By Matthew Hoffman
Even the most Italian grandma can pack up against this masterpiece!
The restaurant “La Palma” based in Toronto (Canada) has a 100-layer lasagna on the menu. A video of the cheese dumpling recently went viral. Pasta tracking with the restaurant manager Karen Deuel.
▶ Does the recipe REALLY consist of 100 layers of lasagna? Actually, it’s even more, like 115 to 120. But 100 layers sounds better.
▶ Are there guests counting the shifts? Always! Our guests take the name of the dish very literally. You expect 100 layers of pasta, but each ingredient – i.e. pasta, cheese, sauce – is a layer in itself.
▶ How much time does it take to make this pasta mountain? A total of three days. The team around chef Julian D’Ippolito makes the pasta sheets on day one. On the second day we layer and bake, the next day we portion and serve. Before the lasagne ends up on the plate, it is seared in a pan, which gives a nice crust.
Cheesy Affair: The restaurant strongly advises against using ricotta cheese. Just mozzarella and parmesan instead
Photo: La Palma Toronto
▶ What meat do you use for the recipe? We use a mixture of ground veal, pork and beef. This mix is important to get a rich bolognese sauce.
▶ Is there another lasagna secret that readers should know? The béchamel sauce is the key ingredient in this dish. And don’t use ricotta, only mozzarella and parmesan.
It is not entirely clear who invented the 100-layer lasagna. A look at the internet shows that other places, such as the USA, are also stacking things up.
Regardless of the country and restaurant, one thing is clear: the battle of layers seems to go down very well with pasta fans. Under the video, which went viral on the web, one user wrote: “I’ve never wanted a lasagna at 10:30 in the morning so much.” Another: “I’m Italian and I don’t care what other Italians say. I would eat the stuff – but so what! “
For the 100-layer lasagna, the “La Palma” requires 27 Canadian dollars. That’s the equivalent of around 18.30 euros.