Last week I found fresh lasagne pasta at Whole Foods and was reminded of a fabulous recipe I had first heard of in Sandra's blog. Last fall Sandra took a cooking class with Letizia, from Alla Madonna del Piatto, and made a lasagne that was described as "light, no swimming lasagne".
Since fresh pasta is not an item found very often in the grocery stores I frequent, I went ahead and bought the pasta with the intention of making the lasagne later in the week. After checking the recipe in Sandra's and Letizia's blog, I went shopping for the rest of the ingredients which required another trip to Whole Foods for two cans of San Marzano tomatoes and some non-nitrate ham.
I followed the recipe faithfully except for the meat which was round sirloin. Letizia has a recipe for a quick béchamel sauce made in the microwave. I have a good tried and true béchamel recipe and for an instant thought of making it my way but decided to give this one a try. And I'm glad I did! It was so easy and without the risk of burning the sauce.
For dessert I made another great recipe from Letizia's blog, pears in Vin Santo. Delicious and so easy, this dessert has become my favorite to make when having guests for dinner. The first time I used Vin Santo but lately I've been making it with Passito di Pantelleria. Last Saturday I made ten of these pears for a dinner I was co-hosting. They were a hit! Thank you Letizia for two wonderful recipes. I'm going to try next the fettuccine al limone and the mousse di ricotta.
Comments (13)
Yum! All that makes me so hungry!
Posted by leslie | June 2, 2009 11:29 PM
Posted on June 2, 2009 23:29
Me too - hungry, that is!
The lasagna sounds delicious!
Posted by nancyhol | June 2, 2009 11:54 PM
Posted on June 2, 2009 23:54
Looks yummy!
Posted by candi | June 3, 2009 1:57 AM
Posted on June 3, 2009 01:57
Both of these look just wonderful! I remember reading about the "no swimming" lasagne on Sandra's blog.
And I love poached pears. Great post - makes me hungry too!
Posted by Annie | June 3, 2009 5:37 AM
Posted on June 3, 2009 05:37
Hi Maria, your two dishes looks very delicous. I remember Sandra's blog entry about making Letizia's lasagna. You both did a great job in making it. And that second dish looks really good too. I'll have to take a closer look at her recipe for it.
Thanks for sharing these two fabulous dishes. Have a great day today!
Posted by Kathy (trekcapri) | June 3, 2009 6:43 AM
Posted on June 3, 2009 06:43
That lasagne looks delicious!
Posted by Pablo | June 3, 2009 11:37 AM
Posted on June 3, 2009 11:37
Maria, that looks so delicious! I'm glad that it turned out well -- I love that recipe and use it a lot.
I'm hoping to connect with Letizia in a few weeks' time in Umbria and maybe take another cooking class, yay!
Posted by sandrac | June 3, 2009 8:24 PM
Posted on June 3, 2009 20:24
Maria thank you so much! I am so proud you made my lasagne and pears! Can I come for dinner?
Posted by letizia mattiacci | June 4, 2009 12:56 PM
Posted on June 4, 2009 12:56
These sound wonderful. I also love poached pears with mascarpone. I've also used Marsala with wonderful results.
Posted by Marta | June 4, 2009 2:05 PM
Posted on June 4, 2009 14:05
Mmmm...this post reminds me that I promised Sara I would make her a béchamel lasagna when she came home for the summer. Oops, she's been home over a month now, I better get cracking! :)
Posted by Anne | June 5, 2009 7:09 PM
Posted on June 5, 2009 19:09
Thank you everyone for your comments.
Letizia, thanks for stopping by. I love your blog and your recipes.
Anne, try Letizia's lasagne and her quick béchamel sauce. It's the best!
You must be thrilled to have Sara at home. Happy times!
Posted by María I. | June 6, 2009 8:27 AM
Posted on June 6, 2009 08:27
Yum!!! I need to give this a try.
Posted by girasoli | June 7, 2009 7:56 PM
Posted on June 7, 2009 19:56
I am so hungry right now, I shouldn't be reading this!! I have wanted to try this since I saw it on Sandra's blog but just not gotten around to it.
Posted by Chiocciola | June 17, 2009 9:31 AM
Posted on June 17, 2009 09:31