Will's Lasagna

Will’s Lasagna

I've made a lot of things over the years, but up until about three years ago the one thing that I had never made was lasagna. 

Actually, one of the reasons why I never made lasagna is that the old 1940's era bungalow we used to live in over on the west side of Davenport had an unbelievably small kitchen  It's amazing that I could make anything in that place. 

Our kitchen at our house that we've lived in for over three years now is not that big, but it's spacious compared to the other place.  And I finally have enough counter space and table space to make lasagna.

First of all, I talked to friends who have made lasagna for me in the past, then I consulted "the Cook's Bible" - the Pillsbury Complete Cookbook.  I made notes, added stuff, and went at it.  It came out perfect.  The second time I made it, I played around with combinations of noodles, meats, cheeses and basically screwed it up.  So the next time I made it, I went back to the original recipe that I had written down when I put it all together the first time, tweaked a few things here and there, and it came out even better that time.  So I said to myself, "OK, don't SCREW with this!"

And it has turned out the same ever since...

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound bulk ground Italian sausage
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 tbs fennel seed 
• ½ cup water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
• 4 tbs olive oil 
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole or peeled tomatoes
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 tbs Italian Seasoning mix
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 - 16 oz. can tomato or pasta sauce
• 6 to 8 oz. beer  (American lager, such as Budweiser)
• 1 small can tomato paste  
• 10 to 12 lasagna noodles
• 2 cups grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (for topping at end)

Cheese Mixture

• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 cup Cottage Cheese - dranined
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 tbs Italian Seasoning mixture
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 16 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

PREPARATION:

In a large pan, add 2 tbs of olive oil and heat on medium high.  Add the fennel seeds and let them get warm, but not hot.  Stir a couple times.  After about 3 to 5 minutes, add the ground sausage and mix.  Add 1/2 cup of water and add ground beef.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Brown sausage and beef slowly; drain off excess liquid when browned.  Set aside in a bowl.

Drain the can of whole or peeled tomatoes in a bowl and mash up the tomatoes with a fork.  Set aside. 

In a 4 quart stove top pan, add two tbs of olive oil and heat to medium high.  Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté for three to five minutes, stirring occassionally.   

Back the heat back down to medium low.  Add tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasonings, sugar, salt, and beer.  Simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occassionally and adding a little more beer if too thick.  (Good tip - don't drink the leftover beer until you're sure you don't need to add more!)

In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, drained cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, eggs, 1-teaspoon salt, and pepper and mix thoroughly.

In a baking dish large enough for the lasagna noodles to fit in, fill with lasagna noodles and add hot tap water and let sit for 15 minutes.  Noodles should be pliable but not cooked all the way through.  It's best to use a good pair of tongs when getting the noodles out of the water.  Make sure not to tear the lasagna noodles.

Spread a thin layer of tomato or pasta sauce on the bottom of a greased 14 x10x2 lasagna pan or baking dish.

Place a layer of noodles in bottom of the baking dish or lasagna pan over sauce. Cover with a layer of tomato sauce, then spoon 1/2 of ricotta mixture. Cover with mozzarella. Spoon the combination sausage/beef over the cheese and spread out.  Repeat for second layer. Be sure to leave some mozzarella for the top, and top off with Parmesan cheese. 

Cover with aluminum foil and set in refrigerator for two to four hours (can be in for up to 24 hours). Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking (up to one hour if in for more than 4 hours).

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes, pull covering off and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes.  Allow lasagna to sit for 15 minutes before serving.

(Note - you can also freeze this for later use.  It lasts in the freezer up to six months if you have it wrapped tightly in aluminum foil.)