Rustic Lasagne

So I'm back up on the land- which calls for rustic cooking, and a lot of it. Upon my brothers return from military school, his friend, and my other two brothers- we go through a lot of food. Basically any average recipe must be tippled. And, keep in mind no one just eats three meals a day. No matter how much time I spend at home I'm always shocked to see how fast the food goes. I made this lasagna yesterday with ground venison we had in the freezer that David shot off our own land. It doesn't get more fresh then that!

I simply made a quick no cook sauce of a few cans of crushed tomatoes, two jars of pesto my Mom had, a little salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and oregano. I layered the sauce, mozzarella cheese, and the venison that I sauteed with salt, pepper, and green onions. I also put some shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano between the layers. Also, I don't pre-cook my lasagna noodles- I just use plenty of sauce and add a little water to the bottom of the pan before I bake it (just pour it in the side and tilt the pan-it will disperse to cover the bottom). I also cover it for most of the cooking so the moisture steams the pasta. I uncover for the last 10 minutes or so just to brown the top. When you can insert a knife easy into the middle and you see it bubbling up- it's done!

It's always good

Having eggs on hand is always a good idea. I like to take them with me everywhere, just kidding. (Although, I did bring a hard boiled egg with me to school today). They're filling, good for you and very versatile. Last week I felt like there was no food in the house and wasn't feeling inspired to go grocery shopping so I just pulled what I had in the fridge and whipped up a quick frittata. I don't usually make quiche because I don't want to fuss making a crust, but I also like to bake the eggs- so I always put my frittatas in the oven. Here's my frittata that I made last week, but you can put in whatever you like when making your own.

The recipe varies depending on how big you want your frittata. I make mine in a standard 9" pie pan. All you have to know is to use 8 eggs with 1/3 cup of milk for a standard 9" pie tin, then add whatever you like. These are great for lazy Saturday breakfasts or a quick dinner.

Here's what I did when I made mine:
-Rendered the fat of 3 strips of bacon, removed the bacon and in the same pan added half a potato, small dice. Once that was mostly cooked I added onion.
-Removed the potato and onion and added it to the bacon bowl to cool. Added some sliced mushrooms for just a minute and then removed.
-In a separate bowl I whipped my eggs and milk together, seasoned with salt and pepper and a dash of red pepper flakes. Once my vegetables were cool I added them to the eggs and then folded in a large handful of spinach and about 1/2 a cup of shredded cheddar. Then, poured all the filling into a greased 9" pie pan and into the oven for about 20 minutes. Check after 20 minutes and once a toothpick comes out clean in the center it's finished. Allow to cool some and serve! I like to add a little "dollop" of sour cream, diced tomato and fresh cut chives on top.