern Style Egg Yolk Pasta – 8 sheets of pasta, approx. 12 x 7 inches (recipe follows)
Ingredients:
1 cup plus 3 Tbl Besciamella (recipe follows)
4 cups of shredded whole milk mozzarella
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 cups of Italian Sausage Bolognese (recipe follows)
2 cups 10-Minute San Marzano Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)
½ cup whipped cream cheese
2 Tbl roughly chopped parsley
2 Tbl Italian Herb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Directions:
Ina large pot, bring 4 quarts water and salt to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, set up an ice bath in a large bowl in a large bowl. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Working with one sheet at a time, place a pasta sheet in the in the boiling water for 15 seconds, then immediately remove and chill in the ice bath for 15 seconds. Transfer to the lined sheet pan and pat dry with paper towel. Cover with another layer of parchment paper and repeat with the remaining pasta, creating a stack of sheets, each patted dry and each layer separated by parchment.
On a clean countertop, lay out one piece of pasta sheet with a short side facing you. Spread ¼ cup be cup of besciamella in a thin layer evenly across the sheet. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan over the besciamella.
Place another sheet of pasta on top. Spread 1 cup of the Bolognese evenly over across the second pasta sheet leaving a 2-inch border uncovered at the top short edge. Spread 2 teaspoons of the besciamella onto the uncovered edge (this will act like glue to seal the roll closed).
Starting at the bottom, roll up the layered pasta into a thick log, or jelly roll. Transfer to a small sheet pan seam side down. Put in the refrigerator until all of the rolls are made. For best result let chill at least one hour, which will firm it up and make it easier to slice.
Repeat the process with remaining pasta sheets to make a total of 4 rolls, transferring to the refrigerator as you finish each roll. The rolls can be tightly wrapped in plastic at this point and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 3 months, before cooking, If frozen thaw in the refrigerator before slicing.
Preheat the oven to 400 °
Transfer the rolls to the cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice each log on half crosswise, then slice each in half crosswise, then slice each half in half to give you 4 slices per roll. Each about 1 ¼ inches thick.
Ladle all of the tomato sauce into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, covering the entire bottom of the dish. Arrange the lasagna pinwheels cut side down in the baking dish, 4 pinwheels across in one direction and 4 across in the other. All 16 pieces should fit in one layer, gently staggering to fit.
Bake until the pasta edges are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and add tablespoons sized dollops of whipped cream cheese in between the pinwheels in a random pattern. Return to the oven and bake until the whipped cream cheese is warm and melted, an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Top with chopped parsley and drizzle with olive oil.
Besciamella
Makes 2 ½ cups
Ingredients:
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
3 thyme sprigs
½ tsp black peppercorns
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 to 2 ½ cups cold whole milk
Directions:
In a small heavy bottomed pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic, shallots, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, and salt. Cook over low heat until the shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes.
Add the flour and stir well. Increase the heat to medium and cook. Stirring continually with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, until the flour forms a smooth paste and turns light golden brown about 5 minutes. Stir in the milk and cook for 5 minutes stirring continually, until besciamella is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
Place into the refrigerator, for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Northern Style Pasta
Ingredients for Egg Yolk Dough:
1 cup plus 2 Tbl of 00 flour or 1 ¼ cups plus 2 Tbl all-purpose flour
7 Tbl durum flour
9 egg yolks
1 Tbl Arbequina Olive Oil
3 Tbl water, plus more if needed
Flour for dusting
Directions for pasta dough:
Combine both flours in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On medium speed add the egg yolks, one at a time until combined. Add the olive oil and mix together. Add water 1 Tbl at a time until dough comes together.
Turn the dough out onto the floured work surface and knead it until it feels silky and smooth, about 5 minutes, kneading in 00 flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. The dough is ready of when you stretch it with your hands, it gently pulls back into place.
Shape the dough into a ball then flatten the ball into a disk. Cover the dough and let rest for 30 minutes or wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it up to 3 days.
To roll out the dough, cut into 4 equal pieces. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes if chilled. The dough should be cool but not cold. Shape each piece using a rolling pin into an oval wide enough to fit the width of your pasta roller.
Lightly flour your work surface and set the pasta roller to its widest setting. Lightly flour 1 piece of dough and pass it through the roller, and then lightly dust the rolled dough with flour brushing off the excess with your hand. Pass the dough through the widest setting again. Set the roller to the next narrowest setting and pass the dough through, dusting again with flour and brushing off excess. Pass again through the roller. Continue passing the dough once or twice through each progressively narrowing the setting. Until you get to the second to last setting. If dough is too thin stop rolling out at the third to last setting on the machine.
This recipe makes enough for 4 sheets of pasta 5-6 inches thick and depending on the thickness it may be 2 to 3 feet or 4 to 5 feet long.