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RECIPE: Lasagna From Scratch - for BC Living

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Lasagna 
for BC Living
March 2023
 
Last year I posted a recipe on how to make homemade pasta (click here), and now you can put it to good use by creating a lasagna all the way from scratch.  
 
This recipe is for a large, full-sized lasagna, but you can cut it in half, or separate it into two, cook one, and freeze the other. Plus, you can eliminate the meat, add spinach, or anything else you’d like – this is just a base for your basic (but extremely tasty and worth it) lasagna from scratch. 
 

INGREDIENTS 

To make your pasta from scratch, follow the instructions here, and cut your pasta into lasagna noodles! 
 
- 1lb ground beef (or your choice of meat) 
- 1 onion, finely diced 
- 4 or 5 cloves garlic, minced 
- 796mL San Marzano tomatoes  
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional) 
- Italian seasoning 
- salt and pepper 
 
-4 75g ricotta cheese 
- 1 eggs  
- approx. 2 cups mozzarella, shredded,  
- approx. 1.5 cups grated Parmesan 
- salt & pepper 
- dried basil approx. 2 tsp 
 
- fresh parsley for topping 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 
 
To make your pasta from scratch, follow the instructions here, and cut your pasta into lasagna noodles! 
For lasagna noodles it’s best to roll them on the thinnest setting, so you can layer more into the dish. 
 
For the meat sauce, brown the beef in a pot or a high-walled pan until browned. Drain the beef, leaving the juices in the pot, and place the beef in a bowl and set aside. 
 
Add the onions to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, and then add the garlic, cooking until the onion are soft and transparent.  
Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute to two until caramelized. 
 
Add in the tomatoes, and bring to a simmer, crushing the tomatoes with your spoon (or whichever utensil works for you), as you go. Cook for about 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally, and add water if the sauce gets too thick. 
 
While the sauce is cooking, in a bowl, place the ricotta cheese, a cup of the mozzarella and a cup of the parmesan cheese, as well as the egg, salt and pepper, and dried basil, and stir until combined. 
 
To puree your sauce, use an emersion blender (careful with the heat), and then stir in the seasoning, meat and salt and pepper, adjusting the spices to taste. 
 
Cook your pasta until al dente (it will continue to cook when baking, so don’t overdo it), drain and reserve. 
 
In your lasagna dish (or dishes if using two), place a layer of the meat sauce, and then cover with lasagna noodles. Add a layer of the cheese sauce, and then another layer of lasagna noodles. 
Continue this pattern until you’ve used all of your cheese, but finish with a layer of sauce, and then top with the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese, and parmesan. 
 
You can cover and refrigerate the lasagna (or freeze from here – it's best to freeze it uncooked), until ready to cook. 
 
Preheat the oven to 375, and when ready, cover the lasagna with tin foil, and cook for 25 minutes, and then remove the foil and cook for about 20 more. You may need a little more time if it’s coming straight from the fridge. 
If you’d like the top cheese a little more melted and browned, bake it under the broiler for a few minutes, watching it carefully. 
 
Let cool for 10 minutes and then divide and serve with chopped parsley, grated parmesan and some fresh cracked pepper sprinkled on top. 
 
ENJOY! 

RECIPE: Chocolates From Scratch - for BC Living

RECIPE: Chocolates
for “From Scratch” for BC Living
February 2023

Want to make that box of chocolates gift even more (or, you know, actually) special? Make them yourself from scratch. 
 
Not only will you look super impressive, there are LOTS of leftovers you can store for yourself, and you can tailor the type of chocolate to your preferences, or mix it up. 
 
Don’t be intimidated, even if your first few look strange, they still taste good and you can just eat any mistakes. 

 

INGREDIENTS 
 
Salted Caramels – Milk & Dark Chocolate 
If you prefer milk over dark, or vice-versa, you can fully double up the chocolate for the coating instead – but the two together do look more impressive. 

 
- 2 cups white sugar  
- 2 cups cream - (whipping)  
- 3/4 cup corn syrup  
- 3/4 cup butter, cut into chunks  
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 
 
- approx. 300g (good) chocolate (dark, milk, etc.) 
- sea salt (flakes) 
 
Mint Chocolates & Rose Chocolates 
The base for the balls is the exact same technique for both kinds of chocolates here. You just add the mint extract, rose water, or whatever you’ve dreamt up, after the base is mixed and then coat later. 
 
- approx. 225g (good) chocolate bars 
- 2/3 cup (160ml) cream (whipping)  
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter (optional) 
 
- ½ tsp  rose water 
- ½ tsp mint extract 
 
For the Coating: 
- approx. 150g (good) chocolate, milk 
- approx. 150g (good) chocolate, white 
- ½ tsp coconut oil (times 2) 
- toppings – edible rose petals, sprinkles, cocoa powder (etc. Optional) 
 
*CANDY THERMOMETER - required 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 

Salted Caramels – Milk & Dark Chocolate 
 
Line and then spray lightly with cooking oil either a 11×7 or 9×9-inch pan. 
 
In a large pot, with high sides, stir together the sugar, 1 cup of the whipping cream, corn syrup, and the butter. Bring this to a boil over medium heat. 
 
While that is happen, in a sauce pan, bring the other cup of the cream up to a low heat. 
 
When the sugar-cream mixture is boiling, very slowly add the heated cream to the pot, then stir constantly as the mixture thickens and darkens. 
 
Measure the temperature with the candy thermometer until it reaches a temp around 245F, then stir in the vanilla. 
 
Pour the mixture into the prepared/lined pan, and spread evenly, then let cool completely. 
 
To cut the caramels to shape, I let them harden in the fridge for 30 minutes, and then removed from the parchment lined tin, cut them to both square and rectangle sizes, and placed on a parchment lined baking sheet. 
 
To Coat in Chocolate: 
 
Chop the desired chocolate into very fine bits, and then melt in a double boiler over water, or in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave (in slow increments) until softened and completely melted. 
 
Drop the caramels into the chocolate, coating completely, and remove with a fork, draining any extra, and place on the baking sheet. 
Immediately sprinkle with sea salt flakes. 
 
Allow to full cool, and set – storing in the fridge or freezer until ready to use. 
 
 
Mint Chocolates & Rose Chocolates 
 
(Note: If you want to make only the one flavour, you can skip the steps of separating and make it all in one. And if you prefer a cocoa powder coating, or nuts etc. to a chocolate one, you can roll the truffles in that after they are shaped.) 
 
Bring the butter to room temp. 
 
Finely chop the 225g of chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl. 
In a pot or in the microwave, heat the cream until it is simmering and then pour over the chocolate in the bowl.  Add in the butter and then stir until chocolate and butter have fully melted and everything is incorporated. 

Grab two flat containers to help quicken the cooling process. 
 
Pour half the mixture into one of the containers, and add the rose water, mixing thoroughly. 
Add the mint extract (a little goes a long way), into the second half and pour it into the second flat container. 
Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours. 
 
When ready to shape, get a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Using a small scoop (and gloves to make shaping easier), shape 1-inch balls of each flavor, being sure to keep them separate so you know which is which (you can write it on the parchment). Place back in fridge until ready to coat. 
 
To make coating in chocolate easier, freeze the balls for 30 minutes before covering them in chocolate. 
 
Follow this process for both flavors, using milk or dark chocolate for the mint, and white chocolate for the rose: 
 
Chop the desired chocolate into very fine bits, and then melt in a double boiler over water, or in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave (in slow increments) until softened and completely melted. 
 
Drop the truffle, lightly, into the chocolate, coating completely, and remove with a fork, draining any extra, and place back on the baking sheet. 
 
***For the rose, sprinkle on the edible rose petals, if using, immediately after coating in white chocolate. 
*** I used leftover white chocolate, tinted green with food coloring to drizzle over the mint – this is optional. 
 
Allow to full cool, and set – storing in the fridge or freezer until ready to use. 

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