This is a riff off my mother’s lasagne, and of course, everyone’s mother makes the best lasagne, right? This one is supremely meaty, supremely cheesy. There’s something like 3 pounds of meat and 2 pounds of cheese in this bad boy. But it makes 8-10 servings, so don’t worry about it. This lasagne, like most, reheats well, too.

And of course you can use regular ground beef and pork for this if you don’t have access to venison or wild boar. It’ll be just as good.

Serves 8-10

• 1 pound ground wild boar or pork
• 2 pounds ground venison or beef
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 head of garlic, chopped
• 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce
• 1 can of tomato paste
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel pollen (optional)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 container of ricotta cheese
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup grated pecorino cheese
• 1/2 nutmeg
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves
• 12 lasagna noodles
• Salt and pepper

1. Make the Sauce. Brown the meat in a large Dutch oven. Take your time and do this in batches. It could take as long as 20 minutes.
2. Put all the browned meat back in the pot and then add the chopped onions and cook for another 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Add seasonings – fennel seeds and pollen if using, oregano, basil — and mix well.
4. Mix the wine and tomato paste and pour in the pot. Bring to a boil over hig heat, stirring often. Add the tomato sauce and can of crushed tomatoes and mix again. Bring to a simmer and cook slowly for 1-2 hours. This can be done as much as two days ahead of time.
5. Prepare the lasagne. Soak the lasagne noodles in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Meanwhile, mix the parsley with the ricotta cheese in a bowl. Grate the pecorino and shred the mozzerella.
7. Grate 1/2 a nutmeg into the ricotta. If you can’t find whole nutmegs, use 1 teaspoon.
8. To assemble, spread a good amount of the meat on the bottom of a standard 9-inch by 13-inch casserole pan. Remove the lasagna noodles and lay on the meat sauce. Spread half the ricotta cheese mixture on the noodles, then half the mozzerella cheese, then 1/2 the percorino.
9. Add another layer of meat sauce — you will have one final layer after this — then the rest of the noodles. Add the remaining ricotta and mozzerella, plus 1/2 of the remaining pecorino.
10. Spread the remaining meat sauce on this, then sprinkle with the last bit of pecorino.
11. To cook, cover the lasagne with foil. You might want to spray the underside first with non-stick spray so the cheese doesn’t stick to it. Bake covered for 25 minutes.
12. Carefully take off the foil and bake for another 25 minutes.
13. Let the lasagne rest for 10-15 minutes before serving with a strong red wine.

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