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Hello world, and happy almost-Halloween to everybody! It is one of my favorite times of year- so much potential for mischief and mayhem, and a great time of year for horror movies. Nothing I love more than curling up the couch to watch some spooky anime or binge watch something on Netflex. And you know what? Nothing says Halloween like slaughtering your enemies and baking them into a tasty, wholesome lasagna.
Right?
Heheh. I’ve been watching a lot of Hannibal lately, so when I was brainstorming spooky things to make for Halloween, my brain made the logical jump, and this lasagna seemed like the perfect dish to make. For one thing, I’ve never made a lasagna before, so I wanted to try it out. For another, I LOVE lasagna with a burning passion, but always thought it would be too troublesome to make. Lastly, I love the idea of making a yummy dish for a Halloween party and then pranking your friends by slipping a fake tooth into their pieces of lasagna.
Fango is pretty hardcore in 91 Days, to be honest. I realize you have to look out for your family and all that, and power moves are nothing new, but it takes guts to not only kill your foe but eat him as well…although we never actually see him eat any of the lasagna. Now, obviously, in your own lasagna you won’t want to use human meat because 1) where would you even get any? 2) I’ve heard humans taste gross 3) Most importanly, DO NOT EAT HUMANS, YOU FILTHY CANNIBALS. I’ve heard there are a host of dietary problems that come with consuming human flesh. Also, cannibalism is generally frowned upon in society. However, this recipe is compatible with any kind of meat you’d like to use. I chose a combination of beef and sausage, but any groud meat would work well.
This show is somewhat convoluted- people trying to level up left and right, people dying off like flies, and to make things even weirder, this anime takes place in America, which just seems weird to me. But, I love gangster/ mafia shows, and this one is no exception! The show is just as twisted as this human lasagna, which makes it a great thing for me to watch on the weekends when I have limitless free time at my disposal. Just a warning- I do not advise eating lasagna while watching the infamous lasagna eating scene in episode six. Trust me- you want to avoid this combination.
The Ingredients
Recipe adapted from this recipe for lasagna.
-1 tbsp butter
-1 lb Italian Sausage, sweet or mild
-3/4 lb ground beef
-1/2 minced onion
-2 smashes garlic cloves
-1 28 oz can crushed tomatos
-1 12 oz can tomato paste
-2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
-1/2 cup water
-2 tbps sugar
-1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
-1 tsp fennel seeds
-1 tsp italian seasoning
-1 tsp onion powder
-1 tbsp salt
-1/2 tsp black pepper
-12 lasagna noodles
-1 egg
-15 oz ricotta cheese
-1/2 tsp salt
-3/4 lb low moisture mozzarella cheese, sliced thinly
-3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Making the Lasagna!
In a large dutch oven or biiiig pot, melt a pat of butter, and then brown sausage and beef. While that is browning, mince half of onion.
Then, add the onion in. Smash garlic and add on top. If you want a more prevelant garlic flavor, chop finely, grate finely, or press garlic and add in. Stir everything together.
When meat is completely browned and onions have softened, add in tomato sauce, tomato paste, crushed tomatos, water, sugar, salt, pepper, fennel seeds, dried basil, onion powder, and italian seasoning. Stir everything together, put the lid on top, and allow to simmer on low for one and a half hours, stirring occasionally.
While that’s cooking, prepare cheeses. Slice mozzarella thinly and grate Parmesan cheese. Stir ricotta and egg together, with a dash of dried basil and 1/2 tsp salt.
When sauce is completed and tastes yummy (taste-test it! Don’t burn your mouth, though, it’s veeeery hot), boil lasagna noodles according to package instructions. When they’re ready, drain and rinse with cold water.
Start assembling the lasagna! In the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan, place about 1 1/2 cup sauce.
Layer 6 noodles over that (I only got 5, because I was being stingy, but you can definitely get 6 there. In hindsight, I would have used the 6th noodle on each layer).
Then, spoon half of ricotta mixture over that and spread evenly.
Layer with 1/3 of mozzarella slices, and 1/3 of grated Parmesan.
Then, start over with the sauce, noodles, and more cheese.
When everything is layered up, get ready to bake! Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover with aluminium foil, and bake for 25 minuntes.
When ready, take the foil off and bake for 25 more minutes.
Take out of the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before cutting into it and serving.
And now, it’s done!
This is a great dish for a Halloween party- it’s filling, really tasty, and relatively easy to make if you don’t mind the time you have to put into it. Futhermore, it’s an impressive dish- it looks beautiful and smells amazing while it’s cooking in your oven! As to the revenge aspect of the lasagna- you could certainly substitute out the meats in this for something a little less…savory. If you so desired. I, however, highly recommend the beef and pork combination- it tastes delightful. For a creepy twist, you can see if you can find some creepy fake teeth to plant in the portions you give to your friends. Just don’t bake them it! Non-real teeth might melt in the oven and befoul your meal
I hope you enjoyed this post! Check in next week for another spoooooooky recipe. To check out more anime food recipes, visit my blog for more anime and manga themed food. If you have any questions or comments, leave them below! I recently got a twitter, so you can follow me at @yumpenguinsnack if you would like, and DEFINITELY feel free to send me food requests! My tumblr is yumpenguinsnacks.tumblr.com. Enjoy the food, and if you decide to recreate this dish, show me pics! 😀
In case you missed it, check out our last dish: Beef Stew from “Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood”. What other famous anime dishes would you like to see Emily make on COOKING WITH ANIME?
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