Lasagne Cacate

By LeeBoruchow

"Crazy" lasagne, or "lasagne crap": Despite the weird wordplay, this is a classic dish served around Christmas, mainly in the province of Ragusa Modica.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/2 cup
• 2 medium onions, chopped in large dice
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
• Pinch peperoncino
• 1/2 pound sausage, out of casing
• 3/4 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes (tomatoes only + juice from one can)
• 1/2 cup Nero D'Avola
• Salt
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound dried lasagne noodles
• Cacciacavallo cheese, to taste
• 1/4 fennel fronds

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and peperoncino and stir to combine. Add the sausage and beef and cook until light brown. Add tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add canned tomatoes and red wine. Bring the sauce to boil. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer for about 30 minutes before removing the pan from the heat. Salt, to taste.

In a bowl, combine the ricotta with 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, chopped parsley and black pepper. Mixture should be loose like a broken sauce. Set aside.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Season with 2 tablespoons salt. Cook the lasagne noodles according to the directions on the package, boiling them until they are tender but still al dente. Drain. Toss the cooked noodles in the meat ragu with the cacciacavallo cheese. Add ricotta mixture and fennel fronds.