Lasagna

Like many siblings, my aunt and mom were always a bit competitive with one another.  They were extremely close and each considered each other's best friends so it was definitely just a friendly competition, but still a competition nonetheless.  They weren't competitive at all about money/looks/success or things that I guess people might be competitive with one another about.  They both love garage sales and the thrill of the hunt of finding a great antique.  That may be one of the times the competitiveness would come out.  There was also a lot of "copying one another" going on as also often happens with sisters.  My mom had oh so many collections.  Cookie jars, dishes, the list goes on and on.  My aunt was much more choosy about what she would collect, but you better believe she couldn't start a collection without my mom deciding to collect that too.  Or at Christmas my grandma would almost always give them the same Christmas present (even as adults) and they would rush to be the first one to rip off the wrapping paper to be the one to see the gift first.  My aunt tells me my mom had to do everything first and since my aunt is the younger sister I'm sure that was true...  I would say they were particularly competitive when it came to cooking.  I think my mom thought she had the upper hand since she had much more time to cook (she only worked part-time and my aunt worked full-time).  That's probably why she would be particularly peeved when she would make lasagna and we would all tell her it wasn't as good as my Aunt Susan's.

The thing is... I can see how she had a hard time getting it right.  It's hard to get it the right consistency.

The way I see it there are three kinds of lasagna.  1.  The frozen kind (I think you know how I feel about this)  2.  Dry Lasagna  3.  Soupy Lasagna.  Okay, quite clearly I am oversimplifying things here because as you well know there are white lasagnas and veggie lasagnas and clearly more than three categories, but these three are the ones that I mostly encounter.  Or I guess I should say the three unpleasant kinds that I encounter.  (I know, I know, there are some good frozen lasagnas out there, but of course I'd always rather have homemade.)

I've made lasagna several times before and ended up with a soupy mess.  Perhaps you've experienced this as well where you cut out and scoop out your piece and it seems like all the tomato sauce and juice squirts out into the square where you cut your piece.  As for the dry kind... I'm a sauce lover (as you know from my other blog) so have zero interest in dry lasagna.  I'll take the super liquid-y one instead.

This recipe doesn't fall in any of the three categories.  Unless of course you choose to make it and then freeze, but frozen yet homemade is not the kind I was talking about above.  I was talking about the kind in the flimsy aluminum pan that you buy in a box.  We've all had it... you know what I'm talking about.  I like this one because it is the perfect consistency.  Moist, but not dry.  Although when making it I was kind of holding my breath scared that it would be dry, but it turned out perfect.  I think the fresh mozzarella is the secret as it adds the perfect amount of moisture.

I also like that the ingredients are a little bit more exciting than your run-of-the-mill hamburger and shredded mozzarella that are often used.  Using sausage instead makes a huge difference in flavor in addition to using freshly grated parmesan and goat cheese.  Plus of course the traditional ricotta and red sauce.  It is the perfect 'make-ahead' dish and actually does freeze well.  (Don't worry the non-aluminum pan will give it away that it is definitely homemade, not to mention, of course,the flavor.)

I'm pretty sure my mom would like this recipe too.  Just don't tell her how it compares to my Aunt Susan's.

Trish's Tips:  For some reason I find it hard to find regular old lasagna noodles.  As in not the 'no boil' ones.  Either will work here, but if you use the no boil only soak the noodles for 5 minutes or so.  Use either sweet or spicy sausage depending on your preference.  Turkey sausage will also work well here and would make for a bit lighter lasagna (if it's really possible for lasagna to be light).  Goes great with a green salad and a baguette dipped in olive oil.  This is the epitome of easy entertaining as it is perfect to make in advance.  If you aren't serving 8, I would recommend making the full recipe into two smaller square pans and freezing one.  The thawed and then cooked lasagna may be a bit drier than the original so you may want to add either a bit more sauce or not let the sauce cook down as much.

Lasagna
Adapted from Ina Garten
Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 TBL Olive Oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs sausage, casings removed (Turkey or Pork will both work)
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lb lasagna noodles
15 oz ricotta cheese
4 oz creamy goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus 1/3 cup for sprinkling
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the onion and cook for 7-10 minutes over medium-low heat until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it is no longer pink.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 TBL of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tsp of pepper.  Simmer, uncovered over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes or until thickened.

Meanwhile fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water.  Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes.  Drain.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 TBL of parsley, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper.  Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9x12x2 inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish.  Then add the layers as follows:  half of the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta and one third of the sauce.  Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta and finally, sauce.  Sprinkle with 1/3 C of parmesan cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.