Okay, I posted about this a while back, below is the original message I
posted. Basically I am working to cook enough lasagna, salad, and bread for
~80 people on two different nights. I think I've gotten everything figured
out except scheduling for the day of the cook. Someone suggested cooking
the lasagna a day ahead, which I'm really thinking about doing because to me
the lasagna is better the next day anyway. If I do that, my question is
this, how long do I give them to reheat and do I put the whole pans in the
oven? The ovens look like they will hold about 4 9X13 pans and there are
two ovens, which will give me 8 pans at a time. The other question I have,
and I think I know th answer to this one, is do I need to allow for more
cooking time having that much in there at once? The church where I'll be
cooking also has one of the things to keep food warm (not sure what the
correct name is), but its a vertical machine that you can put pans
in,...I've never used one of these before and would assume this would not be
ideal to warm the lasagna back up for the night of the actual dinner. Any
other thoughts tips would be greatly, greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

B-Worthey

Sorry, realized I said I posted the original message below, but did not,
here it is.....

Okay, up front, I know this is going to be a bit off topic, but I knew no
better place to ask for advice. Again, probably way off topic, but here
goes. My wife and I are working with the youth at our church and are doing
a dinner theater. Basically it is set around an Italian restaurant. We wil
be serving, salads, bread, lasagna, and/or spaghetti. Our church has a
kitchen that serves food each Wednesday night for ~100 people anyway and
this is probably going to be about our target for each production that we do
(probably doing two nights). One of my questions is this, I have a lasagna
recipe that makes enough for a 9X13 casserole dish, how do I take that
recipe and "multiply" it so that I can use it. Any tips on determining how
much stuff to buy? How do I multiply that? Also any tips on scheduling the
day for cooking? In the next couple of weeks, I'm going to get in the
kitchen with the ladies that prepare the meals on Wednesday nights and see
what all is in there so I can attempt to answer some things for my self and
then have more questions. Any advice or tips for preparing a meal and
serving a meal like this would be greatly appreciated!



"bworthey" > wrote in message
...
> Okay, I posted about this a while back, below is the original message I
> posted. Basically I am working to cook enough lasagna, salad, and bread
> for ~80 people on two different nights. I think I've gotten everything
> figured out except scheduling for the day of the cook. Someone suggested
> cooking the lasagna a day ahead, which I'm really thinking about doing
> because to me the lasagna is better the next day anyway. If I do that, my
> question is this, how long do I give them to reheat and do I put the whole
> pans in the oven? The ovens look like they will hold about 4 9X13 pans
> and there are two ovens, which will give me 8 pans at a time. The other
> question I have, and I think I know th answer to this one, is do I need to
> allow for more cooking time having that much in there at once? The church
> where I'll be cooking also has one of the things to keep food warm (not
> sure what the correct name is), but its a vertical machine that you can
> put pans in,...I've never used one of these before and would assume this
> would not be ideal to warm the lasagna back up for the night of the actual
> dinner. Any other thoughts tips would be greatly, greatly appreciated!
>
> Thanks,
>
> B-Worthey
>
>

"bworthey" > wrote:
> Sorry, realized I said I posted the original message below, but did not,
> here it is.....
> [ . . . ]
> One of my questions is this, I have a lasagna recipe that makes enough
> for a 9X13 casserole dish, how do I take that recipe and "multiply" it so
> that I can use it. Any tips on determining how much stuff to buy? How do
> I multiply that? [ . . . ]

Not exactly what you want, but may give ya some ideas.

Nick's Molto Siciliano Melanzana Parmigiana e Lasagna al Forno, mezza mezza

1. Ingredients (Shopping list on last page):

a. Eggplant:

3 medium sized eggplants
1/2 cup flour
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups fine Italian bread crumbs, seasoned with cayenne pepper & Parmesan
cheese
Olive oil for sautéing

b. Lasagna (Pasta):

6 qts water
½ oz. Lemon juice
1 oz. Olive oil
½ lb. Lasagna

c. Meat Sauce:

1 lb each sweet and hot Italian sausage, split open lengthwise, and ½ lb.
panchetta, all chopped
½ lb. proschiutto, chopped separately
1/4 cup olive oil
6 to 60 cloves garlic, crushed or finely diced
1½ cups onion, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. paprika
1½ tsps. cayenne
8 lbs or 4 large cans San Marzano tomatoes
12 oz. tomato paste
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. rosemary
1 Tbs. oregano
2 Tbs. basil
1 tsp. black pepper, ground

¼ tsp. tarragon
1 Tbs. salt
3 bay leaves
2 cups Marsala wine
2 Tbs. lemon juice

d. Ricotta mixtu

1 egg
¼ cup bread crumbs
1 Tbs. oregano
3/4 lb. each of Ricotta and Mascarpone
up to one cup wine or water or to the consistency you like

e. Final assembly:

2-1/2 lb. total of mozzarella, munster and provolone cheeses, sliced (3/4
lb plus, each)
1 cup each grated Parmesan cheese and grated Romano cheese, mixed
1 Tbs. sweet basil
1 tsp. tarragon
up to 6 Tbs. butter (optional, but highly recommended)

2. Preparation (3-1/2 hours): [Do in order shown. All steps are sequenced
to time out at Final Assembly]

a. Sauce:

Heat oil in large saucepan. Simmer panchetta and sausage ‘til almost done,
seasoning it to your taste. Meanwhile, crush or finely dice garlic, add (to
meat) and brown lightly. Chop onion, add and brown lightly. Quarter or
slice mushrooms and add them, paprika, and cayenne.
Mix, cover and simmer while you chop or crush tomatoes, then add them,
tomato paste, proschiutto, wine and remaining sauce spices to (meat),
garlic, onion, mushroom mixture. Mix, cover and simmer up to 3 hours,
seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

b. Eggplant:

1. After you wash the eggplant, slice them into ¼" to ½" thick
slices. You may choose to peel the eggplant before you slice it. However,
you may want to leave the skin on since it contains a lot of vitamins.
2.
Place the eggplant slices on a layer of paper towels and sprinkle with a
little salt, (you can stack them), then cover with another layer of paper
towels and hold it down with something heavy to drain the excess moisture.
Let them sit for about an hour. Season the breadcrumbs with cayenne pepper
and Parmesan cheese.
3. Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, dust
with flour, dip in beaten eggs, then coat well with breadcrumbs.
4. Sauté
in preheated olive oil on both sides until lightly golden brown. Keep the
oil just below the smoke point and don't overload the pan or the eggplant
will absorb too much oil.
5. Set aside on paper towels.

Pasta:

Put 6 qts of water, lemon juice and olive oil in a large pot and bring to a
rolling boil.

d. Ricotta mixtu

(While water is coming to a boil,) beat egg, combine with bread crumbs and
oregano and set aside.

e. Pasta:

When water is boiling vigorously, slowly add lasagna and cook for 10 to 15
minutes, until al dente.

f. Ricotta mixtu

(While lasagna is boiling,) mix egg, breadcrumb mixture, white or red dry
wine or water, and ricotta and mascarpone cheese. Separate into thirds,
cover and set aside.

g. Final assembly:

Thin slice Mozzarella, munster and Provolone and divide stacks into thirds.

When cooked, drain lasagna and rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Divide
stack in fourths and leave in cold water.

Prepare 10" x 16" x 4" baking dish with ½" of sauce on the bottom,
then add layers from the bottom up, as follows, until you fill the baking
dish, about 1/2" from the top:

NOTE: 'lasagna & eggplant' means use lasagna on half, eggplant on the other
half.

Bottom lasagna & eggplant, ricotta, mozzarella & munster & provolone,
sauce, grated cheese,
Then lasagna & eggplant, ricotta, mozzarella & munster & provolone, sauce,
grated cheese,
Again lasagna & eggplant, ricotta, mozzarella & munster & provolone,
sauce, grated cheese,
Top lasagna & eggplant, sauce, grated cheese.

Sprinkle with basil and tarragon, put butter on top if you want it crunchy
on top, cover with foil and bake 25 minutes in a moderate (375° F.) oven.
Uncover and bake five [to 20] minutes more or until golden-brown on top.
Allow to set up to 20 minutes (if you can wait that long) before serving.

Serve with garlic bread, sautéed zucchini, mushrooms, red potatoes and a
hearty dry Italian red wine. Pre-cook the potatoes in the simmering sauce.
Serves 12.

Shopping list:

1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. rosemary
2 Tbs. oregano
3 Tbs. basil
1¼ tsp. tarragon
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsps. cayenne
3 bay leaves
1 Tbs. Kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper, fresh ground
6 to 60 cloves garlic
½ cup flour
6 Tbs. butter
4 eggs
1½ oz. Lemon juice
2-1/4 cups fine Italian bread crumbs
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

8 lbs or 4 large cans San Marzano tomatoes
12 oz. tomato paste

3/4 lb. each of Ricotta and Mascarpone
3/4 lb. each of mozzarella, munster and provolone. sliced
1 cup each grated Parmesan cheese and grated Romano cheese, mixed

½ lb. Lasagna

1 lb. each sweet and hot pork sausage
1/2 lb. each panchetta and proschiutto

4 cups Marsala wine

3 medium sized eggplants, sliced
1½ cups onion, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, sliced

Italian bread for garlic bread
good Chianti or other Sicilian dry red wine

HTH

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !
~Semper Fi~

bworthey wrote:
> Okay, I posted about this a while back, below is the original message
> I posted. Basically I am working to cook enough lasagna, salad, and
> bread for ~80 people on two different nights. I think I've gotten
> everything figured out except scheduling for the day of the cook. Someone
> suggested cooking the lasagna a day ahead, which I'm really
> thinking about doing because to me the lasagna is better the next day
> anyway. If I do that, my question is this, how long do I give them
> to reheat and do I put the whole pans in the oven?

You can put the whole pan into the oven. The typical health district
standard is that you *must reheat to 165F within one hour*. Once reheated,
you can hold the lasagna so that its temperature doesn't drop below 140F.

>The ovens look
> like they will hold about 4 9X13 pans and there are two ovens, which
> will give me 8 pans at a time. The other question I have, and I
> think I know th answer to this one, is do I need to allow for more
> cooking time having that much in there at once?

It will take longer; but a lot depends on the oven.

> The church where
> I'll be cooking also has one of the things to keep food warm (not
> sure what the correct name is),

It is a holding oven. Alto Shaam -- which is what I use -- is one brand.

> but its a vertical machine that you
> can put pans in,...I've never used one of these before and would
> assume this would not be ideal to warm the lasagna back up for the
> night of the actual dinner. Any other thoughts tips would be
> greatly, greatly appreciated!

Unless those ovens can reheat the lasagna to 165 within one hour, and they
aren't typically designed to do so, then you need to use a different method
to reheat. Once you have don the reheating, they can be held in the holding
ovens -- which are designed to HOLD the temperature of food -- for up to 4
to 6 hours.

If the holding ovens are ALSO designed to reheat as well as to hold -- and
there are some designed to do so -- the thermostat will go above 300F.

--
Dave
www.davebbq.com

"Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
...
> bworthey wrote:
>
> It will take longer; but a lot depends on the oven.

And since I have never cooked in/on these ovens/stoves this makes me very
nervous. Thinking of running at least one test pan through there at some
point.

>
>> The church where
>> I'll be cooking also has one of the things to keep food warm (not
>> sure what the correct name is),
> Unless those ovens can reheat the lasagna to 165 within one hour, and they
> aren't typically designed to do so, then you need to use a different
> method to reheat. Once you have don the reheating, they can be held in the
> holding ovens -- which are designed to HOLD the temperature of food -- for
> up to 4 to 6 hours.

So you're saying that once I get the lasagna cooked that I should be able to
hold the lasagna warm/servable temperature for up to 4 hours before I need
to serve it? If that's the case then, that'll be great. I don't want to
have to run into a timing issue with this. This is a very timed out event
since it is a dinner theater, I don't want any disaters! I'm planning on
getting the lasagna cooked ahead of time, just didn't know how I'd reheat
it. Will holding it in there at that temp do anything to the quality of it,
I guess you could say? I htink you know what I'm trying ot ask here.


>
> If the holding ovens are ALSO designed to reheat as well as to hold -- and
> there are some designed to do so -- the thermostat will go above 300F.

Not sure about that, but I'll have to check that out tomorrow when I go by
there. If this is the case, reheating them I mean, what sort of time frame
am I looking at for that? Around an hour? But would this be ideal,
reheating it in this holding oven?

Thanks for all the info!

B-Worthey


>
> --
> Dave
> www.davebbq.com
>

bworthey wrote:
> "Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
> ...
>> bworthey wrote:
>>
>> It will take longer; but a lot depends on the oven.
>
> And since I have never cooked in/on these ovens/stoves this makes me
> very nervous. Thinking of running at least one test pan through
> there at some point.
>
>>
>>> The church where
>>> I'll be cooking also has one of the things to keep food warm (not
>>> sure what the correct name is),
>> Unless those ovens can reheat the lasagna to 165 within one hour,
>> and they aren't typically designed to do so, then you need to use a
>> different method to reheat. Once you have don the reheating, they
>> can be held in the holding ovens -- which are designed to HOLD the
>> temperature of food -- for up to 4 to 6 hours.
>
> So you're saying that once I get the lasagna cooked that I should be
> able to hold the lasagna warm/servable temperature for up to 4 hours
> before I need to serve it?

Yes. The only issue is keeping the lasagne from drying out, but covering
with foil ought to take care of that.

> If that's the case then, that'll be
> great. I don't want to have to run into a timing issue with this. This is
> a very timed out event since it is a dinner theater, I don't
> want any disaters! I'm planning on getting the lasagna cooked ahead
> of time, just didn't know how I'd reheat it. Will holding it in
> there at that temp do anything to the quality of it, I guess you
> could say? I htink you know what I'm trying ot ask here.

I wish I knew for certain how it would affect the quality.

>> If the holding ovens are ALSO designed to reheat as well as to hold
>> -- and there are some designed to do so -- the thermostat will go
>> above 300F.

> Not sure about that, but I'll have to check that out tomorrow when I
> go by there. If this is the case, reheating them I mean, what sort
> of time frame am I looking at for that? Around an hour? But would
> this be ideal, reheating it in this holding oven?

A lot will depend on how deep each casserole is.


--
Dave
www.davebbq.com

"Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
...

>
> A lot will depend on how deep each casserole is.
>
>

Dave,

Thanks for all the great advice and tips. As far as how deep each casserole
is, I usually only do two layers....lemme see, does that make sense, layer
of noodles, then meat/sauce, cheese, then noodles, meat/sauce and more
cheese. I know that doesn't tell you how deep, but a typical 9X13 casserole
dish is filled to the top. I'm thinking now I'll have plenty of time, more
time than I htought anyway. This is the biggest thing I'm stressing about.
Only other issue I gotta figure out is bread, I haven't bought the bread
yet, so I don't know how that has to be cooked, etc....obviously baked in
the oven, but I don't knwo if I'm going to have loaves, or breadsticks or
what, just haven't decided, but that will definitely be a get done before
the actually thing sort of thing.

Anyway, thanks for all your help, it's been great.

B-Worthey

bworthey wrote:
> "Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>
>> A lot will depend on how deep each casserole is.
>>
>>
>
> Dave,
>
> Thanks for all the great advice and tips. As far as how deep each
> casserole is, I usually only do two layers....lemme see, does that
> make sense, layer of noodles, then meat/sauce, cheese, then noodles,
> meat/sauce and more cheese. I know that doesn't tell you how deep,
> but a typical 9X13 casserole dish is filled to the top. I'm thinking
> now I'll have plenty of time, more time than I htought anyway. This
> is the biggest thing I'm stressing about. Only other issue I gotta
> figure out is bread, I haven't bought the bread yet, so I don't know
> how that has to be cooked, etc....obviously baked in the oven, but I
> don't knwo if I'm going to have loaves, or breadsticks or what, just
> haven't decided, but that will definitely be a get done before the
> actually thing sort of thing.
> Anyway, thanks for all your help, it's been great.

You're welcome, Brian. And I know you'll do a great job.

--
Dave
www.davebbq.com

"bworthey" > wrote:
> "Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
> >
> > A lot will depend on how deep each casserole is.
> >
> Dave,
>
> Thanks for all the great advice and tips. As far as how deep each
> casserole is, I usually only do two layers....lemme see, does that make
> sense, layer of noodles, then meat/sauce, cheese, then noodles,
> meat/sauce and more cheese. I know that doesn't tell you how deep, but a
> typical 9X13 casserole dish is filled to the top. I'm thinking now I'll
> have plenty of time, more time than I htought anyway. This is the
> biggest thing I'm stressing about. Only other issue I gotta figure out is
> bread, I haven't bought the bread yet, so I don't know how that has to be
> cooked, etc....obviously baked in the oven, but I don't knwo if I'm going
> to have loaves, or breadsticks or what, just haven't decided, but that
> will definitely be a get done before the actually thing sort of thing.
>
> Anyway, thanks for all your help, it's been great.

Garlic toast, my way. Ya get some nice Italian bread. Ya put some EVOO and
butter in a frypan (1:1 is fine) and once it's hot (butter stops bubbling)
ya dump in as much minced garlic as ya can stand. Simmer it 'til the garlic
is translucent and take it off the fire. Slice the loaves in half
lengthwise, brush them well with the gatlic oil, sprinkle them with
Parmesan, Romano or a mix, slide 'em into the broiler and let 'em go 'til
the top is gettin' brown. Cut 'em (at an angle) into about 2 or 3" slices.
Now I got a cravin' !!!

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !
~Semper Fi~

"Dave Bugg" > wrote:
> bworthey wrote:
> > "Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
> >> bworthey wrote:
> >> [ . . . ]
> I wish I knew for certain how it would affect the quality. [ . . . ]

Having eaten lasagna for 65 years, I can assure that it's better the second
time around, as long as it's nice and hot (although I like cold lasagna,
too)!

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !
~Semper Fi~