All in the Family

Elena Faita's Lasagne
Serves 8–10

NOODLES 
1–2 lb homemade or store-bought fresh lasagne noodles 
(See next page for Elena's recipe for homemade pasta.)

MEATBALLS 
(For a vegetarian lasagne, replace meatballs with drained, cooked spinach – or another vegetable of your choice – and crumbled ricotta cheese.)
10 oz ground veal
2 eggs 
1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup olive oil
salt

SAUCE
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, germ removed, finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
16 cups puréed tomatoes, or Italian tomatoes diced and puréed in a blender salt and pepper (or finely chopped basil), to taste

OTHER INGREDIENTS 
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
6 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
12 oz firm mozzarella, grated

PREPARATION
1. In a saucepan, fry onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add tomato purée and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer gently. 
2. Combine all the meatball ingredients. Form into balls the size of a small olive. (Elena makes this easier by rubbing her hands with olive oil beforehand.) Add meatballs to the sauce as you make them. Add salt. If you choose to replace the pepper with basil, add it after cooking. If not, add the pepper when you add salt. Let the sauce simmer very gently, covered, for 75 minutes. (Sauce and meatballs may be prepared two days in advance.)
3. Boil fresh noodles according to manufacturer’s instructions. If the noodles are homemade, cook for 20 seconds in boiling, salted water, not more than four at a time. When noodles are cooked, take them out and immerse them in a large bowl of ice water then pat dry on tea towels without letting them touch each other. 

ASSEMBLING THE LASAGNE
1. Generously butter a 10 x 13–inch baking pan. 
2. Pour in a little sauce, without meatballs, to cover the bottom. 
3. Arrange noodles so that they overlap slightly. Spread one-sixth of the remaining sauce over them, distributing meatballs evenly. 
4. Spread one-sixth of the chopped hard-boiled eggs, Parmesan and mozzarella over top. 
5. Repeat until there are six layers of sauce and meatballs, eggs, Parmesan and mozzarella alternating with the noodles. 
6. Finish with the tomato sauce, eggs, Parmesan and mozzarella. 
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling slightly. During cooking, use a fork to pull up the edges of the lasagne so sauce can rise to the surface. Make a few holes in the surface of the lasagne. Test doneness by sticking a knife into the lasagne. The blade should be very hot and the sauce should be bubbling up.