Ok, not sure where to start. When we do pasta, I/we (me+kids) usually make gluten free. But I have been wondering about a few things lately like how 00 flour actually differs when working with it. I didn't have any gluten on hand and where I went to get my other ingredients didn't carry it, so....I went without. First, I tried the dough hook.....basically made a crumble, no ball to be seen. So, I dumped it on the board and started adding yolks, about 1.5 did the trick and it seemed fine (still no idea what went wrong but glad I was able to save it). I normally do my pasta by hand, but thought if I could use a dough hook, that would be great. When it came time to spin out I was in awe of how differently it worked than gluten free. Just that it stays hydrated and bounces back much more readily. Easier to work with (basically not as fragile).
When I looked at the lasagna recipe, I mentally made a few changes and cut the recipe in 1/2 (after all, only 4 people in our family and 2 of us 6yo and under).
Changes:
1. used 1/2 beef and 1/2 pork. I did this for a couple of reasons. I know how some here are reluctant to change, but also know how they like the spag bowl with 1/2 and 1/2, so I was pretty confident with that.
2. Used star anise with the onions. Because we all like the meaty flavors in lasagna I wanted to emphasize this. And also b/c I don't stock MSG so was trying to boost where I could.
3. I doubled the onion (to go along with #2).
The verdict. I'd like to say it was great, but I think the fact that when I served it up and got "I'm never going to finish 1/2 of that".............only to turn around and see it ALL gone says it much better. :-)
It was fantastic!
Best Lasagna I think I've ever had (best I can remember at least) and the same from the other side of the table. :-)
So big shout out to Riley and CS!!
What would I change? We'll see about others in the room if they have a reaction to the pasta (in a lasagna coma at the moment ;-)..).
I would however probably not cook the pasta sheets before hand OR cook them in a roasting pan. I found dealing with hot pasta sheets challenging. But really, if that's all I have to complain about, that strikes a 11/10 in my book.
Since photos were requested:
