Make Ahead

Pane Carasau and Lamb Deep Dish Lasagna

December 17, 2010
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

I thought and then asked myself, "why not?" —thirschfeld

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Ingredients
  • For the lamb ragu:
  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 1 1/2 cups yellow onion, small dice
  • 1/4 cup fresh garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
  • 1/4 teaspoon all spice, ground
  • 1 teaspoon aleppo pepper
  • 1 to 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon za'atar
  • pinch of saffron, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 28 ounces Pomi brand strained tomatoes
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
  • 1 cup Asiago cheese grated
  • 2 to 3 sheets of Pane Carasau
  • For the yogurt topping:
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup whole milk yogurt
  • Pinch fresh ground nutmeg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • Pinch kosher salt and fresh ground white pepper
Directions
  1. Place a 3 /12 quart sauce pan over medium high heat and when it is hot add the olive oil. Add the lamb and season it with salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon break the lamb into crurmbs as it browns.
  2. Add the onions and stir them around and cook them until they begin to wilt. Add the garlic, cinnamon, all spice, aleppo pepper, za'atar, bay leaves and saffron. Cook until it becomes fragrant. Less than a minute.
  3. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and make sure you scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine to a glaze.
  4. Add the tomato sauce and bring it to a boil. Once it begins to boil reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer the sauce for 30 to 40 minutes or until all the flavors meld nicely. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
  5. In a small sauce pan bring the cream and the yogurt to simmer. Season with a pinch of salt, nutmeg and white pepper. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and while whisking add a little of the hot cream sauce mixture. Pour the yolk mixture back into the sauce pan and whisk. Once it begins to thicken remove it from the heat.
  6. To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a 9 inch round and 4 inch deep casserole with a little olive oil. Place a small ladle full of sauce on the bottom. Then put a layer of broken flatbread down getting it as close to the sides as possible.
  7. Now add another layer of sauce and then put place 4 pieces of mozzarella around the sauce and sprinkle in some asiago cheese. Top with another layer of flatbread, sauce then more cheese. When you get your last layer of flatbread in place make sure you have enough reserved sauce for a thin layer to cover it. Top with the yogurt sauce and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the center is warm and the top is browned. Let the lasagna rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

7 Reviews

ABKornfield March 22, 2016
Is there a sub for the pane carasau?
thirschfeld March 22, 2016
lasagna noodles would work just fine
nogaga June 8, 2011
This looks delicious-- and anything so comforting it makes your bones wagge sounds about right to me :) I haven't seen any pane carasau here but we have a fantastic bone-dry bukharan flatbread that I'd bet would work really well for this dish. I'm going to try it. And we definitely have za'atar!
cmlc June 8, 2011
looks and sounds delicious...are there any substitutes for aleppo peppers and za'atar
thirschfeld June 8, 2011
you could use ordinary pepper flakes which is what I do quite often if I don't have any aleppo pepper. The z'atar I use is a blend of thyme, sumac, sesame seeds and oregano but if you look online there are many blends to meet many needs.
lastnightsdinner December 17, 2010
This looks fantastic.
thirschfeld December 17, 2010
Thanks lastnightsdinner. It is so comforting it will make your bones waggle.