Lasagna - Meat sauce with Lasanga pasta (noodles)

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of sweet Italian sausage
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 cup of chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
2 (8 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
2 (6 ounce) cans of tomato paste
1/2 Cup of Water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon fennel seed
2 teaspoons fresh Basil leaves chopped
4 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
23 ounces of ricotta cheese.
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 egg
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 lasagna noodles
–Serves 12 people–

DIRECTIONS

1 pound (450 g) of sweet Italian sausage
1 pound (450 g) of ground beef
1/2 cup (120 mL) of chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic chopped

Brown the ground beef, Italian sausage, onions and garlic in a pot until they start to cook. It takes about 6 to 9 minutes to brown the meat. use a medium low temperature to brown the meat. It is optional to remove the grease from the meat once it is finished browning.

Add to the mixture and stir for few minutes:
1 (28 ounce) (784 g) can of crushed tomatoes
2 (8 ounce) (230 g) cans of tomato sauce
2 (6 ounce) (168 g) cans of tomato paste
1/2 (120 mL) cup of water


Add the following:
2 tablespoons (30 mL) white sugar
1 teaspoon (5 mL) fennel seed
2 teaspoons (10 mL) fresh Basil leaves chopped
2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh parsley chopped
1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) ground pepper

Gently stir this seasoning into the sauce. Cover the pot and let the meat sauce simmer on low heat for 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, soak 12 lasagna noodles in hot tap water for 15 minutes, and start making the cheese filling.

Put the following in a mixing bowl:
23 ounces (644 g) of ricotta cheese.
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) fresh grated nutmeg
Grate fresh nutmeg over the Ricotta cheese then add and Mix these ingredients together with a spoon.
1 egg
2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh parsley chopped


Now start building the lasagna layers.

Use a 9×13 inch baking pan.
Spread 2 Cups (480 mL) of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Remove lasagna noodles out of the water bath. Lay 6 noodles across the layer of sauce. Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the layer of noodles.
Spread 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta layer.
Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese over the mozzarella layer
Spread 2 cups (480 mL) of meat sauce over the cheese layer
Lay down the next layer of noodles
Spread the remaining ricotta mixture over noodles
Spread the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses saving some cheese for the top of the lasagna
Put the last layer of meat sauce on the last layer of cheese Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, then cover the pot with foil and bake in preheated oven at 350 F (177 C) for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 15 minutes.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Sundried Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package (16 ounce/500gms) pasta
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• crushed red pepper flakes to taste
• 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut into strips
• 1/2 cup pesto sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until tender, then stir in chicken. Season with red pepper flakes. Cook until chicken is golden, and cooked through.
3. In a large bowl, combine pasta, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto. Toss to coat evenly.

Luqmat al-qadi Arabic sweet balls (Lokomadis in Greek)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 packet active yeast (10 grams)
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
  
• 1 cup warm water
  
• 2 cups flour
  
• Oil for deep frying
  
• Powdered sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  
• Syrup:
  
• ½ cup water
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• Juice of ½ lime

DIRECTIONS

• 1. To prepare syrup, combine water, sugar and lime juice. Cook over heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and syrup reaches the desired, thick consistency. Cool.
  
• 2. Prepare yeast by adding sugar to it and dissolving combination in warm water. Set aside in a warm place to prove.
  
• 3. Sift flour and mix with yeast and a little water to form a soft dough. Let dough rise for 1 hour.
  
• 4. Using a spoon, divide dough into pieces and deep fry in hot oil (about 5 cm deep) until golden brown.
  
• 5. After dough pieces are fried, soak them immediately in cold syrup for 1 minute. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain access syrup. Sprinkle tops with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Serve.

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Gulab Jamun (Indian Dessert - Milk Balls in Sweet Syrup)
Kemalpasha Dessert - Cheese Sweet Balls (Turkish Dessert)

Kemalpasha Dessert - Cheese Sweet Balls (Local Language: Turkish - Kemalpaşa tatlısı)

INGREDIENTS

50 g butter
2 eggs
150 g cheese curd
100 g semolina
400 g sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 glasses of water

DIRECTIONS

First boil water and sugar to obtain a syrup and leave it. Grate the cheese and knead with the other ingredients to obtain a dough. Take small pieces of the dough, flatten them slightly and place on an oiled tray. Bake in a 180 C oven for half an hour until they turn slightly golden. Boil the cookies in the syrup for fifteen minutes. Later serve cold and top with cream.

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Gulab Jamun (Indian Dessert - Milk Balls in Sweet Syrup)
Luqmat al-qadi Arabic sweet balls (Lokomadis in Greek)

Gulab Jamun - Milk Balls in Sweet Syrup

INGREDIENTS

For the Milk Balls:
 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup Milk Powder
2 tablespoons butter -melted
1/2 tsp baking soda
Whole milk (or heavy cream) just enough to make the dough

For the Sugar Syrup:
2 cups Sugar
1 cup water
Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS

* Combine the milk powder, flour, baking soda, butter. Then add enough whole milk (or the heavy cream) to make a medium-hard dough. Divide the dough into 18-20 portions. Make balls by gently rolling each portion between your palms into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a plate. Cover with a damp yet dry kitchen towel.
* Heat the oil on high and then lower the heat to medium. Slip in the balls into the hot oil from the side of the pan, one by one. They will sink to the bottom of the pan, but do not try to move them. Instead, gently shake the pan to keep the balls from browning on just one side. After about 5 mins, the balls will rise to the surface. The Gulab Jamuns should rise slowly to the top if the temperature is just right. Now they must be gently and constantly agitated to ensure even browning on all sides.
* If the temperature of the oil is too high then the gulab jamuns will tend to break. So adjust the temperature to ensure that the gulab jamuns do not break or cook too quickly.
* The balls must be fried very slowly under medium temperatures. This will ensure complete cooking from inside and even browning.

Sugar Syrup

* The syrup should be made earlier and kept warm. To make the hot sugar syrup add mix the 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water. Add 4-5 cardamom pods, slightly crushed and a few strands of “Kesar”. Mix with a spoon and then heat at medium heat for 5-10 minutes until sugar is all dissolved in water. Do not overheat, that will caramelize the sugar.
* Transfer this hot syrup into a serving dish. Keep warm on stove. Add the fried gulab jamuns directly into the warm syrup. Leave gulab jamun balls in sugar syrup overnight for best results. They can be served warm or at room temperature.

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Kemalpasha Dessert - Cheese Sweet Balls (Turkish Dessert)
Luqmat al-qadi Arabic sweet balls (Lokomadis in Greek)