RCP: Romertopf Lasagne

I was so impressed with this new dish that Pete invented that I thought I'd copy the recipe from my blog here, in case anyone would like to give it a go. It's so clever - you don't need to precook the mince or white sauces, and everything is just assembled from the raw ingredients.

White Sauce

* 400g fresh ricotta
* 1 egg
* pinch grated nutmeg
* pepper
* ½ tsp salt

Mince Sauce

* 500g lean beef mince
* 4 cups (1 litre) of homemade or bottled passata
* ½ tsp salt
* 1 tsp Italian herb mix

Fresh Pasta Sheets - about ½ kg (you won’t need them all)

Cheese

* Mozarella – 300g – sliced or grated – this is the one we use.
* Grated Parmesan Cheese – 1 cup


Step 1: Soak the Römertopf baker in a sink of cold water for at least 15 – 30 minutes.

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix all the White Sauce ingredients together until well combined.

Step 3: In another large bowl, mix all the Mince Sauce ingredients together, stirring well to break up any lumps in the mince.

Step 4: In the presoaked pot, spoon a third of the Mince Sauce over the base, then cover with a single layer of pasta sheets. Follow this with half the White Sauce, then a handful of cheese, then another sheet of pasta. Repeat, ending with a scattering of cheese on the top. Note that you use a third of the mince sauce each time, and a half of the white sauce.

Step 5: Put the soaked lid on the pot, then place in a cold oven and raise the temperature to 200C. Bake for 1½ hours. Allow to rest for 15 – 30 minutes before serving, to allow the liquids to absorb into the dish.

More detailed instructions, with pictures here.

Celia, I've had a Romertopf for about 12 years now. It is one of my favorite cooking vessels and I will cook just about anything in it. A Romertopf makes a mean loaf of bread. I may just have to do a wild boar lasagna in it this fall. Thanks for the tip.

rwj

Cowboy, how do you make bread in it? You're supposed to put the Romertopf into a cold oven, so when I put dough in it, I didn't get any oven spring. Do you put the dough in and then stick it in a hot oven? Or do you use it to make focaccia etc.?

Wild boar lasagne sounds bloody wicked..

Heat up the empty Romertopf first, then put the dough in. If you use both the top and bottom it lends itself really well to the "No Knead Bread" recipe, giving you a decent approximation of an artisan loaf. You can also just heat the bottom and use it as a loaf pan. Depending on the size of your Romertopf you might get a gigantic loaf. I suppose you could also pack rolls into it, though I have never tried that.

rwj

Of course! I never thought of that, thanks Cowboy. Do you still presoak the pot before heating it up? And I assume the cold dough isn't a problem for the hot pot - it's not like you're pouring cold liquid in...

Yes, I soak it. When you use the lid, it provides the steam that helps develop an artisan crust. Either way, when the dough goes in it's never really cold, just room temp.

rwj

Thanks Cowboy. I'll give it a go.

Coolio. Lemme know.

rwj