Lasagna of Paradise!

Well, Geo may disagree, as she is the only one who has tried my lasagna, but I like themes. I have had a craving for lasagna for a while. But not just any lasagna, the lasagna Luigi served at The Mocha on Commercial Drive when I was a kid. Luigi was from Calabria and he had said that the Calabrese in his region used sliced hard boiled eggs. I see online that some people mix the eggs in with their ricotta, but did it Luigi's way. I was also lacking a pan, but then Geo gave me a Corning wear dish exactly like the one that went missing on me a few years ago. I had also bought ricotta that was more like the mascarpone I bought in texture than the slightly courser variety I am used to.

1. I sauteed onions and fennel seed in olive oil, unto the onions became translucent. I added garlic, oregano and black pepper before adding the ground beef. As that browned I added shredded basil and spinach.

2. Once the beef was finishing up, I cooked the noodles until they were very al dente. Basically, I the were too long and I needed to fold or cut the noodles to make them fit.

3. I laid down the first layer of noodles and then a layer of ricotta, a layer of beef and a layer of sauce - which was just from a can of crushed tomatoes. (I was a bit lazy that day) I laid more noodles over top and then a layer of mascarpone, beef, sauce, six sliced hardboiled eggs and topped it with mozzarella. I added the last layer of noodles, beef, sauce and mozzarella with dabs of ricotta on top.

4. I cooked at 325 until it was boiling through the top, removed the lid and set the oven to broil in order to brown the cheese.

Personally, I think it turned out well.