Two (Lasagna) Sheets to the Wind

For the holidays, a "main-event" lasagna to close out the year

The restaurant Rolo’s, in Ridgewood, Queens, has been famous for a while now for their Two-Sheet Lasagna. The concept — there are two billowy rectangles of fresh spinach lasagna noodles that sandwich a rich and creamy filling, and then it’s thrown into a wood-fired oven until blistered all over — has been low-key consuming me since I first heard about it.

Finally, the time has come. I needed a cooking project and a big, blowout recipe to close out this crazy year. And what could be more perfect for holiday cooking than lasagna? It’s festive, it’s rich and yummy, it’s a labor of love.

This two-sheet style isn’t necessarily easier (or rather, less messy or time consuming) than a normal baked lasagna. And truthfully, I don’t think very many of us kitchen mortals will be able to roll our pasta as silky thin as what the pasta gods at Rolo’s can do, which is part of what makes that dish so special. But my slightly thicker noodles have elicited no complaints from any dining companions, and this two-sheet format has some advantages:

• The components can be made in advance and then as many lasagnas as you’d like to make can be assembled to order (check out the video(!) below), with plenty of flexibility for fillings.

• It cooks in minutes, beneath the broiler.

• It’s a stunner!

• And if you love the crispy corner pieces of a traditional baked lasagna, crunchy with baked noodles and frico’d cheese, then this is something you’ll need to try.

Thank you all for a terrific year in this newsletter space — I’ve enjoyed popping up in your inbox with these recipes every now and then, and hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season and new year.

Best wishes,

Lukas

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Recent Treats

Saffron Biscotti and Easy GF Chocolate Chip Cookies

As a reminder, paid subscribers receive a new recipe in their inboxes every week. This month I shared two of my favorite cookies: Saffron Biscotti, which are studded with ginger and pistachios and a twist on my longtime favorite recipe, and my Chocolate Chip Cookies that are one-bowl, gluten-free, and have a hint of rosemary in them.

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Two-Sheet Lasagna with Roasted Mushrooms & Winter Squash

• This recipe is easily customizable. Use your own choice of fillings, or your own pasta recipe, or store-bought fresh lasagna sheets if you can find them. 

• I really prefer ground parmesan here to the finely grated kind made using a microplane. The easiest way to do it, that doesn’t involve the food processor, is to grate the cheese coarsely using a box grater, and then mince it with a chef’s knife, as you would parsley.

• I cannot locate my pasta roller, so I had no choice but to roll the lasagna sheets by hand these by hand. This might actually have been for the best because you want the pasta sheets to be wider than most pasta rollers allow. This pasta tutorial by Samin Nosrat has some great tips on making pasta at home, including tips for hand rolling it.

• Everything can be prepared in advance, and then assembled and cooked to order. You can even freeze the noodles: Layer the cut noodles between sheets of parchment and freeze for about 30 minutes, until firm, then slide them into an airtight bag. Cook them right out of the freezer, for 30 to 60 seconds longer than specified for fresh ones. 

Yield 4 small or 8 large servings | Prep & cook time This is a bit of a project

8 fresh lasagna noodles, cut 5 ½ by 8 ½ inches (recipe follows)
Butter, for greasing
2 cups bechamel (recipe follows)
About 3 cups roasted mushrooms (recipe follows)
About 1 cup roasted honeynut squash or roasted butternut squash (recipe follows)
About 1 cup finely ground or grated parmesan cheese 

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil, and prepare an ice bath. Cook the fresh noodles 2 pieces at a time in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, until they float and are tender (the cooking time will depend on how thinly they’ve been rolled out). Use a spider skimmer to move them to an ice bath to cool, then lay out on a clean kitchen towel and gently blot them dry. 

2. Preheat your broiler for 15 minutes, or if you don’t have a broiler, preheat the oven to its highest setting and position a rack close to the heat source. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and grease with butter. 

3. Place 2 noodles on each of the prepared baking sheets. Spread about ¼ cup bechamel evenly over each one. Divide the roasted mushrooms and dollops of roasted squash on top. Spoon the rest of the bechamel over the fillings (¼ cup per pasta sheet) and sprinkle each about 2 tablespoons of cheese. Set the remaining lasagna noodles on top, and sprinkle with more cheese. 

4. Place one pan under the broiler and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, rotating once, until the lasagna is blistered and any leaking bechamel sauce is bubbling at the edges. Remove from the heat and repeat with the second pan. Then turn off the broiler and place both pans in the oven, which should still be hot, for 5 minutes more.

Depending on appetites, serve a full lasagna per person, or cut each in half for smaller portions. 

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Spinach Pasta

Yield 8 lasagna rectangles, plus trimmings

5 ounces (140g) fresh spinach
2 eggs
½ teaspoon fine salt
2 ½ to 3 cups (325g to 390g) all-purpose or 00 flour
Semolina flour, for dusting

1. In a blender, combine the spinach, eggs, and salt, and puree until velvety smooth. You may need to scrape or press the leaves down a few times before they catch on and start to liquefy. 

2. In a mixing bowl, combine 2 ½ cups (325 grams) of the flour with the spinach mixture, using a fork to mix until a shaggy mass folds, then switch to your hands. If the dough is very sticky, add more flour 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time, until it becomes a cohesive mass. Transfer to a floured work surface and knead well until smooth and somewhat elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Add as much flour as necessary to prevent stickiness. Wrap tightly in food wrap, or seal in an airtight container, for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. 

3. Divide the dough into 8 portions. Working one piece at a time (and keeping the other pieces wrapped or sealed tightly to prevent drying out) first flatten the portion into a rectangle about ¼-inch thick. 

• If using a pasta roller, start on the widest setting and continue passing the dough through the roller, narrowing the setting each time, until the dough is rolled as thinly as possible. 

• If rolling by hand, dust your work surface with flour, and roll the pasta from the center, flipping and rotating it often, and adding more flour as often as needed, until rectangular in shape and as thin as possible, ideally less than ⅛-inch thick . One way to relax the gluten is to gently grip the dough at one end and then somewhat agitatedly move the rolling pin back and forth an inch at a time down the length of the dough. (This pasta tutorial by Samin Nosrat illustrates the principle, and has lots of other great tips.)

4. Use a cutter or sharp knife to cut rectangles about 5 ½ by 8 ½ inches. (Cut the trimmings into abstract shapes, toss with semolina, and spread out on a sheet pan to freeze, then store in a bag or tupperware — you can save these for a future meal.) Arrange the rectangle on a parchment-lined baking sheet that’s been lightly dusted with semolina flour and cover with a clean kitchen towel to prevent drying. Repeat with remaining portions, using the cut sheet as a guide for trimming the others, so that they’re all exactly the same size. 

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Bechamel

Yield 2 cups

4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter
¼ cup (32g) all-purpose flour
2 cups (240ml) whole milk 
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon fine salt
Freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and when hot, melt the butter in it. As soon as foaming subsides, dump in the flour and whisk constantly for about a minute, until the mixture smells nutty and has become a bit more golden in color. Whisk in the milk, add the bay leaves, and bring to a simmer, watching carefully to prevent boiling. Continue cooking, whisking often, until the mixture thickens enough to coat a spoon. Season with the salt, several gratings of nutmeg, and black pepper, and set aside to cool.

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Roasted Mushrooms & Winter Squash

Yield About 3 cups roasted mushrooms, 1 cup roasted squash

1 pound mushrooms, ideally a medley
1 honeynut or small butternut squash (about 1¼ pounds)
Olive oil
Fine salt 

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut or tear the mushrooms into chunks. Spread them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toss with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, through the stem. Rub all over with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Arrange cut-side down in an oven-safe skillet or on a small, parchment-lined baking sheet. 

2. Transfer both pans to the oven. Roast the mushrooms for 15 to 25 minutes, until cooked through but still a bit juicy. Roast the squash face down for about 20 minutes, until tender, then carefully flip each piece and roast for 5 to 10 minutes more, until lightly caramelized on the surface, and fully tender. 

3. Once cool, gently scoop out the seeds from the squash, and scrape the flesh of the skin transferring it to an airtight container. (Save the squash seeds and skin for stock.)

Recipe: Two-Sheet Lasagna

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