Not Your Grandma’s Lasagna
Rollati Ristorante | San Jose, Calif.
Not Your Grandma’s Lasagna
Rollati Ristorante | San Jose, Calif.
By Patricia Fitzgerald
July 18, 2024
By Patricia Fitzgerald
July 18, 2024
Sam Gimlewicz
Although concept chef Sam Gimlewicz concedes that the name of the Thousand Layer Lasagna is a bit of an exaggeration, he chooses not to specify the exact number in the house specialty at modern Italian-American Rollati Ristorante, letting the lasagna speak for itself. “The dish immediately piques everyone’s interest with its layers upon layers of freshly made pasta sheets coated with ragu, baked and cooled,” he says. At service, it is sliced and seared on a hot skillet for craveable crispy edges. “This is not your grandma’s lasagna!”
Noting that the dish has been a fan favorite since the restaurant opened in 2023, Gimlewicz characterizes its preparation as a labor of love. “Each layer has to be meticulously spread with the correct quantity of sauce, multiple cheeses and our housemade béchamel. With this many layers of pasta dough, you need to condense a lot of flavor in between each,” he says. “These are pressed together after cooking, creating a cohesive slab of pasta, cheese and sauce. Searing creates the same effect as the edge piece of a traditional lasagna, which everyone craves.”
About the Author
Patricia Fitzgerald serves different roles on the Flavor & The Menu team, including writing custom content, Kitchen Collaborative chef spotlights and digital editorial content, as well as acting as a contributing editor for the print magazine. As owner of PFitzCommunications, she specializes in various areas of foodservice and hospitality, while also maintaining clients in other industries and professions. She can be reached at [email protected].
