Recipe: Judi's Favorite Lasagna

recipelink.com Chat Room Recipe Swap - 2001-07-18
From: recipelink.com

Judi's Favorite Lasagna
From: Judi Mae Phelps
Newsgroup: alt.creative-cooking,
Date: 4-17-96

This is enjoyed by my family and company when it is made. This makes a big, deep dish of lasagna and is quite dense. I like to use the sweet Italian sausages, but you could mix hot and sweet if you like a spicier taste. What makes this lasagna taste so good is the whole milk ricotta and whole milk Mozzarella cheese. I prefer the flavor of imported pasta and the noodles hold up a little better when they are cooked. Some will argue with me about this, but that is just my preference. :-)

Yield: 10 servings

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2 tsp. good quality olive oil
3/4 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 lb lean ground beef
1 clove garlic; minced
1 tbsp. good quality olive oil
3 large cloves garlic; minced
1 large onion; chopped
12 large mushrooms; sliced (i like to use the Italian dark mushrooms they are more flavorful than the standard white mushrooms brown mushrooms they are
2 large (2 lb 3 oz. each) cans Italian-style tomatoes, well drained
1 small (about 1 lb) can Italian-style tomatoes; do not drain, save juice for sauce
2 (6 oz. each) cans tomato paste
1/2 cup good quality dry red wine
1/2 cup homemade beef broth
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil; crushed with fingers
1/2 tsp. dried oregano; crushed with fingers
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary; crushed with fingers
1/4 tsp. black pepper
dash salt (optional); i do not use at all
1 pkg. lasagna noodles, imported from Italy
2 tsp. good quality olive oil
2 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta
2 eggs; beaten
1/4 cup parsley; finely minced
3/4 cup imported Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 lb whole milk mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced and cut into medium-size pieces

Recipe equipment needed:
1 large frying pan, 1 Dutch oven or stockpot (about 6-quart size) for making sauce, 1 Dutch oven or stockpot (about 8-quart size) for cooking lasagna noodles, 1 large, deep rectangular lasagna pan.

Sauce:
Soak porcini mushrooms in water for about 25-30 minutes. Drain very well and reserve about 1/3-cup mushroom water for sauce.

Remove the sausage from the casings and break up meat with your fingers. In a large frying pan, heat oil, add garlic, sausage meat, and ground beef--break the beef and sausage meat up with a wooden spoon. Cook the meat until it is cooked through stirring frequently to brown all sides. Remove meat from the pan and drain well. Set aside.

In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, heat remaining oil, add the remaining cloves of garlic and onion. Saute until onion is translucent about 4 minutes. Add sliced mushrooms and cook another 2 or 3 minutes until they are soft. Add canned tomatoes (break up tomatoes with fingers), tomato paste, and reserved juice from tomatoes, wine, beef broth, and water. Mix to get a smooth mixture. Now add basil, oregano, rosemary, and sugar. Note: I usually add a little more of each spice (but start with the amounts specified in the ingredients section). You can add more if you like a spicier taste. I do not use any salt in my sauce, but feel free to add a little if you require salt in your cooking. After the spices are added, then put in the well-drained porcini mushrooms. At this point I add the
reserved mushroom water and bring the sauce to a full boil. Lower heat and simmer about 2-3 hours until sauce thickens. Do not cover sauce, as it will become bitter. Stir the sauce frequently and taste after 30 minutes of cooking. Adjust seasonings and if sauce becomes too thick add a little more red wine or water.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In an 8-quart Dutch oven or stockpot, fill water about 3/4 of the way full. Bring to a boil. You can add a few teaspoons of salt here if you wish (I do not use any salt). Add lasagna noodles 2 to 3 at a time until all noodles in the package are used. Return to boiling and add 2 tsp olive oil to prevent noodles from sticking and water from boiling over. Cook al dente (noodles will cook further in the lasagna pan) about 9 or 10 minutes. Drain in colander and rinse under cool water, drain again. Dry lasagna on paper towels. Make sure all water is gone or finished lasagna will be very watery when it is baked.

While lasagna noodles are cooking, in a bowl, mix ricotta cheese with egg, and parsley. Set aside.

Assembly of lasagna:
In a large rectangular baking dish, spoon about 1 cup of the sauce in a thin layer. Layer with 6 lasagna noodles lengthwise, overlapping to cover the dish. Drop some of ricotta mixture over the noodles (it is not necessary to cover the whole casserole). Top with about 1/3 of mozzarella mixture. Spoon another 1 cup or so of the sauce over mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese. Repeat layering with noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella cheese, sauce and Parmesan. (Save a little of the mozzarella and set aside for now). Spread with remaining sauce; top with mozzarella and Parmesan.

Cover baking dish with foil. Put in oven (careful this pan will be very heavy and full). Bake about 35 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with reserved mozzarella cheese--bake, uncovered, for another 15-20 minutes or until nice and bubbly. Cool 10 minutes before serving. This makes 10-12 servings.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we do at our house!