Lasagna is one of the most popular dishes of Italian cuisine, appreciated not only by the residents of this country, but also by foreign tourists. It consists of several layers of dough, coated with filling, which are poured over with sauce and baked in the oven. The most popular type of filling is minced meat with finely chopped tomatoes. But you can use any other filling: fish, with vegetables, mushroom, chicken, cheese and herbs. Connoisseurs of Italian cuisine say that classic lasagna should consist of five layers of dough.
A person can enjoy a hearty lasagna dish at home. The main thing is to prepare sheets of dough, or pasta for a dish (the Italians call flour products with the word "pasta"). To do this, you will need 600 grams of premium wheat flour, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (preferably olive oil, as it corresponds to the Italian recipe), 3 eggs, salt to taste.
It is advisable to sift the flour. Then pour it in a heap on a flat, clean board, make a depression in the center where you release the contents of the eggs, add olive oil, salt and stir gently, adding a little cold water. It is very important not to overflow with water, because the dough will then be too soft. After kneading the base, check the consistency of the dough. It should turn out to be very cool and elastic. You can check this by lightly pressing on the surface of the dough with your finger. The dent should disappear very quickly.
After making sure the dough is of the right consistency, cover it with a damp cloth or damp kitchen towel and store in a cool place for about one hour. After that, divide the base into three parts, roll each of them with a rolling pin into an even thin layer. It is desirable that its thickness does not exceed 1.5 millimeters. Immediately cut the slice into strips that match the size of the container in which you will bake the lasagna. Keep in mind that very tough dough dries quickly and becomes brittle, so don't be late in slicing.
Cooked strips of dough are best stored in the freezer, but can also be dried and kept at room temperature for a while. Before using them for lasagna, place the strips briefly in a pot of boiling water to soften them. After that, taking them out of boiling water and slightly drying them, you can start cooking.
