I am humbled, honored, nearly speechless and totally thrilled to be amongst the six writers whose work has been nominated by Metazen for the 2013 Pushcart Prize. http://www.metazen.ca/?p=14739 My heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Metazen editors ~Frank Hinton, Christopher Allen, Len Kuntz, Caitlin Laura Galway, Diana Cole, Jamie Smith and Belinda Bilonda Kalala for this huge honor! Congratulations to the other Metazen Pushcart nominees Charlotte Seley, Karen Stefano, L.S. Johnson, Oliver Daltrey and Daniel Shurley.
Hey there boys and girls! This is The Lunch Laddy, Michael Gillan Maxwell comin’ at ya with a new installment of The Lunch Lady Cookbook. Today we tackle the hearty, time honored fave, lasagna, with a Lunch Lady twist.
There’s nothing like this lasagna that gives school kids the kind of energy they need to tear through the afternoon and make life living Hell for the teachers. It’s brimming with oodles of complex carbohydrates and protein. One of Lunch Laddy’s friends is eating it right now to get ready for the New York City Marathon.
The switchboard is already lighting up with callers asking the question: Why is it named ‘Pull No Punches Lasagna’? It’s because this dish pulls no punches. This dish gots it all baby; Italian hot sausage, hot peppers, hot spices and a comprehensive tour of the “Cheeses of Italia.” While this dish is not for the faint of heart or the lactose intolerant, if you recently passed your EKG and stress test before indulging in our Achin’ For Bacon Mac & Cheese, you should be good to go. If you’re training for the lead role in the life story of the boxer Two Ton Tony Golento or the remake of Martin Scorcese’s Raging Bull, then this is the dish for you!
This makes one hellava mess in la cucina, and the Lunch Laddy’s kitchen looked like the aftermath of a drone strike, so it’s best to block off a couple hours just for the cleanup.
Mess
and More Mess
But don’t let that scare you off, because it’s worth it. So let’s get started right away. The Lunch Lady Cookbook is proud to present Lunch Lady Cookbook Pull No Punches Lasagna.
What you need:
Lasagna noodles (1 package)
4 Italian hot sausages
Red pepper
Sweet onion
Portabella mushrooms
Tomato sauce
Pasta sauce
Ricotta cheese (8 oz)
Mozzarella and provolone cheese (2 Cups)
Four Cheese Shred asiago, Fontina, Parmesan, Provolone (5 oz package)
Garlic Powder
Sweet basil flakes
Red pepper flakes
Smoked paprika
How we do it peeples!
Slice, dice, bend, spindle and mutilate hot sausage, sweet onion, red pepper and mushrooms
Brown hot sausage over low heat, then add onions, red pepper and mushrooms, stirring frequently
Boil pasta for approximately 10 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. It should be el dente
Cover the bottom of baking dish with tomato sauce
Add layer of lasagna pasta
Spread layer of ricotta cheese
Add layer of other cheeses
Cover with pasta sauce
Repeat
Top with final layer of pasta, cheeses and sauce
Garnish with spices
Cover and bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes
Turn off oven and let stand, covered, in warm oven for at least 60 minutes
Now THAT’S Yummy for the Tummy Y’all!
Dessert:
Why not top it off with a bowl of your favorite leftovers from Halloween? There’s nothing quite like a handful of miniature candy bars to keep you buzzing for hours.
Wanna Stay Up All Night? Eat Some Of These!
Beverage pairing:
Valpolicella Amarone
An insouciant wine that doesn’t bite back. It floods the palate with imaginary explosions of velvety flavors and undercurrents and aftertastes of the Venice canals at low tide.
Music pairing:
The Be Good Tanyas station on Pandora. You’ll hear good stuff from them, Bon Iver, Natalie Merchant, Gillian Welch and others.
Until next time ~ the is the Lunch Lady Cookbook signing off with mangia, mangia, tutti frutti and arrividerci!
Your Own Back Yard - Michael Gillan Maxwell 