Home > Lifestyles > Delish Dish: Comfort food. We all have our favorites…

Delish Dish: Comfort food. We all have our favorites…

By Bernadette Wilson

Fort Wayne Reader

2004-11-08


With the weather getting colder, meals are getting warmer and heartier. There is always a personal enjoyment for those “comfort foods” that we all hold dear to our hearts. But when speaking of such dishes with friends, I am always humbled by the fact that so many of my friends really don’t take the time to actually cook a meal for themselves. Some of them just feel it is too time consuming and others are really just scared they will mess it up… I am here to tell you that it is often much faster to cook for your self, and also, if you don’t “mess it up” at some point, how are you going to actually know if the recipe you tried to follow was truly correct? So, let’s all try this lasagna recipe, which I am going to have you “fly by the seat of your pants” to make and feel certain that, unless your oven does not work properly, this will be a meal that will actually comfort you.

***Now, I am going to note this from the very beginning, I make many a lasagna and no 2 are ever the same. The sauce is always different, my fillings are always a bit altered by an extra snip of parsley or a extra basil leaf, I may add spinach and zucchini or fry up a pound of crumbled sausage or a package of ground beef to place in each layer…or for that matter, a bottle of sauce that was on sale when I shopped. So, don’t fret, just have fun with the whole thing. ***
Lasagna 9x13 pan bake 350 for 1-1/2 hours

1 Box lasagna noodles (I have not cooked a lasagna noodle for the making of lasagna for
10 years, and have never purchased any “special no-cook noodles” that are 3 times the cost)
1 Large container of Ricotta cheese – you choose the brand, you choose the fat content
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 t salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 12 oz bag of shredded mozzarella – again, you choose the brand and fat content
Parmesan cheese – one of those cans or mixed parm with ramono, etc. is perfect
1 of the very large jars of pasta sauce… I like to use one without all of the “extra” ingredients in them, and use plain, maybe garlic and cheese though.

Now, mix the ricotta, eggs and seasonings in a bowl. You are now ready to put your lasagna together. Start with a little sauce spread on the bottom of your pan. Then begin with a layer of noodles, put the side by side, it is NOT necessary to overlap, but if that last one overlaps a bit to fit, that’s fine. Next is a thin layer of the Ricotta mixture, topped with a good heap of mozzarella and then a shaking of Parmesan and some sauce. Continue each layer accordingly, but altering noodles with a vertical and then the next layer being horizontal. After you have about 3 layers, you will most likely be to the top of your pan, finish off with a layer of noodles with some extra sauce on them. Try to pour about 2 cups of water into the lasagna, slowly. This extra liquid helps with the cooking of the noodles. When the lasagna is almost done, pull it out of the oven, sprinkle a bit more mozzarella and Parmesan on top and stick back in for the final 20 minutes.
Enjoy this wonderful dish with a light salad and a lot of garlic bread. A good bottle of wine is a great idea too!

Bangladoon’s is located at 709 South Clinton and is open for breakfast and lunch, Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Catering is available with a minimum of 24 hours notice. Call 424-DOON.

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