My attempt to be Italian . . .

I have a confession to make.  I never cooked before my 22nd birthday.  Sure, I could blend smoothies.  I had a mean salsa recipe.  But I had never touched raw meat . . . or potatoes . . . .  or eggs.  After my sophomore year of college I lived on my own for the first time in my life, and I subsisted on oatmeal, bagels, and spaghetti.  (Cooking pasta doesn’t count as a skill if the sauce comes from a jar – just sayin’.)  So such basic home-cooked staples as lasagna were quite beyond me and to be honest are rather intimidating to this day.  I mean, if every other housewife in America can make decent pot roast, fried chicken, and lasagna, why am I so dysfunctional?

So I decided to be brave and try a recipe where the Hubbymine actually knows what it should taste like (+1 wifeypoints).  And then I decided to be suicidal and actually prepare it for company. (-1 wifeypoints . . . maybe).

Best Lasagna Ever
Start by browning 3 links of Italian sausage.  The Hubbymine likes things spicy, so I chose the hot version but later experimentation proved that it’s delicious with sweet sausage as well.

As the sausage is browning, add 1 chopped onion and 2 cloves of garlic, minced.

On a side note, I used to be addicted to minced garlic bought in a jar.  I really thought raw garlic was demonic, intent on crushing my soul with its stubborn resistance to peeling–and also, by the way, making those 30-minute recipes something like 45, which was just as devastating to the minute-by-minute schedule I had envisioned for myself all day at work. . . you think I’m joking.  Then I watched Food Network.  Just smash the garlic clove with the side of your giant-I-am-the-next-Iron-Chef knife, and the peel comes right off.  Thank you Giada De Laurentiis.

Back to lasagna.  After the sausage is browned, drain the fat.  Add a tablespoon of fresh chopped basil, a teaspoon of dried oregano, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (a MUST), 1.5 teaspoons salt, a 29 oz can of diced tomatoes (do not drain), and 12 oz of tomato paste.

Mix it all together and let it simmer for 45 minutes.

After half an hour has gone by, put some salted water on to boil and cook 9 lasagna noodles.  They’ll be done around the same time the sauce is.

Meanwhile, in a bowl mix 2 eggs, 1 pint ricotta (low fat is just fine), 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons dried parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt.

When the lasagna noodles are done, remove them from the water and lay them flat, patting them dry with paper towels.

Butter a 9 by 13 pan and begin layering.  Start with 3 lasagna noodles.  Top with half of the cheese mixture, then half of the sauce.  Add 3 more lasagna noodles and top with the remaining cheese and sauce.  Place the final 3 lasagna noodles on top and sprinkle with 2 cups mozzarella cheese.

At this point, you can stick the lasagna in the fridge to cook the next day (as I did), or cook it immediately.  Bake the lasagna, covered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes – 1 hour.  Uncover it for the last 10 minutes, so the cheese can brown.  It will be saucey, but if you let it sit for 10 minutes before serving, the pieces will come out clean.

I, being not so patient, decided my guests – whom I love – could eat it a little messier:

It was pronounced a success (+10 wifeypoints!).

Here’s the summary:
3 links Italian sausage, hot or mild
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
12 ounces tomato paste
9 dry lasagna noodles
2 eggs, beaten
1 pint ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1. Brown sausage links, onion and garlic; drain fat. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 45 minutes.
2. Boil a large pot of salted water. Add lasagna noodles, and cook until al dente; drain. Lay noodles flat on papers towels and blot dry.
3. In separate bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley and 1 teaspoon salt.
4. Layer 3 lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9×13 inch buttered baking dish. Cover noodles with 1/2 cheese mixture and 1/2 of the sauce. Add 3 more lasagna noodles, then the remaining cheese mixture, then the remaining sauce.  Top with the last 3 noodles and sprinkle 2 cups shredded mozzarella.  At this point the lasagna can be refrigerated for later.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes – 1 hour.  Allow a refrigerated lasagna to come to room temperature before placing it in the oven.  Let finished lasagna stand 10 minutes before serving.

– Carmen