MAMA'S LASAGNA (#53)

Lasagna is one of those Italian dishes that could be great or medicore at best!  My feeling is if your going to go through all the trouble (steps) in making it, why not make it as good as it can be.  The following recipe is one my mother has used for many years (she is almost 93).  I would not be giving you it if I didn't believe it was a great recipe!  The only way to find out if I am right is to try it and let me know how you liked it.  Now,
understand that my mother has always cooked by the hand method-(a handful of this, a handful of that, a slight handful, a small handful, a really small handful, about a tablespoon in the hand, a smaller tsp in the hand,
or yes even a pinch.  Anyway use your own judgement. The sauce is a combination of hers and mine to make a rich Italian style sauce-(she doesn't hardly use onions).  When I was small she had to swear that there were no onions in the chili as I would throw up if there were.  Well, now I put onions in everything except ice cream! ENJOY

INGREDIENTS:

     1 1/2 pounds ground chuck

     16 oz of ricotta cheese (drained if wet)

     16 oz bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
       8 oz of parmesan cheese

     1 1/2 cans of  Contadina crushed tomatoes

     3 hard boiled eggs

     3 raw eggs whipped

     2 medium onions peeled, cut in half and sliced
     5 cloves garlic smashed,  peeled, and rough cut
     8 oz of dry red wine
     8 oz virgin olive oil
      16 oz box lasagna noodles
       2oz of sugar
     1 tab dried oregano

     2 tab dried basil

     1 tsp salt
     1 tsp pepper
     
DIRECTIONS: (PRE HEAT OVEN TO 375 DEGREES)
     1. in a large fry pan add 5 oz of the virgin olive oil
         over moderate heat

     2. when the oil is hot add the onions, oregano, basil,

         salt and pepper keep stiring until onions are well carmelized

     3. add the tomato paste and stir until all is incorporated
     4. add the garlic and 4 oz of  parmesean cheese and cook
         an additonal 5 minutes until all is incorporated

     5. add the 1 1/2 cans of Contadina crushed tomatos, sugar

         and the red wine and continue stiring until the

         sauce is incorporated (about 15 minutes) pour

         into a large soup pot and place on a defuser low

         on low heat to simmer 2 hours.

     6. in a separate fry pan add the 3 oz of virgin olive
         and then the ground meat and fry until slightly
         brown and set aside
     7. boil the lasagna noodles according to the box
         until they are al dente; rinse and keep in 3qts
         fresh water so they remain soft

     8. usng a  9" by 13" (preferably pyrex glass)  by about 2" high

         brush the 3 oz of virgin olive oil on the bottom and
         sides

     9. .next, add enough of the tomato sauce  

         on the bottom of the glass pan until the bottom is about

         covered (about a 1/2 inch)

    11. place the cooked lasagna noodles side by side over the

         tomato sauce until the pan is filled (long way)

    12. add another 1/2 inch of the tomato sauce on the noodles

    13. sprinkle about a generous handful of the ground meat over

         the tomato sauce evenly

    14. mix the ricotta cheese with the 3 whipped eggs

          and sprinkle a slight handful over the tomato sauce

    15. sprinkle a third of the hard boiled eggs over the ricotta mixture

    16. mix the other 4 oz parmesan and 16 oz of mozzarella
         cheeses together and sprinkle a handful over the hard boiled
         eggs
    17. put another layer of  lasagna noodles over the cheeses
    18. now repeat the tomato sauce, ground meat, handful of ricotta and
          mozzarella cheeses and slight handful of hard boiled eggs
    19. put the last layer of lasagna noodles over the hard boiled eggs

    20. now repeat the last of the ground meat, ricotta

         and hard boiled eggs and finish with the tomato sauce and

         cheeses on top

    21. put the finished lasagna in the oven on a foil covered

          cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hr to 1hour and 15 minutes (put

          aluminum foil over the the lasagna without touching

          the last 30 minutes. (I would be careful of not overdoing the

          amount of the sauce.  If you have some left over after making the dish

          save it rather then putting too much in the dish ENJOY