NBC Today
New book by actress Doris Roberts pairs hilarious stories from her life with delicious recipes from her kitchen
MY LASAGNA
This is best served with passive-aggressive question and subtle innuendo
4 Italian sausages
1 pound fresh white button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
2 packages lasagna noodles
6 hard-boiled eggs, sliced into disks
meatballs (see recipe)
1 large container ricotta cheese
1 pound Parmesan cheese, grated
meat sauce (see recipe)
1. In a saut¨¦ pan, fry sausages until cooked through. When cool, slice and set aside. Saut¨¦ mushrooms and peas in butter, salt and pepper until soft and mushrooms are starting to brown. Set aside.
2. Cook noodles according to package. Drain, separate, and set aside.
3. Slice eggs and set aside.
4. In fairly deep baking dish, ladle a thin layer of sauce on the bottom. (The layer of sauce should be only enough to keep the first layer of noodles from sticking to the dish.) Line the dish horizontally with noodles, allowing a generous overhang. Spoon on a bit more sauce and arrange another layer of noodles vertically, as you would do if you were making a lattice pie crust. You’ll use the noodles that hang over the sides of the dish to wrap the lasagna when you’re finished building the layers. Scatter a layer of meatballs onto the noodles. (Be sure to mind the amount of residual sauce that is spooned with the meatballs, as too much sauce will make the dish runny and unable to maintain its shape on the dinner plate.) Add sliced sausage, egg slices, mushrooms, and peas on top of the meatballs. Drop generous dollops of ricotta, followed by a handful of shredded mozzarella and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers until the dish is full. This should give you three substantial layers. When construction is complete, fold the horizontal noodles over the top of the dish. Finish with a layer of sauce and some more Parmesan. Beat one egg vigorously and pour it over the finished lasagna to keep your masterpiece together. Tap dish on countertop to settle layers. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
Serves 6-8.
MY MEATBALLS
Note: In the spirit of Marie, if you’re giving this recipe to your daughter-in-law, leave out the peas, mushrooms, and hard boiled eggs. She will be unable to answer your son’s questions about why it doesn’t taste as good as Mom’s.
2 pounds ground sirloin
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 handful chopped Italian parsley
2 eggs
vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
1. Thoroughly mix all ingredients (except oil) in bowl and form into balls about the size of a quarter.
2. Heat 1-1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil. When the oil sizzles as a drop of water is added, add meatballs and fry until brown.
3. Transfer to meat sauce.
MY MEAT SAUCE
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons basil
1 tablespoon parsley
1 healthy pinch oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound ground beef
two 28-ounce can whole tomatoes with basil
1 can tomato puree
1. Cover the bottom of a large pan with good olive oil, not the cheap crap from the 99-cent store, and turn the heat to medium. When the oil becomes fragrant, it’s warm enough to add the garlic.
2. Add the garlic, the onion, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Saute until onion is golden.
3. Add the meat and cook until brown, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon.
4. Add tomatoes, crushing the whole tomatoes by hand. Cover and lower the heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Continue cooking uncovered for another 15 minutes. Serve over your favorite pasta.