A New Lasagna Recipe and a Book Review

This lasagna is made with a creamy tomato sauce and more eggs than the lasagna I normally make.  This version has it's roots in Abruzzo located in Southern Italy.

I was inspired to make this lasagna after reading Stone Mothers for my Lit Happens book club.....

Lit Happens is not a blogging book club but some of us that belong are bloggers and have gotten into the habit of reading every book with our food goggles on.  In this group, led by my friend Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, members take turns suggesting books they would like to read.  

I chose this novel after reading a review on Foodies Read written by Tina of Novel Meals.  It is the story of a small town that relied on the local insane asylum as the main source of income for the few hundred families that lived there.  The only reason the families were there was due to their employment and when the asylum was closed by a local politician there was a lot of anger and hurt feelings.

It is a story of dishonesty, distrust, anger, jealousy, and unrequited love.  It is the story of secrets and mental illness both real and imagined.  It is the story of 3 women and how the insane asylum (called stone mothers) and the town affected each of them.

I expected to like this much more than I did.  It started off okay but then made a downhill turn.  I found it hard to like any of the characters and thought that the author didn't develop them very well.  It wasn't a terrible book but I am always disappointed when I think that I am going to love a book and I don't.

At one point in the book, one of the main characters, Marianne, was making lasagna for her mother and her sister, who was her mom's main caregiver.  As it bubbled in the oven, Marianne felt the need to run to the store for some wine.  I paired my Lasagna with some wines from Abruzzo.  It was a perfect pairing and you can hear more about it when I meet with the other members of Italian FWT for twitter chat on 10/5 at 11 AM ET by following #ItalianFWT.

#lasagna, #pasta, #Italian, #casseroles,

Entrees, Casseroles, Pasta, Beef

Italian

Yield: 12 servings

Author: Wendy Klik

Abruzzese Style Lasagna

This lasagna is made with a creamy tomato sauce and more eggs than the lasagna I normally make. This version has it's roots in Abruzzo located in Southern Italy.

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

Ingredients

Filling

• 3 T. butter
• 1 lg. sweet onion, minced
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 12 oz. baby spinach
• freshly grated nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

• 7 T. butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 t. sugar
• 3/4 c. light cream
• 8 eggs
• 9 no bake lasagna sheets
• 1 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
• 1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

Instructions

Filling

1. Melt 3 Tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over med high heat. Add the onion and beef. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Cook until the onion is softened and the beef is browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Transfer the meat and onions to a large bowl and set aside.
2. Add the spinach to the same skillet and cook until wilted. Transfer to a colander to drain and then squeeze in paper towels to dry. Roughly chop the spinach and add to the hamburger mixture. Set aside.

Sauce

1. In the same skillet, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, add the sugar and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. While the tomatoes are cooking, puree the eggs and cream in a blender until completely incorporated. Add about a quarter of the tomato mixture to the egg mixture. Pour the egg mixture from the blender into the skillet and mix to combine. Add the sauce to the bowl holding the meat mixture and combine.
3. Place a small amount of sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan that has been treated with cooking spray. Lay 3 lasagna sheets across the bottom and then cover with 1/3 of the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan and lay Mozzarella slices on top. Repeat this twice more until all the noodles, sauce and cheese are used.
4. Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 45-60 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe found at Saveur.com

Nutrition Facts

Calories

841.14

Fat (grams)

52.07

Sat. Fat (grams)

25.42

Carbs (grams)

33.74

Fiber (grams)

4.06

Net carbs

29.67

Sugar (grams)

12.18

Protein (grams)

60.11

Sodium (milligrams)

1779.18

Cholesterol (grams)

338.98

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