KTK's Own Lasagna

The above ingredients make about 25 lbs of lasagna (which freezes beautifully).  It is designed for  four layers in a 26" x 18" x 2.25" (full sheet size) pan. 

Prep: 
In a large saute pan put in a minimal amount of olive  oil and saute the thinly sliced onions until they are  barely colored. Add chopped garlic and saute a few minutes longer.  Add sliced fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced dried tomatoes, and soaked dried mushrooms and the filtered water in which they soaked.  Cook, covered, until mushrooms have  given up their liquid.  Uncover and continue cooking until almost all liquid has been cooked off. Reserve. 

Cook spinach until barely cooked - very underdone and press to fully dry. Canned/marinated artichokes should not require cooking.  Reserve juice from one jar of marinated artichokes. 

Julienne both hams. 

Cook pasta, one pound at a time in truly large pot, until very  al dente. Quench immediately in ample cold water and lay out one sheet at a time on cotton toweling (not paper) to permit surface to dry. 

Make bechamel sauce with 4 cups milk, and 6 Tbsp flour and 1/4 lb butter.  An even nicer bechamel, though not classic, is to use half milk and half plain yogurt. 

Assembly: 

Oil pan with olive oil. Put down one layer of pasta with edges overlapping a little. 

Layer 1. 
Layer 1/2 of the mushroom/onion mix on top. Dot with 2 lbs of ricotta and about 1/5 of the grated cheeses. Spread 1/2 of the bechamel over. Put down another layer of pasta. 

Layer 2: 
Spread 1/2 of the julienned hams, 1 lb of the mozarella, and 1/2 lb of the goat cheese over. Grate 1/2 a nutmeg over.  Sprinkle chipotle powder and white pepper over. Spread 1/2 of the spinach and one half of the artichokes over. Sprinkle 1 cup of ground almonds over. Put down another layer of pasta. 

Put down another layer 1. 
Put down another layer of pasta. 

Put down another layer 2. 
At this point you should have used up all the ingredients except for 1/2 lb butter and 1/5 of the grated cheese. 

Put down another layer of pasta, being more generous with the longitudinal overlaps.  Sprinkle remaining grated cheeses on top. Pour over marinade from one small jar of marinated artichokes. Dot with remaining butter.  Bake in 350 degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours until cheeses begin to melt and top is well browned. Serve with anchovies on the side. 

*EXTRAS:  We like to add capers and basil in with the spinach.  Sprinkle capers on to taste - if they are very salty, wash them first or use the less salty ones that come in white balsamic vinegar.  Fresh basil leaves can be chopped and mixed with the spinach.  In the winter we use basil we have put up in the summer - stuff a food processor full of basil leaves, add enough good olive oil so that it processes down to a paste, store in tightly covered jars in the freezer until ready to use.  We use about a cup of basil paste in each batch of lasagna.