CALABRIAN STUFFED LASAGNA

Serves 4

3/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1 lb lasagna noodles, slightly under cooked
1/2 lb. ground pork
1 egg
1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese
1 tbsp. parsley chopped
salt and pepper

4 pork cutlets, 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup olive oil, or as needed to fry pork meatballs and slices
1 cup onions, chopped fine
1/2 cup celery, chopped fine
1/2 cup carrots, chopped fine
1 1/4 cups fresh shelled peas or 1 box frozen

Soak the mushrooms in hot water for about half an hour.

Mix 1 egg, 1/4 cup (1 oz) pecorino, parsley and the ground pork with salt and pepper, as you like, in a bowl, then make into small walnut-sized balls and fry them in very hot oil. Dice the mozzarella. Fry the pork slices in the very hot oil. Dice fine the onion, celery and carrot. Heat 2 more tablespoons oil and brown the chopped vegetables and chopped mushrooms, in the same pan used for frying the pork, then add the peas and cook covered with a little water until the peas are tender.

Cook the lasagne noodles in plenty of boiling salted water. Remove from the pan and cool in a large bowl of cool water, then leave to drain. Oil an ovenproof dish and put in a layer of lasagne noodles, and cover with the mozzarella and meatballs. Make another layer with fried pork slices topped with half the sauce and sprinkle with some grated pecorino. Make a final layer of pasta, cover with the remaining sauce and grated pecorino and bake in a 350 F. oven for about 40 minutes. Serve very hot.