Lasagna: tradition and nothing else | The Press

At the end of January 2021, the Berardis were delivering their first (free) lasagna to friends and friends of friends who had lost their jobs during the pandemic. A year later, two of the four members are about to quit their jobs to open a restaurant in Parc-Extension with the other two. This is the story of a lasagna that is as succulent as it is beneficial.

Eve Dumas
The Press

Berardi’s is the baby of two couples: Firas Saab and Alessandra Berardi, then Katherine Guzzo and Dominic Berardi. The sisters-in-law have been early childhood educators for 12 years. Firas is an employee of the Montoni real estate group, while Dominic works at FedEx.

Less than a year after the start of the pandemic, the tightly knit quartet wanted to make a contribution to comfort those who have experienced the crisis harder than others. The lasagna of nonna Berardi was the perfect fit.

Special lasagna

“For years—less so during COVID-19—we’ve been going to my wife Alessandra’s grandparents for dinner, and her grandma makes absolutely amazing lasagna from scratch. She makes the fresh pasta, the sauce and everything,” explains Firas Saab, a Montrealer of Lebanese origin who has integrated perfectly into his Italian in-laws.

The Berardi family lasagna is a traditional Calabrian recipe handed down from generation to generation: ten layers of fresh pasta, slightly meaty sauce and melting cheese. It’s that simple. At the request of their customers, the self-taught cooks have developed a vegetarian version with ricotta and spinach.

Of Italian origin too, but from the north, Katherine ate a completely different version of lasagna in her family. “There are eggs and pieces of ham in my mother’s lasagna,” she explains. Firas recalls that lasagna was originally stuffed with leftovers from previous meals. “There were often boiled eggs lying around. »

The regional variations of lasagna are of course almost endless. In the Marches, there is a layer without tomatoes, but with béchamel, prosciutto and porcini mushrooms. In Bologna, the dough can be colored with spinach, then assembled with a meaty ragu-type sauce, béchamel and parmesan cheese. In the south, in Molise, small meatballs of veal and shredded chicken are inserted between the lasagne sheets. And these are just a few examples.

find the secret

As a good Italian grandmother, nonna Berardi still hasn’t revealed all of his secrets to his grandchildren, so even before launching their ‘experiment’-turned-business, Alessandra and Dominic competed as siblings to see who came closest to the family recipe. .

Today, the four partners, who prepare an average of 100 lasagne per week, all get their hands dirty. Orders are taken during the week, and deliveries/pickups are on Saturdays. Little by little, the pros on the shelf started adding items to their menu, including divine meatballs, crispy chicken cutlets (great in a sandwich the next day!) and stuffed eggplant.

The demand for free lasagna is still there. Firas estimates it at around 20% of production.

The quartet also took part in La Porte Jaune’s holiday campaign by donating 130 meals. It will always be important for them to give back to the community.

On the eve of the opening of their restaurant, Firas and Katherine tell us that they are very excited, even amazed, by the rapid development of their charitable work in commerce. “Grandma is particularly happy. She always wanted to have a restaurant. There, she will be able to live her dream through us”, rejoices the “adoptive” grandson.

Recipe: Berardi family spinach and ricotta lasagna

For 4 to 6 people

Ingredients

• 1 package store-bought lasagna, cooked according to brand directions
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cans (796 ml each) San Marzano tomatoes
• Fresh basil leaves to taste
• 1 container of ricotta cheese (475 g)
• 3/4 cup raw and chopped spinach
• 3 tbsp. tablespoons + 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup + 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preperation

• 1. Over medium heat, in a large saucepan, soften the onion in the olive oil for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Salt and pepper. Add the cans of tomatoes, bring to a boil and simmer gently for 1-2 hours, stirring regularly. Add the fresh basil during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
• 2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the rack in the middle. Oil a Pyrex type dish measuring 13 in x 9 in.
• 3. In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, 3 tbsp. Parmesan, 1/3 cup mozzarella and egg. Season with salt and pepper. Put aside.
• 4. Pour a little tomato sauce at the bottom of the dish. Place a layer of noodles over the sauce. Add half of the cheese and spinach mixture. Repeat (sauce, noodles, cheese). Finish with a layer of tomato sauce. Add the 2 tbsp. tablespoon parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil, making sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and finish cooking under the broiler to brown the cheese well (about 5-10 minutes).