Ingredients
PASTA
1 3/4 cup flour
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
2 extra large eggs
2 tsp vegetable oil
FILLING
4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 cup heavy cream
6 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp orange zest
2 tbsp grand marnier
1 pinch salt
12 oz bittersweet chocolate,
1 chopped
Directions
Combine the flour, cocoa, and salt in a bowl and make a well in the
center. Add the eggs and oil in the center of the well and mix with a
fork to form the dough. Knead the dough for 15 minutes until it is
smooth and shiny, adding more flour if necessary to keep the dough
from sticking.
Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for half an hour. Roll the pasta
out by hand or with a machine and cut into eight 4-1/2 x 11-inch
strips. Cook two strips at a time in boiling salted water. Cook just
20 seconds after the water returns to a boil. Plunge the noodles
into cold water to stop the cooking. When cooled, place on towels in
a single layer to drain.
Combine all filling ingredients and mix until smooth. To assemble:
Preheat oven to 425F with the rack in the upper third of the oven.
Generously butter an 8"x11"x2" pan. Alternate layers of noodles,
cheese filling, and chocolate, ending with a cheese layer. Bake for
20-25 minutes until the top is lightly colored. Let the lasagna
stand for 10 minutes to solidify, then serve warm.
Servings: 6 serving
Chocolate Lasagna Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Chocolate; Dessert; Italian; Lasagna; Pasta
The History of Recipes
Written recipes as a concept can be tracked way back into distant history, certainly as far back into history as ancient Egypt, and maybe further still. In practice though, these, old cook books were just simple pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing meals.
Fascinatingly, the oldest recipe discovered, according to academics is a collection of stone tablets in Sumerian describing the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who drank it feel `blissful`. Progressing into The time of the roman empire around 25BC a roman called Apicius assembled a number of documents detailing recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his publication, he tells us how the roman meals were separated into hors d`oeuvre, main course and dessert, something we still use today. Aspicius recounts how the Roman chefs used a wide range of aromatic flavors, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens such as thyme, rue and parsley. As our culinary historical trip moves to more modern times there were a couple of recipe books which appeared in the 14th Century - a cookery book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another titled `Curye on Inglish`. Despite their titles, these are not about the indian food that is familiar to us all today, but rather accounts of the types of food served to the rich. In the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought back a variety of foods and herbs from the holy land, including coriander, parsley, and basil. The introduction of these new culinary ideas prompted an increase in recipe publications, most of which still exist in private cookery archives. Over the following few centuries, the upper-class families of the West competed to serve the most exotic meals, and consequentially the best cooks and their recipes were much in demand. However, it wasn`t until the nineteenth century that haute cuisine and recipe books really came of age. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, devoted their lives to assembling, trying out, and recording popular recipes of the day. By the arrival of the twentieth century, cookery publications were highly popular mostly as a result of better eduction, people having more leisure time and having more disposable income. The introduction of television brings us TV cooks and the recipe books that accompanied them. And that brings us to the present day and the invention of the internet, allowing us all to access thousands of recipes just like those on sites such as this. |
We hope you enjoy this Chocolate Lasagna recipe.
