How to Put the Waves in Lasagna Noodles
Layers of rich egg noodles, meaty tomato sauce, nutty béchamel and pungent cheese combine to make a delicious lasagna. Although many precooked lasagnas are available in your grocer's freezer, many home cooks prefer making their own lasagna. When mastered, many families also prefer the taste of fresh pasta, and the easiest part of the process is putting the signature wave in the lasagna noodles. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Homemade pasta dough
- Semolina flour, for dusting
- Rolling pin
- Pastry wheel cutter or a pasta machine
- Pasta drying rack or plastic hanger
- Large stock pot
- Large bowl with salted ice water
- Cookie sheets
- Clean, finely woven kitchen towels
Instructions
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1
Prepare pasta dough according to your recipe.
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2
Turn out your dough onto a work surface lightly dusted with semolina flour.
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3
Divide the dough into five or six smaller sections and roll out the first section into a very thin, rectangular sheet with a rolling pin dusted in the semolina flour.
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4
Fold the pasta dough in half, then in half again and then in half yet again.
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5
Roll your pastry wheel along one side of the pasta dough, creating a wavy pattern. Move the pastry cutter over by the desired width of your lasagna noodles --- three to four inches is standard --- and create the noodle's opposite wavy side. Gently unfold your pasta.
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6
Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil.
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7
Add pasta noodles to boiling water and cook for two minutes.
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8
Fill a large bowl with salted ice water. Drain the pasta and add it to the ice-water bath.
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9
Line a cookie sheet with a clean, finely woven towel. Place noodles on top of the towel. When the sheet is filled, place another clean towel on top and layer more noodles. Continue this process until all the lasagna noodles are laid flat. Allow them to dry before use or storage.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have a pasta machine, you may use it to create the noodles. The lasagna setting for your machine will naturally create the waved edge.
An alternative to laying the pasta flat on a towel to dry is to lay it over a hanger to dry.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit lasagna and salad 1 image by Brett Mulcahy from Fotolia.com
