Lasagne has got to be one of the most well-loved Italian dishes to reach the UK. Found everywhere from family homes to student dorm kitchens, it's a staple dish. After all, who would not enjoy layers of pasta and rich sauce? But lasagne lovers may be surprised to learn there's a common mistake many of us in the UK make when trying to perfect the dish.
Luckily, celebrity chef Aldo Zilli is on hand to offer his advice - including the crucial rule you ought to follow every time you cook the dish. Sharing his knowledge, the Italian chef warned lasagne can be more difficult to make than other popular pasta dishes.
" There’s lots of elements that go into it," he explained. Thankfully, you should end up on the right track if you follow the expert's advice.
"With lasagne sheets, I think it is crucial you buy the fresh stuff," he says. Aldo adds that you should also pre-cook the sheets. "S ometimes people make the mistake of buying the dry lasagne sheet that goes into the lasagne because they think it is going to cook inside, but some of them don’t cook in the time," he explains.
"I t is better to blanch them first yourself with a little bit of oil and then drain them and put them in." Then to finish, "use good parmesan cheese." The chef has previously shared advice about how to perfect other pasta dishes.
Talking to the Mirror, he revealed people often accidentally overcook the Italian delicacy. For the best results, he recommends taking pasta off the hob two minutes before it is ready, then adding the sauce before you finish cooking.
Equally, it is important not to run your pasta under the sink before adding it to your sauce. "Never cool pasta down under cold water because you are washing off all the goodness," the expert explained.
For those wanting to try the chef's food for themselves, Aldo Zilli has recently announced his residence at the newly-opened Lucarelli's on the Fifth Floor of London's Harvey Nichols.
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