Mootha's Lasagne

Everyone has a favourite recipe from their childhood, and mine was lasagne. Of course I never made the lasagne myself....that was Mom's job and she excelled at it. It was delicious.

How delicious was it, Ian?

It was so delicious that if there was one piece left over, my brother Doug would lick it in order to keep me from getting it. The lasagne was spectacular, but not enough for me to eat a slice with my brother's slobber on it. I had my limits, and Doug knew them.

Did you ever lick a slice, Ian, in order to keep your brother from getting it?

No comment (tongue tied).

Today I'm going to make a lasagne using Mom's recipe. When I say Mom's recipe, I mean the one she used. She probably nicked it off a pasta box or from a recipe book. Who cares about its origin? It's Me Mootha's and that's that!

Here's the recipe in case you feel so inclined....

Lasagne

1 lb. extra lean hamburger
1 clove of minced garlic
1 TBS basil
1.5 TSP salt
1 lb. can (2 cups) tomatoes
2 6-oz. cans (1.33 cups) tomato paste
10 oz. lasagne noodles
3 cups creamy cottage cheese (I hate cottage cheese but it's works for this recipe)
0.5 cup of grated Parmesan
2 TBS parsley flakes
2 beaten eggs
1 TSP salt
0.5 TSP pepper
1 lb. mozzarella cheese (sliced thin or grated)

Brown meat slowly, spoon off excess fat. Add next five ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook noodles in large amount of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and rinse.

Combine remaining ingredients except cheese. Place half noodles in 13 x 9 x 2 inch dish. Spread half cottage cheese filling, add half mozzarella cheese and half meat sauce. repeat layers.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting in squares. Makes 12 servings. Keep leftovers away from Doug.