With Chanuka . drawing to a close I thought it was time to post my lasagna recipe. Last I checked there was no mitzva to eat lasagna on Chanuka though it is customary to eat dairy products to recall the story of Judith, the daughter of Jochanan the High Priest and that is quite a story to recall.

Apparently Judish was a very good looking girl and one of the wicked Syrian Greek generals cast his eyes on her. He summoned her to his quarters intending no good but she showed him.

Judith turned up with her own wine and cheese party. First she fed the general the cheese making himvery thirsty.Then she broke out the wine and he drank until he passed out. After that she plunged a knife into his neck severing his head. This freaked out the other Syrian Greeks so badly that they ran away which helped the Macabees win the war!

Gory eh? But don’t shed a tear for that headless general. He wanted to rape Judith. That was what the Syrian Greeks did to Jewish women, Judith was empowered by her faith in the G-d of Israel to fight back!.

Attagirl Judith!

But back to lasagna, From my jumbled recipe file I dug out an ancient scrap of notepaper with the recipe that my old neighbor Susan Karp, a professional caterer and top notch cook shared with me two decades ago.

I love this recipe. You don’t precook the noodles. You don’t precook the sauce. You just layer everything and it all bakes together until a tinfoil blanket. Easy and delicious.

So here it is.

1 large can of crushed tomatoes (800 gm or 19 oz)

1 large can of tomato paste (not sauce) also 19 oz.

Combine and add 1/2 t garlic powder

2 t oregano

1 t basil

1/2 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

Can thin the sauce with a little bit of water. Don’t cook this, just mix ingredients in a separate bowl.

Combine 16 oz or 750 grams of cottage cheese, ricotta cheese or white cheese (or any combination of the three -three Israeli cottage cheese packages are okay) with one egg.

Layer

Sauce, noodles, cottage cheese, two big handfuls of grated cheese (I use low fat mozzarella) REPEAT Last layer is noodles, and sauce.

Bake in a 9 by 12 inch pan covered well with tin foil for one hour at medium heat (350F or 180C)

For the last ten minutes of baking uncover, add two handfuls of grated cheese to the top so the cheese can melt and look pretty.

Serve.

This freezes well.

You can reduce the calories by substituting low fat cheeses.

Serve with a big green salad and a vegetable soup. Great supper!