A Balm for Grief in the form of Lasagna

I know it's been a while, here's a warm baked hug to thank you for your patience.

I hope this finds you alright. Me? — tired, honey.

Between the ongoing devastation in Palestine, Congo, Haiti…family stuff, and the swamp like humidity recently hovering over Central North Carolina; I’m feeling spent. I’m dreaming however of the relief that must come after extended periods of high stress. I’ve taken this relief into my own hands with bowls of warm miso butter beans, cold sweet watermelon, pineapple shaved ice thoughtfully doused in honey suckle infused gin, Medium rare cheese burgers from Alley Twenty-Six, and the occasional pull of something viridis. Seeking all the cozy, yummy, comfort I can grasp, my mom’s lasagna came to mind.

Since I was a little girl pasta was of comfort to me, thanks to my beautiful, culinarily blessed mama. She was a master of starch, and when me and my brother smelled her lasagna the bank head bounce, chicken-head, or Harlem shake might ensue.

As we aged and moved apart, every homecoming brought us back to her glass casserole dish, bubbling over with red sauce, ground beef, caramelized onion, ricotta and béchamel. layered and topped with mozzarella and provolone.

My Mom’s Lasagna

Remembering the comfort this brought me inspired me to share a lasagna with you. This is not my Mama’s lasagna. It is the culmination of my creativity, a celebration of a few heritage ingredients, and the “noodles” are an ode to home.

I hope you get a chance to make and enjoy this beautiful Lasagna, share it, tweak it, and love it. If you don’t eat meat but you’re into the whole lasagna idea, just add your red onion and eggplant into a shallow bath of olive oil, cook it over medium-low heat until the bits are browned and the onions translucent. You could use a little butter or ghee to help brown and add flavor. In the comments share any other veggies you might sub in like zucchini or pattypan squash. Full recipe below.