Gramma Trentinis Christmas Eve Seafood Lasagna

SEAFOOD LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute onion in oil and 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Stir in broth and clam juice; bring to a boil. Add scallops, shrimp, crab and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and scallops are firm and opaque, stirring gently. Drain, reserving cooking liquid; set seafood mixture aside., In a large saucepan, melt the remaining butter; stir in flour until smooth. Combine milk and reserved cooking liquid; gradually add to the saucepan. Add salt and remaining pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. , Remove from the heat; stir in cream and 1/4 cup cheese. Stir 3/4 cup white sauce into the seafood mixture., Preheat oven to 350°. Spread 1/2 cup white sauce in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with three noodles; spread with half of the seafood mixture and 1-1/4 cups sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and cheese. , Bake, uncovered, at for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

CHRISTMAS NIGHT LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven or several large skillets, cook the beef, sausage, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the spaghetti sauce, soup, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, ricotta and remaining salt and pepper. , Spread 2 cups meat sauce each into two greased 13x9-in. baking dishes. Layer each with 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, 4 noodles, 1-1/4 cups cottage cheese mixture and 3 slices of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining noodles, meat sauce and Parmesan., Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

GRAMMA TRENTINI'S CHRISTMAS EVE SEAFOOD LASAGNA

Steps:

• 1. Chop lobster/seafood into bite-size pieces.
• 2. Heat the butter in a large fry pan. Add the seafood and sauté until just barely cooked, just a few minutes and then set the seafood aside into a bowl.
• 3. In the same fry pan, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about one minute. Add the white wine and lemon juice, deglaze the pan and simmer to reduce by half. Remove from heat and return the seafood to the pan and stir to coat.
• 4. Melt the butter in another large fry pan. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about a minute. Add the flour and stir while cooking for a few minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and simmer until it thickens. Remove from the heat and mix in the Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper.
• 5. Mix the ricotta, dill, spinach, egg, Parmigiana Reggiano, mozzarella and a cup of the white sauce. Pour ¼ cup of the white sauce over the bottom of a baking dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles.
• 6. Add a layer of half of the cheese mixture. Add another layer of noodles. (Lay the opposite direction from the first. Criss-cross fashion.
• 7. Add a layer of all of the seafood and pour a cup of the white sauce over that. Add a layer of noodles (again laying the opposite direction.)
• 8. Add a layer of the remaining cheese mixture. Add a final layer of noodles. Pour ½ cup of the white sauce over the noodles and top with the Parmigiana Reggiano and mozzarella.
• 9. Bake in a preheated 350º F oven until bubbling on the sides and golden brown on top, about 45 minutes.

CHRISTMAS EVE LASAGNA

Steps:

• TOMATO SAUCE: In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the sausage meat. Saute for about 5 minutes, chopping up the chunks as small as possible until the meat is no longer pink. Transfer the sausage to a layer of paper towel to drain off the fat and wipe most of the fat out of the pan. Add the onions and continue to stir until the onions are translucent. Add back the sausage and garlic. Stir well. Now add both the cans of tomatoes, the pesto or basil, the sugar and a little salt if needed. Let simmer for about 40 minutes. BALSAMELLA SAUCE: In a small pan, melt the butter over love heat. Do not let it brown. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the flour. Add the milk and cream and whisk it well. Then return the pan to medium heat, whisking constantly. When the sauce is thick and smooth, reduce the heat to low and cook for a couple more minutes. Taste the sauce, it should be very creamy and rich. Stir in the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside to cool, or refrigerate overnight--do not let freeze outside on the deck. RICOTTA FILLING: Whisk all the ingredients together, and again, put in the refrigerator, not the freezing deck. LAYERING: Preheat the oven to 350. Find your nicest, deepest baking pan and spoon a small amount of the tomatoe sauce into the bottom of the pan. Arrange strips of lasagna over the sauce until the bottom of the pan is covered. Use one-third of the ricotta mixture for the next layer, then one-third of the balsamella sauce and one third of the mozzarella. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese and then some of the tomato/sausage sauce. Cover with more lasagna strips and repeat the layers 2 more times, ending with the pasta strips. Cover this top layer with tomato/sausage sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 50 to 70 minutes until everything is bubbly and hot. Let the lasagna rest for about 20 minutes before serving.