Recipe: Grandma Tenuta's Lasagna, Spaghetti Sauce, and Meatballs

Grandma Tenuta's Lasagna, Spaghetti Sauce, and Meatballs
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking/Kathy Czopek

This is my husband's family's recipes for lasagna, plus the all-important authentic sauce, plus the meatballs to put in the sauce...

Grandma Tenuta's Spaghetti Sauce

Brown in 1 tablespoon olive oil in nonstick pan, for 20 minutes:
(or use more oil in regular pan):
1 pound Italian link sausage, cut in 1-inch segments
1/2 pound stew meat, cut in small (about 1 inch square) pieces
1 pound chicken livers/gizzards/hearts (combine for 1 pound total)
Drain most of grease/juice off.
Add:
2 tablespoons dried oregano, or 1 tablespoon fresh
2 tablespoons dried basil, or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 tablespoon dried parsley, or 1/2 tablespoon fresh
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
dash red (cayenne) pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed

Brown for 15 minutes more, mixing around occasionally to cook evenly. Transfer to a very large pot.
Add:
5 quarts tomatoes
(I use 3 quarts home-canned, whole tomatoes in juice, 2 quarts home-canned sauce with no spices. You can use any combination of store-bought whole or crushed tomatoes for half, tomato sauce for half -- but nothing flavored, no Prego, etc.)

Cook for 3 to 5 hours on medium-low heat, stirring often. While it's simmering, make meatballs, drain, & add them to sauce. If sauce begins to stick, reduce heat. It's done when whole tomatoes have fallen apart & sauce takes on flavor of meat.

Grandma Tenuta's Meatballs

Mix together:
3 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (unflavored) bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, crushed
dash pepper
3 eggs

Form into balls approx. 1 inch in diameter. Brown in skillet; cover and let cook for approx. 20 minutes more. Drain; add to sauce.

Grandma Tenuta's Lasagna
note: this filling may also be used in stuffed shells (buy the big shell pasta, fill with filling, pour red sauce over & bake) or for manicotti (use same directions as shells.) Pasta should not be cooked first.

Combine:
3-1/2 pounds ricotta cheese (I use the lowfat; can't tell a difference)
1 pound grated mozzarella cheese
4 eggs
1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley, or dash dried parsley
1/4 cup grated parmesan
salt & pepper to taste

You will also need:
Grandma's Spaghetti Sauce
1/4 cup grated mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 box (16 ounces) lasagna noodles

In 13x9-inch baking dish, pour about 1/4 cup Grandma's spaghetti sauce, without any meat chunks. Put down a layer of noodles to cover. Spread with cheese mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan. Pour on sauce - including chunks of meat. Repeat layers until you run out of cheese mixture or fill the pan. Top noodles, then sauce, then mozzarella cheese.

Bake 350 degrees for one hour.