8 Ocala chefs share their favorite family recipes
Chef Jeremy Zajac: ELEVATION 89
It warms my heart to share our family traditions and stories. The kitchen, in home growing up and now in our home with Elise and I, always brings family together. It’s usually where everyone gathers. No matter what people have going on in their lives the kitchen and dinner table brings everyone together.
Lasagna
Meat Sauce
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup Finely diced carrot
1 cup Finely diced celery
1 cup Finely diced onion
1 lb. Ground beef
1 lb. Ground pork
1 lb. Ground veal
1/2 Jar tomato sauce (1 homemade jar. We make this in large batches and store it in our pantry) leaving the other half for the final layer
1 Small can tomato paste
1 cup Red wine
6 cups Beef stock
2 Bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste.
Make sure you taste with the ‘bread spoon’ — always had a loaf of bread next to the stove to use to taste the progress
Procedure:
Saute the carrots, celery and onion in the olive oil until about 1/2 cooked. Next add your meat and cook. Drain grease.
Next add 1/2 jar of homemade tomato sauce, tomato paste, wine and beef stock, bay leaf and simmer for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally and check seasoning. When finished it should be thick like chili.
Ricotta Layer
This is a mix of how mom did it and my experience in kitchens combined
3 tbsp. Butter
3 tbsp. Flour all-purpose
2 cups Cream
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1 cup Parm
2 16oz. Containers ricotta
4 Eggs
Mix eggs and ricotta together
Salt and pepper or to taste
procedure:
Melt butter in a medium sauce pot. Once melted add flour and incorporate. Next add cream, nutmeg, parm, salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened then let cool.
While cooling, mix eggs with ricotta(be sure to add some love (little spoon of tomato sauce). season with salt and pepper. Once cooled, fold Bechamel (the white sauce) into ricotta mixture.
build
Fresh shredded moz.zarella 2 bags
2 Boxes lasagne
Mild Italian Sausage links.
The fun part! Place 2 scoops of meat sauce on the bottom of your pan. next place noodles (uncooked and no you don’t need the special noodles regular work just fine!!) overlapping if needed. Add more meat sauce, sprinkle some fresh parm, topped with noodles. Next your ricotta mixture. Top with noodles and continue this, until you’ve reached the top. There should be just a little bit of room left.This is when you add the tomato sauce, (homemade of course, the other 1/2 jar) finish with moz.zarella cheese.
Finally the “Little” sausages! Take the sausage link, pinch in the middle and twist creating the infamous little sausage. Cut at twist and place on top.
Saran Wrap and foil bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. It will rise under the foil and this is a good indication you’re almost done. Once pasta is tender remove Saran wrap and foil and brown top if needed. About 10 minutes longer
Remove from oven and let rest. Served with more sauce if you want. Its family time. Serve with wine, salad, bread, some fresh grated parmesan.
