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Pasta Sauce, Lasagna (continued)
the baking dish so that the pasta won't stick. Put a little sauce with no meat in the dish and spread it around to a thin layer. Now begin layering: pasta, ricotta cheese, sauce, pasta, mozarella cheese,sauce pasta....so on and on. Finish off with a layer of sauce and dusting of parmesean cheese. (If you love eggplant, and who doesn't, then you can peel a large eggplant and by slicing it lengthwise, very thinly, replace one or 2 layers of pasta with this healthy vegetable.) For future use you can freeze your Lasagna and once frozen cover it will aluminum foil. If you choose this route you can take it directly from the freezer and into an unheated oven about 1 hour before you plan your meal to be served. Turn the oven on to 375°-400°f and have a glass of wine while you prepare the rest of the meal. Just remember that Lasagna should rest, after the oven, for about 15 minutes before serving.
Cannelloni: Stuff the dried shells with a mixture of ricotta, finely chopped sauté mushrooms, a bit of finely chopped Parsley & Chives, and a few toasted Pine Nuts. Butter a small single serving sized casserole dish and fill about half way with the sauce. Place the appropriate number of stuffed shells into the dish and then cover with just a bit more sauce. Freeze or cook as directed in the general manner as we did with the Lasagna.
Baked Pasta with Cheese: Add about the same amount of water per the amount of sauce you plan to use and don't forget to add a bit more salt at the very start. Again, butter the casserole dish you plan to use. In the same large bowl that now holds the diluted sauce add the appropriate amount of uncooked Rigatoni and mix thoroughly (remember you want sauce inside the tubes). Of course you can choose to use any shape of pasta you prefer. I just happen to prefer Rigatoni. Add the grated cheeses of your
choice and stir to incorporate evenly. Pour the entire mixture into a buttered casserole dish and dust lightly with parmesean. Freeze for future use or bake now, as you choose.
Pizza & Pizza Bread: If using bread consider using day old baguettes (or Ilithiel bread, as Jolly calls it) as it has a firmer texture that works better. But if you are choosing to make a flattened pizza then a fresh stiff dough is the place to start. You can also make individual sized flattened pizza by using Keeper's Fire Bread. For the baguettes, simply slice the loaf in half lengthwise and for the dough roll it out until it is as thin as you like it to be. Now brush the interior cut-sides of the baguette with a bit of olive oil or the top of the pizza dough or Fire-Bread with the same. Apply an ample layer of sauce to the choice you have made and then cover with the toppings of your choice. And in response to you question: Yes, these too can be frozen but adjust the oven temperature to 400°-425°f and preheat before placing the pizza into the oven.
Ravioli & Tortellini: Prepare these pastas according to the package directions (if you make them fresh by hand then you already know how to prepare them for this sauce) and then use the heated sauce to cover.
This next recipe is the traditional fare down in Sunny Belfalas. It was sent by a courier who risked life and limb to get it to us for its inclusion in this book. I'm awfully glad that he made it because after I sampled it I had to admit that it was worth all the risks he had to take. Those folks down in Belfalas (where ever that is) really know how to eat! I don't know if they are Big Folks or Elves or Dwarves or what, but I am sure that they must be related to us somehow. I wonder if they have hairy feet also?