North End Lasagna

For the sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until almost translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Do not allow garlic to burn.

Add the beef and pork to the pan and cook until browned. Drain fat. Add the tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Add the hot water, stir well, and let the mixture come to a soft boil.

Add the seasonings, stir until they are completely blended, and let the sauce simmer while you prepare the lasagna. Or, if you wish, the sauce may be made as much as a day or two in advance and refrigerated.

For the lasagna:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, garlic, ¾ cup of the grated Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well.

In a 9×13 inch baking dish, pour 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce into the bottom of the baking dish. Place some of the lasagna noodles over the sauce in a single layer. Top with 1 cup tomato sauce. Spread one third of the ricotta mixture in small clumps cross the noodles reaching the edges of the pan. Sprinkle 1/3 of the remaining Parmesan and 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese on the top. Repeat layering the noodles, sauce, ricotta and cheese until ingredients are gone. Make sure that you finish with the tomato sauce and top it with a bit more grated mozzarella cheese.

Put it in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes before cutting into it.