Old Fashioned Neapolitan Lasagna

Why is this an old fashioned lasagna?  Well, no idea.  That is simply the title Maria Luisa has chosen to provide so we're sticking with it.  Old fashioned or not, it proved to be a tasty lasagna, an opinion seconded by the friend I had over for dinner that night.  Since it was more meat and less veggie, I chose to serve it with a side of Brussels Sprouts Parmigiana.  Also tasty.  My only complaint is with the Brussels sprouts...yet again it's a 2 inch long recipe taking up space for no real reason.  I realize I sound like a cranky old lady, but I truly believe that recipes in a cookbook should involve more than boil sprouts, put in dish, add melted butter, sprinkle on cheese, bake.  I probably would have done that anyway.  I put cheese on everything.  I might not have baked it since baking the sprouts added I'm not even sure what.  Oh, whatever.  I'm over it.  At least the lasagna took some effort.

Maria Luisa did not get very specific with the type of beef she wanted me to use, just that it needed to be chopped.  I chose to go with stew beef that I then cut into even smaller pieces.  I have to say, it was really nice biting down into a hunk of meat as I was eating the lasagna.  Mixed in with the beef was some spicy Italian sausage, so there were pieces to sink your teeth into and a little heat as well.  This was definitely a meat lovers lasagna.  The Debbie Downer aspect was that, once again, we were expected to use tomato paste diluted in water....yuck.  I had a jar of marinara in the fridge so I substituted that for the diluted paste.  This also aided in the flavoring of the sauce and helped to keep the acidity down.  The additional flavors were essential.  Maria Luisa did get a little crazy this time around, we put a whole 1/4 teaspoon of marjoram in with the meat.  However, that and the single garlic clove that was removed halfway through is not enough to flavor lasagna sauce.  I highly suggest following my lead and using a basic jarred pasta sauce....no one will ever know.

Old Fashioned Neapolitan Lasagna

Lasagne Napoletane all'Antica

Ingredients:

8 no boil lasagna noodles

2 slices bacon - finely chopped

4 Tbsp butter

1 clove garlic - leave whole

1/2 a medium onion - finely chopped

2 Tbsp carrot - finely chopped

1 Tbsp celery - finely chopped

1 tsp. parsley - chopped

1/2 lb beef - chopped

2 spicy Italian sausage links - casings removed

1/4 tsp. marjoram

1 large can diced tomatoes

2 c. marinara sauce

1/2 c. dry white wine (I went with Villa Marchesi Pinot Grigio)

1/2 lb. ricotta cheese

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg - beaten

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese - grated

1/2 small mozzarella cheese - diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large saute pan, melt butter then saute bacon, garlic, onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes.  

Discard the garlic and add the beef, sausage, marjoram, and parsley,  Simmer until the meat has browned, approximately 5 minutes.

Drain off some of the excess juice then add the wine.  Cook until the wine has evaporated, about 10 minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.  Season to taste and then continue cooking until sauce is thick, about another 10 minutes.

Mix the ricotta, egg, Parmesan cheese, and a bit of salt and pepper together.  Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish with sauce.  Make a layer of lasagna noodles then one of cheese.  Dot with some of the mozzarella then repeat.  Cover with sauce and a few mozzarella pieces.  Bake in an oven preheated to 375F for 30 minutes.

Brussels Sprouts Parmigiana

Cavoletti alla Parmigiana

Ingredients:

2 boxes frozen Brussels sprouts

4 Tbsp butter - melted

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese - grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Cook Brussels sprouts in salted boiling water for 5 minutes  Place in a buttered baking dish, pour butter over them, sprinkle on cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Yea, that's an actual recipe in Maria Lusia's cookbook.  She's lucky it tasted good, otherwise I'd scream.

And there are my two Italian dishes on my Hungarian map table runner.  I was feeling very international that evening.