Two Meat Lasagna

Well, I finally had an opportunity to make a pan of lasagna, and decided to go all out. I even made the pasta noodles from scratch, and it was well worth the effort.

What you'll need for the sauce:

• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• 2 Meats (or, if you want to make a one-meat lasagna, just use one meat). I used some ground Italian Sausage and some Prosciutto (an Italian cured ham) but you can use whatever you choose. The Italian Sausage goes a long way toward flavoring the sauce.
• A pepper or two--Red, orange, or yellow. No green peppers!!! They're not the same thing and will make your sauce bitter. My favorite combination is a red and a yellow.
• Salt, Pepper, Vegetable Boullion, Parsley, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Crushed Red Pepper.
• 60 Ounces of Tomato Sauce (4 small cans, or 2 big cans).

What you'll need for the Besciamella (Besh-uh-mel-uh, sort of):

• 4 Tbsp Butter
• 3 Tbsp Flour
• 2 Cups Milk (or however much looks good. I've never measured it.)

What else you'll need:

• A box of lasagna noodles, uncooked.
• Or, if you're adventurous, a few eggs, a lot of flour, and a pasta maker.
• Fresh Mozzarella, if available. Costco is a great place to get it. It's in the deli area. It's a bit pricey, but well worth it. If you really must, use regular mozzarella. No Ricotta! And, please, no Cottage Cheese!!!

I like to start by preparing my ingredients (and, just for fun, putting them into those small, clear cups like on the TV shows so you can throw the stuff into the mix really fast). Chop the meat up good (you want it as small as possible to fit between the layers of noodles).

Slice up the peppers. I like to cut off the top, quarter them, then rinse them off, getting all the seeds out of them. Then slice each quarter lengthwise and dice them up. Put them in a small, clear bowl so you can throw them in quick!
Heat the olive oil and brown the garlic (peel it first!), then add the first meat (add whichever needs to be cooked more. If you're using prosciutto, put it in very last, even after the vegetables). Season the meat with the salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and boullion.
Add the peppers just before the meat's fully cooked and season with the basil (get some on all the meat), parsley (the same), oregano (around 1/2 teaspoon), and a bit of rosemary. If using Prosciutto, add it just as the peppers are getting soft and the other meat's done.

Cook everything together for a bit, add some wine if you'd like (I used a white wine), cook off the alcohol, then add all the tomato sauce. Let it simmer for an hour or so. Of course, the longer the better.

If you choose to make your own noodles, follow the directions on your pasta maker. I just fumbled my way through it and am not in a position to give advice. It starts out looking like this, though:
When the sauce has cooked for 45 minutes or so, start making the Besciamella. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then add the flour and stir it in well. Then add the milk and stir it continuously until it sets up. You don't want it to be runny, but you don't want it to be solid either. When it's looking good, take it from the heat and set it aside.
Slice the mozzarella thin and get it ready to add to the assembled lasagna (maybe by putting it in a small, clear bowl).

Make alternating layers of Sauce and Besciamella in between layers of noodles. If possible, alternate the direction of the noodles with each layer. Do NOT precook the noodles. Put them in hard and let the sauce cook them (so they're more flavorful). Put the mozzarella on the layers with the sauce. Make sure to leave enough sauce to cover the top.

Keep layering it up until you run out of stuff, then cover the top with either Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese (the freshly grated stuff is the best). Then cover it with tin foil and bake it at 375 degrees for about an hour.

It's certainly not a meal for every day, but for special occasions there's not much better. A 9x13 pan should feed 6 hungry people. Probably 8 people if you have something to eat with it, like a salad and some bread. Let me know if you're brave enough to try it. Enjoy!