Now that's a hungry crowd. I'll have to admit that I've made only a few of the recipes in the Leone cookbook. But the ones that I've made, I've made repeatedly. The trick is incorporating the beets with the other ingredients while the beets are still warm. I've also made Leone's lasagne several times and once for a church crowd of 150.
Chopped raisins are what give the lasagne's meat sauce a subtle sweetness.
Well worth the effort in my estimation. Yet Mother Leone's tomato sauce is anything but basic. The recipe calls for veal knuckles and beef bones. In contrast, the following tomato sauce recipe is simple yet sensationally authentic. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until onions become translucent, about 10 minutes.