Lasagna with Cotechino Sausage and Ham
Region: Italy
Category: Pasta-Baked
Season: Winter
Difficulty: Labor Intensive

This recipe is inspired by some lasagna I’ve encountered in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy.  This lasagna is made with cotechino (or coteghino) sausage a thick short pork sausage that is usually sold in Italian markets and is probably best replaced with fresh kielbasa rather than Italian sausage.  In northern Italy, this sausage is made with coarsely chopped pork rind, lean pork, and pork fatback seasoned with salt, pepper, cloves, and cinnamon, then cured for three weeks.  It’s a delicious dish.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 6 servings
Preparation Time: 1:30 hours

1 pound cotechino sausage or Polish kielbasa

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into strips

1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded ,and chopped

1 1/2 cup veal broth

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3/4 pound no-boil (instant) lasagna

1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly

6 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino cheese

1 pound ricotta cheese mixed with 1/2 cup whole milk

2 large eggs, beaten

1. Place the cotechino sausage in a saucepan of water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the water is only bubbling gently and cook until the sausage is cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Remove from the water, remove the casing, and cut into thin slices.

2. In a large skillet or flame-proof casserole, heat the olive oil with the butter over high heat, then cook the onion until it turns translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add the ham and cook 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and cook 1 minute.  Add the veal broth, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until a bit denser but still liquidy, 15 to 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  The sauce needs to remain liquidy in order to cook the no-boil lasagna once you bake it.

3. In a lasagne pan or baking dish, spoon a few tablespoons of sauce over the bottom.  Cover with lasagna, then spoon some sauce over, then layer the mozzarella, a little pecorino, and another layer of lasagna.  For the next layer, spoon some sauce over the lasagne, then half the cotechino sausage, the ricotta, the beaten egg, and some more pecorino.  Continue layering, making the last layer lasagna, sauce, and ricotta.

4. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. 

5. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.  Bake until the top is bubbling, about 25 minutes.  Serve or let cool and freeze.

Variation: 

Note:  For frozen lasagna, preheat the oven to 400ºF and place the frozen lasagna in the oven for 1 1/4 hours.

Posted: 12/27/2006