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Heat oil over medium
heat, add onions and cook, stirring, until onions are clear (3-4 minutes).
Add minced garlic stir a few minutes (if using dehy. GARLIC, soak in 1
TB. water and add to sauce with other spices). Add crushed tomatoes and
sauce, bring to a boil, turn heat down to low so sauce barely simmers,
add OREGANO, ROSEMARY, BLACK PEPPER, THYME, CRUSHED RED PEPPERS, sugar
and salt. In a large frying pan brown ground beef over medium-high heat,
stirring to break up lumps. When browned and cooked (about 5 minutes),
drain off all fat and add to sauce. Simmer uncovered for 1-2 hrs. For
the last ten minutes of simmering, add FRENCH BASIL LEAVES.
- Bring a large
pot of water (4 quarts) to a rolling boil. Add 1 TB. olive oil (this
will keep noodles from becoming sticky after they're drained). Cook
noodles about 7 minutes (according to package directions). Drain noodles
into a bowl and set by lasagna pan. Don't worry if some of the noodles
are broken, there are always a few noodles leftover anyway. Brush a
9x13" baking dish with a little olive oil. Preheat oven to 325°
for a glass pan (which we recommend). If using a metal pan, preheat
oven to 350°. Lay down a layer of noodles, covering the bottom of the
dish. Add enough sauce to cover noodles, maybe a bit more. You want
about 1/4 inch of sauce, and it should go all the way to the edge of
the pan. Dot sauce with Ricotta Cheese. It helps if you stir up the
cheese in the container and dab it out with a table spoon. It doesn't
have to cover the sauce in a smooth layer. Use half of the ricotta cheese
for the first layer of noodles and half for the second. For the final,
third layer of noodles, cover with tomato sauce and top with shredded
Mozzarella cheese. Bake at 325½-350½ for about 1 hour, until cheese
is browned. Let stand about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
- Lasagna can
be assembled the night before cooking. Add about fifteen minutes to
the cooking time if the lasagna goes right from the refrigerator into
the oven.
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