For Italians, food is a celebration of life. Italian cuisine can be described by its excellent taste and utility, high-quality products. Thanks to the easy handling in the preparation, the food preserves its freshness and natural flavor, but the notion of Italian national cuisine is very diverse. Italy offers the world many original versions of the cuisine, reflecting the history of the country’s regions and the importance of local products.
The culinary recipes are perfected with the same naturalness as the styles in painting and wardrobe. More than political and geographical boundaries, they are influenced by differences in soil composition, climate, and proximity to the sea, but there are big differences between the cuisine of the north and that of the south: in reality, there are two completely different cuisines.
Of course, tasting and appreciating the best Italian dishes is best at local restaurants, pizzerias and trattorias. Italy is a long way away, but the desire to make pizza, risotto, ravioli or lasagna in your own kitchen is too tempting to resist. If you want to open an unforgettable “mini Italian restaurant” in your own kitchen, this article may be what you were looking for.
Nowadays, getting authentic Italian pasta recipes is not as difficult as it seems. There are many books, special cooking courses and a lot of information published on the Internet. After doing a very little research, I was able to find many interesting and authentic Italian recipes, from pastas and pizzas to various delicious soups and sauces. There are thousands of different recipes, which vary from region to region. Let’s take one of the most versatile Italian lasagna recipes as an example.
Authentic Italian Lasagna Recipe
All you need: for the meat sauce: 300 g of minced meat, 150 g of ham cut into sticks, 1 large carrot, 2 stalks of fresh celery, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 cup of dry red wine, 1 medium onion, 1 garlic clove, 1 tin of tomatoes (400 g), salt, pepper; for the “Bechamel” sauce: 0.5 l of milk, 2 tbsp. pinch of nutmeg flour, 1 bay leaf, 100 g of butter, salt.
Meat sauce: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onions and garlic. Over medium heat, fry the onion until light. Add the fire and add carrots and celery, chopped straw. Cook over low heat 5 minutes. Add minced meat and ham, bring a lot to a light brown color. For the wine and simmer 10 minutes. At least, in the sauce add tomatoes, finely chopped along with the juice from the jar. Together cook over medium heat for about 40 minutes.
Béchamel sauce: In a skillet melt the butter, add the flour and fry lightly until it smells nutty. Separately, bring the milk to a boil, add a pinch of nutmeg and bay leaf. Let rest 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and a thin thread, stirring, pour the milk mixture into a hot pan with flour. Once the mixture starts to boil, it’s done. Season lightly with salt.
In top form for baking for some meat sauce. Cover the dried lasagna sheets. For another layer of meat sauce on top, béchamel and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, cover again with lasagna sheets. So continue to alternate layers until the meat sauce is complete. On top place the lasagna sheets, for the last portion of bechamel and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place in the preheated oven at 180 C and bake for about 40 minutes until a brown crust remains.
