Fried Green Tomato Lasagna (lasagne verdi fritti di pomodoro)

I know that  a few months ago I said I would update this more often. I thought I would but then forgot, I know, lame excuse! I am going to do better, I promise. Every time one of my friends sent me a message asking about it, I would sit down and go through recipes to decide what to post. Then I would start but get distracted. I guess I suffer from internet ADD.

I hope everybody likes this recipe. A friend sent this recipe years ago. What’s not to love about this dish? Make the Fried Green Tomatoes with your own recipe or use the easy one included.

Sauce

4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Ricotta Mixture

1 cup ricotta
1 egg
Pinch fresh herbs
salt and pepper

Fried Green Tomatoes

5 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 large tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

• In a large saucepan, combine the first seven ingredients.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; set aside.

• Make ricotta mixture, set aside.

• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Dip green tomato slices in flour; brown in skillet on both sides. Remove to paper towels to drain.

• Spoon 3/4 cup tomato mixture into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2 in. baking dish.

• Top with 1/3 of the fried green tomatoes and 1/3 of the ricotta mixture;; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and sauce. Repeat layers twice.

• Top with remaining tomato mixture and mozzarella cheese.

• Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

• Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Please feel free to share recipes with me and I will post them here. But as I have said before, share a story too! The best part of the recipe is usually the story. For example, everybody thinks that their grandma’s cookie recipe is the best, but most of them are all the same. I remember my grandma’s peanut butter fudge. Her recipe was not super secret but as a kid I loved making it with her because of her reaction to the soft ball test*. She was a huge Chicago Cubs fan and loved Harry Carey. When the sugar mixture test was good she would loudly proclaim Holy Cow trying to do her best Harry Carey impersonation. Send in your recipes and stories.

*What is the “soft ball test”?
It is a test to see if the fudge has been cooked to the proper stage. Before you start cooking, fill a small dish with ice water and set aside. After you have brought the recipe to a full boil for 4 minutes, dribble a few drops of the mixture into the ice water from a wooden spoon. After it cools in the water (about 10 seconds), you should be able to roll it into small ball with your finger tips. If you put it in your mouth, it will be slightly chewy. If it passes these tests, you are done and should remove the mixture from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Otherwise, cook for another 30 seconds and try the test again. Most of the time, cooking time will not exceed 5 minutes.