Lasagna

A long time ago, Ruth M. shared a recipe for lasagna with New Family Grandma. Grandma shared it with Dad and he has made it many times since varying several components of the recipe.

If there ever were an inspiration that got him interested in cooking, that recipe was it.

The traditional recipe requires a good deal of time and about $40 worth of ingredients (priced at full retail and in 2004 dollars). Dad wanted to make something quickly using ingredients on hand.

A jar of Classico pasta sauce went in to the blender with dried oregano and basil. A half stick of butter was melted with powdered garlic and salt. Dad has learned to heat the garlic and salt in a little bit of water first to suspend the solids in solution. Ruth shared the technique of melting the butter before applying it to the bread first,

 Then he mops the entire loaf with garlic butter, wraps it up in aluminum and bakes it.

Instead of traditional lasagna noodles, he used whole wheat rotini noodles. 

A salad spinner dewaters the pasta well. 

Not all ingredients were on hand. Mom had to buy the sausage. Above Dad is browning it. 

Dad laid a base layer of rotini noodles, then spread a layer of oregano and basil infused ricotta cheese. He recalls that there was an egg mixed in as well. 

The blended pasta sauce with sausage mixed in went over top the ricotta. 

Shredded whole milk mozzarella was next.

Provolone followed.

Then into the convection oven until the cheese was golden brown and delicious.

The convection oven needs a good cleaning. Above the result of a dirty oven was uneven browning.

Finally the garlic bread went in where it was steamed by the water in the butter.

Dad has had the thought, but not yet tried, of clarifying the butter and using only the solids on the bread.

No, its not low carb. But this is, at most, a twice a year dish. So that makes it all the more dee-lish!

A subsequent iteration of the dish appears above. They needed to get the rest of the ingredients used up. Yes that is peperoni on top!