Lasagna

Well everyone it is Thanksgiving today, so praying that you all have a moment with your loved ones to either tell them what your grateful for or to say it quietly in your heart... I am so grateful for my wonderful husband and children, my extended family and friends and especially today for my darling Anna Turrigiano, my grandma through my marriage to Matthew. She was a strong Italian women who taught so many of us so much.


My dear friend Gary wanted this recipe too, so here you go darling Anstey family...

Kind of expensive to make with all the stuff, but I always make 2 trays ( to much to only make 1 and they are better after they are frozen and re-heated!) and freeze one and this year made extra sauce for freezing too, good for another meal on a day when we don't want to fuss over what to have! So really it can be 3 meals so the cost isn't THAT bad!


Serves 6  ( 12-15 if you use both trays!)


Ingredients for Sauce 

 The sauce is really the important, I cook mine for as LONG as possible, start it one day and turn it off at night, re-heat it the next day... letting all those LOVELY flavors mix and marry.. It is also the sauce we use for Spaghetti Bolognese ( Spaghetti with Meat sauce) 

2 Large cans of diced tomato
3 Large cans of crushed tomato
4 Small cans of tomato paste
7 cloves of garlic-minced
2 onions minced
9 Italian sausages, either hot or mild
5 pds of beef mince/hamburger
Salt
Pepper
Dried Basil
Dried oregano
Crushed red pepper
Thyme
Sugar
Olive oil
Stick of butter
1 bottle of drinkable red wine
Water


Preparing the sauce

* In 2 large pots, add a splash of olive oil, turn on medium high
* Keeping in mind you need to break the ingredients in half, add onion and garlic to the pots
* Sautee until soft
* Add half a stick of butter to each pot
* Add hamburger and sausage to brown
* Add spices, like 2 Tbs of each except for the crushed red pepper, only 1/2 teaspoon of that to each pot
* When sausage is cooked, remove from pot and cut in half and then into pieces, throw back into the pots
* Add a glug of red wine to de -glaze the pots
* Add the crushed and diced tomatoes
* Stir in half the bottle of red to each pot
*Add the tomato paste
*Add 1/8 cup of sugar to each pot
*In the cans you have used, fill them with water and add in
*Taste it and if you think you need more spice add it!
*Turn heat on to simmer and cover and leave it stirring every little while
( when you go to bed turn it off and leave it till morning )

Ingredients for the Lasagna


40 oz of Ricotta Cheese
4 Cups of Shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 Cups of  Shredded Parmesean Cheese
2 Cups of Shredded Asiago Cheese
27 oz Lasagna noodles
3 Tbs of parsley
2 Tbsp of garlic powder
2 tsp of salt
2 tsp of white pepper
3 eggs


Prepare

* Mix all the cheeses and eggs and spices with your clean/washed  hands in a medium sized bowl
* Chill mixture until ready to use

* Get two large baking dishes
* Turn the oven on to 375 to preheat
* Add a spoon full of sauce to the baking dishes
* Add the lasagna noodles in one layer
* Add the cheese in dots all over the noodles
* Add more sauce
* Repeat 2 more times

* For the final layer add the noodles, then add sauce and top with shredded mozzarella, MAKE SURE THE SAUCE COVERS ALL THE LASAGNA NOODLE..(you should have 3 layers in between the top and bottom layer)

 * Put on a baking sheet and cook for 1 hour
* Let it sit for at least 45 minutes before serving
* Add a dash of parmesean cheese and some garlic bread...

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!