Recipe of The Week: Michael Symon's 4-Meat Lasagna

Last week while I was waiting on the Sears guy to show up, some TV show called The Chew came on while I was cleaning house.  I had never seen it before but since it has Clinton Kelley from TLC's What Not to Wear I decided to stay tuned.  I have always wanted to go on What Not To Wear!  Sure, it might be a bit embarassing but I could put the $5,000 Visa card to good use and I'm sure I could pick up a few new tips :-)

Anyhow, I'm glad I stayed tuned.  One of the other co-hosts is Michael Symon...he happens to be one of Food Network's Iron Chefs.  He was making a lasagna that his mom makes every Christmas.  Of course, it looked super easy...but that's how all made-on-tv-screen foods are!  Because the ingredient list had a particularly intriguing ingredient, I decided we would try his Mom's lasagna.



His "secret" ingredient is neckbones.  Yes, neckbones.  You could not pay me enough to eat a neckbone...or a hamhock...or anything of the sorts.  But I do know they lend great flavor to dishes and Justin is Southern enough that he'll eat the h-e-double hockey sticks out of neckbones!  The only reason I considered the recipe is because you REMOVE the neckbones once the sauce is finished simmering :-)



If your house likes lasagna, you have to try this!  As it uses 4 different meats, be prepared for an increase in your grocery bill.  And make sure you have plenty of time set aside to be in your kitchen--the meat simmers for 2 hours and then you bake everything for another hour!  But hey, it's worth it.  Justin is a self-proclaimed food critic and declared this lasagna as earning a 10-out-of-10! 

Image Courtesy of The Chew

Michael Symon's Mom's Lasagna

½ cup olive oil

1 onion

4 garlic cloves (minced)

Kosher salt

1 pound pork neck bones

1 pound veal

1 pound beef

1 pound spicy Italian sausage (loose or removed from the casing)

½ cup dry white wine

4 cups chopped peeled tomatoes or 1 - 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes with their juice (we used the canned tomatoes)

3 bay leaves

1 pound dried lasagna noodles (Michael advised against using non-boil noodles)

2 pounds whole-milk ricotta cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves

¼ cup fresh oregano leaves

2 large eggs

1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese (grated)

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1.  In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a three-finger pinch of salt and sweat them until they are translucent about 2 minutes. Add the neck bones and brown them, about 5 minutes.

2.  Add the ground veal, beef and sausage, season with another healthy pinch of salt, and continue cooking until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Add the white wine, tomatoes and their juice and the bay leaves, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, making sure to get all of the browned bits into the sauce.

3.  Season the sauce with salt and simmer for 2 hours over medium heat (you may want to lower the heat if the sauce is dissipating too quickly). Remove the bay leaves and neck bones and let cool--make SURE you thoroughly check the meat for the itty-bitty pieces of bone that will fall off the large neckbones. Skim any fat that rises to the surface.

4.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add enough salt so tha it tastes seasoned and allow the water to return to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente. Drain well and set aside.

5.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl mix together the ricotta, parsley, basil, oregano and eggs with a pinch of salt. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

6.  In a lasagna pan-9 x 13 inches is optimal – ladle about 1 cup of sauce on the bottom. Arrange a layer of noodles on this followed by a layer of sauce and then some ricotta mixture, smoothing it with a spatula to the edges. Repeat the process until the pan is full. Finish with a final layer of noodles, sauce, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

7.  Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool before cutting and serving.