‘Italian-American families don’t put turkey on the table for Thanksgiving. We really don’t like turkey,” says Joe Isidori, as the familiar sounds of a kitchen clanked through the speakerphone during a recent interview. “We like other meats — roast pork, lamb, sometimes we’ll do chicken. Turkey is boring. It’s got no flavor.”
But Isidori, an owner of New York City’s popular Arthur and Sons Italian restaurant, which opened a South Fork outpost this summer on the Bridgehampton Turnpike, doesn’t leave you hanging. He’s quick to suggest a suitable alternative: lasagna.
It may sound strange, but trust him, he says as he delves into a description of what he calls his Fifty-Layer Lasagna. Technically it’s only about 25 layers, but if you make two trays of it — and you’re probably going to need at least two — do the math. It adds up to 50.
“We don’t use any meat because my two nieces don’t eat meat,” Isidori explains. “I make it with a four-cheese blend. It takes me two days to make. It hits home for everybody, Italian or not.”
Rachael Ray, the effervescent television chef and lifestyle show host, even featured this recipe a few years back. That’s how Isidori knows it’s really good. “It’s considered one of the best in the country,” he says. “Every year people go nuts. I post a video every year on social media that goes viral every single time.”
There you have it. Trade dribbles of dull brown meat gravy for the saucy red kind of gravy that Italians love best, and stock up on cheese, garlic, and other spices. Isidori says it’s best to make the lasagna the day before it’s to be served. He also recommends using fresh, not dried, sheets of lasagna-style pasta. His exact recipe, word for word, is below.
“This lasagna is what I and my family consider to be a real holiday dish,” Isidori concludes. “Forget the ham, forget the turkey — as an Italian-American we eat lasagna on the holidays and my family adores my recipe.”
Chef Joe’s Fifty-Layer Lasagna
A family classic from Joe Isidori of Arthur and Sons. Serves 8 to 10 people.
Time to prep: 45 minutes
Time to cook: 90 minutes
Tip: Make lasagna the day before serving. After the first cook, press the lasagna overnight, first laying a clean, damp cloth on top of the lasagna followed by a sheet pan. Add tomato cans to the sheet pan to compress the lasagna layers.
Swap option: Use ready-made, no-cook lasagna sheets instead of blanching your own.
INGREDIENTS
Fresh (not dried) lasagna sheets
Tomato sauce (see below)
2 C. Pecorino Romano, grated
2 lbs. whole milk ricotta
1 lb. shredded mozzarella
1 lb. sliced or shredded provolone cheese
1/4 lb. block of Parmigiano Reggiano for shaving
Nonstick cooking spray
Salt and pepper to taste
TOMATO SAUCE INGREDIENTS
Two 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1/4 C. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1/4 C. sliced garlic
1/4 C. chopped Spanish onion
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1/2 Tbsp. granulated garlic
3/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 C. double concentrated tomato paste
SAUCE DIRECTIONS
1. Toast garlic in EVOO until golden.
2. Add onions and cook until soft. While the onions cook down, add salt, pepper, oregano and granulated garlic to release aromatics. Then add the tomato paste and cook until the bright red color turns to a lighter rust color.
3. Add the ground tomatoes, bring to a boil, then simmer for 3 hours.
LASAGNA DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees for the first round of cooking.
2. Blanch pasta sheets: In order to avoid being gummy and too heavy, the pasta sheets need to be quickly blanched and placed on clean, dry kitchen towels for the layering process. Using a sauté pan filled with water, blanch pasta one sheet at a time, leaving each sheet in the boiling water for approximately 30 seconds.
3. Spray a 10”x13”x3”casserole dish with a nonstick cooking spray to avoid having the pasta stick to the pan, and spoon some tomato sauce on the bottom.
4. Start the layering process: The order of layering ingredients should be as follows: sauce, pasta sheet, dollops of ricotta, shredded mozzarella, shredded provolone, grated cheese, then salt and pepper to taste. Continue layering the ingredients until the dish is full, being sure to press down the ingredients after each layer using a large metal spatula, and making sure to reserve enough pasta sheets for a final layer that you will place as a cap over the other ingredients. Once the final layer of pasta sheets is added, top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese.
5. Cover the casserole with foil and bake in a shallow water bath. I use sheet pans and keep an eye on the water, refilling as needed. Bake for 45 minutes at 375 to 400 degrees.
6. Increase the oven temperature to 475 to 500 degrees, remove the foil from the pan and continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes.
7. After removing from oven, the lasagna must sit and rest to avoid having a soupy casserole on your hands. I typically make my lasagna the day before serving and cool overnight in the fridge with a little pressure on the top to help all those layers compress into deliciousness! I recommend putting a damp cloth over the top of the lasagna, laying a sheet pan on top of that and then weighting it down with tomato cans which are nice and heavy. The next day, I place the lasagna in a 350-degree oven for about 1-1/2 hours or until heated all the way through.
8. When hot, remove from oven, cut into square portions, serve with additional tomato sauce, and get ready to shave the Parm! My favorite is when the crazy uncles fight over the corner pieces! The best part.