Recipes From an Italian Mother
Submitted by meghildreth on January 20, 2003 at 5:18 pm

DESCRIPTION
Recipes From an Italian Mother

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Family / Ethnic / Regional

INSTRUCTIONS
Clotilde Pirro was born in Italy and came to America when she was a girl. She married an American named Earle Hunt and she was our good friend Walter's mother. I asked her one day how to make lasagna and she was kind enough to tell me. I believe this is the first time these recipes have been written down.

I guessed on the amounts of olive oil and the seasonings because she told to use "some" of those things or "about so much". The reason I specified brand names is because she did. "Use only Hunt's tomato sauce and paste," she told me. "It is the best, and use only Prince lasagna noodles. Be sure and use only Dragone Ricotta." So, I am passing that on to you. If they aren't available in your part of the country, use a local brand. The important thing is to use the best quality ingredients you can find. She also told me "Make him lasagna and he will never leave you."

Clotilde died in 1991 and these recipes are her legacy to me. This is my tribute and memorial to her.

2 medium onions
4 cloves garlic (or as much as you like)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 15 oz. cans Hunt's tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1/2 tsp. each basil, marjoram, tarragon, thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
1 6 oz. can Hunt's tomato paste
1 lb Italian sausage (hot or sweet NOT garlic or fennel) or ground beef (optional)
3 T. olive oil

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a medium saucepan. Chop the onions and garlic finely. Add the onions and garlic to the hot oil and cook on medium high heat until golden brown (10 or 14 minutes). Stir frequently so they don't stick. Add the two cans of tomato sauce and the vermouth. Add the herbs. When the mixture starts to bubble, turn the heat to low and simmer it for at least an hour. Stir occasionally. At the end of an hour, brown the sausage or ground beef. Drain well and add to the sauce. Add the tomato paste. Fill the can with water to get all of the paste and add that to the sauce. Add the three tablespoons of olive oil. Stir well and continue to simmer until it thickens a bit - about an hour. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings.

1 recipe Italian sauce
32 oz. container Dragone Ricotta cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup FRESH finely chopped parsley
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/2 cup each freshly shredded Romano and Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb box Prince Curly Lasagna noodles
1 1/2 lb thinly sliced mozzarella cheese

While you are simmering the sauce in the last hour, you can proceed with the lasagna. Pre-heat your oven at 375 F. Mix together in a bowl, the Ricotta, eggs, parsley, celery salt, Parmesan and Romano cheeses, and the black pepper. Mix it well. Taste it. Adjust the seasonings.

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package instructions. The reason you mixed the cheeses first is so that the flavors will mingle. After the noodles cook, be sure you run cold water over them. This stops them from continuing to cook and makes them easy to handle.

Spray a lasagna pan with Pam or other cooking spray. The pan should be at least 9"x13"x2". Put down a layer of noodles (the pan should hold three strips). Put down a layer of the cheese, then a layer of the sauce. It is easier to do if you put down the cheese and the sauce, then spread it out. Put down a layer of the mozzarella. Continue layering. End with a layer of noodles. Pour over the rest of the sauce. If you have any mozzarella left, put that on. If you don't, sprinkle on an additional half cup each of Parmesan and Romano.

Cook for 30 minutes or until the top is all nice and brown and bubbly. Let it rest for 10 minutes or so before you serve it. If you don't let it rest, you will end up with a gooey mess!

You can use the Italian sauce for just pasta. You can cook it down until it is thicker and put in more oregano for pizza. Also, you can make it ahead of time. It freezes very nicely. I made it one year using tomatoes from my garden in place of the canned tomato sauce, and it was glorious. Of course, starting with fresh tomatoes took longer!