Sara Moulton's Homemade Lasagna and Tips on Staying Fresh

March 31, 2009— -- In the current economic climate everyone is looking for ways to save money. But the average family of four can throw away up to $500 a year of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Chef Sara Moulton comes to the rescue with easy tips on the best ways to store food in your freezer and refrigerator.

Not All Dairy Is Created Equal for the Freezer

You cannot freeze sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese and milk because the fat content separates and they lose flavor and texture.

You can freeze heavy cream because it has a high butterfat content.

You can freeze hard cheeses in small blocks. First wrap in freezer paper and then foil. They will keep in the freezer for up to four months.

Leftover Chicken Stock and Tomato Sauce

If you are not going to get to them before the expiration date, put them in ice cube trays or resealable bags.

Once the ice cubes are frozen, pop them out and put them in resealable bags.

A great tip from Cook's Illustrated magazine...put leftover chicken stock in muffin tins, which come in 1/3 cup and ½ cup sizes. Pop them out after they are frozen and place in resealable bags.

Be sure to recycle the resealable bags. Wash them with warm soapy, dry well and reuse.

Freezing Raw Meat and Chicken

depending on the kind of red meat : 6 - 12 mos in the freezer

depending on the cut of chicken: 9 - 12 mos in the freezer

Fda.gov has a great chart with more info

be sure to write the date on the package, so you remember when you put it in the freezer

How to Properly Freeze Lasagna

Sara shares her recipe for lasagna and says cool off the meat, assemble the lasagna and freeze RAW! Wrap the lasagna pan in freezer paper, then foil and then put the pan in a resealable bag. Defrost for one full day in the fridge and add the cheese on top when you heat it up. In her research, Sara found that people freeze the lasagna raw and some freeze it cooked. Keep in mind that if you cook it before freezing, when you heat it up the noodles get soggy.

Storing Hot Dogs

unopened package: in fridge/2 weeks and 1 - 2 mos in freezer

opened package: in fridge/1 week and 1 - 2 mos in freezer

Extend the Shelf Life of Herbs

Put leafy herbs, such as basil, parsley, dill and cilantro in a glass measuring cup with water in the bottom (like cut flowers), put a plastic bag loosely over the top and store in the fridge. They will keep for a week.

Woody herbs, such as rosemary and thyme, should be wrapped in paper towel and then in a plastic bag and kept in the crisper

Sara Moulton's Hearty Lasagna

Serves 10

For sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 pound ground beef chuck

2 (28-ounce) cans whole fire roasted tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For filling:

1 pound whole milk ricotta

1 large egg lightly beaten

½ cup finely grated Parmesan

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

16 oven-ready (no boil) lasagna noodles (two 9 ounce packages) or 1 pound regular lasagna noodles, boiled for 5 minutes and drained

¼ cup finely grated Parmesan

½ pound lightly salted mozzarella, coarsely grated

Make sauce:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over moderately high heat.

2. Add onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 6 minutes.

3. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

4. Stir in sausage and beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

5. Add tomatoes with their juice, salt and pepper, bring to a simmer, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes.

6. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Make filling:

1. Combine well, ricotta, egg, Parmesan and salt and pepper .

2. Preheat oven to 375°F.

3. Lightly oil a lasagna pan (13 by 9 –inch shallow baking dish).

4. Spread 1 ¼ cups sauce in baking dish.

5. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping over sauce, then spread one third of ricotta mixture over noodles.

6. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over ricotta, top with 1 ¼ cups sauce. Top with 4 more noodles and spread with another third ricotta mixture and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Top with 4 more noodles, remaining ricotta mixture, and 1 ¼ cups sauce. Top with remaining 4 noodles, then spread with remaining sauce and sprinkle mozzarella evenly over sauce.

7. Cover lasagna with oiled foil and bake on middle shelf of oven 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is bubbling and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes more.

8. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.