Trisha's Sicilian Style Lasagna

Lasagne

Probably one of the earliest forms of pasta...consists of fairly flat sheets of pasta, typically interleaved with a savoury mixture and baked in the oven...Some believe that its remote ancestor was the classical Greek laganon; this was a flat cake, not pasta as we know it now, but capable of developing in that direction. In classical Rome this was cut into strips and became known as lagani (plural). Cicero (1st century AD) was known to have been particularly fond of lagani. So was the Roman poet Horace, of the same century. He sited them as an example of simple peasant's food while boasting of his simple way of life...something which could be called lasagne in the modern sense had appeared in Italy by the 13th century...Since medieval times, lasagne have been a popular feature in the range of pasta products. Recipes have changed over the centuries, but the advantages of a pasta which comes in sheet form...have been a constant in the kitchen.
Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] (p. 444)

Though made all over Italy, the hallmark of a southern, especially Sicilian lasagna is the use of ricotta cheese, and Trisha's family recipe passed on from her mother is no exception. (Of course in Trisha's recipe ricotta is a "cheese thingy")

Trisha's Sicilian Style Lasagna

You can make up the recipe for the sauce, unless you want to tell your bloggers that I used 2 jars of Traditional Prego!...(I can't not tell my readers this because when Trisha came home with this recipe from her mother, she said "the most important thing is to use Prego Traditional")

1. Brown 1.5 pounds of ground beef, add the seasoning to taste, set aside.
2. Boil A LOT of water, once bowling add noodles for 10-12 minutes.
3. Combine sauce and meat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.


After everything is cooked, you take out a 9x13 pan. You have a small Ricotta Cheese thingy (real descriptive, huh?), 16 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese, 8 oz cheddar cheese.

First lay a thin, thin layer of the sauce so the noodles don't stick. Cover bottom of pan with noodles. On top of noodles add a spoonful or two of ricotta cheese and mix it in with the sauce. Layer with Mozzarella cheese and continue to next layer following same process. The next layer should be the final layer. Just add the sauce and cover in Mozzarella cheese and some cheddar cheese for looks.

Cook in over at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.