CHRISTMAS SEAFOOD LASAGNA

Christmas Seafood Lasagna image

Number Of Ingredients 25

3 tablespoons Olive oil
1 Onion, large, chopped
4 Garlic cloves, minced
5 cups Plum tomatoes, canned in tomato purre
1/2 cup White wine, dry
1/2 cups Basil, fresh, chopped
2 teaspoons Fennel seeds
1 dash Salt and pepper
1 cup Cream, whipping
2 tablespoons Pernod
1 pound Shrimp, medium, shelled and deveined, poached briefly
1 pound Sea scallops, poached briefly
36 Mussels, steamed and shelled
24 Littleneck clams, steamed and shelled
1-1/4 pound Lasagna, preferably fresh tomato noodles, or no-bake regular
3 cups Ricotta
8 ounces Cream cheese
2 Eggs
10 ounces Spinach, frozen, steamed and chopped
1 pound Crabmeat, cooked lump, shredded
1 Sweet red pepper, diced
1 bunch Scallions, sliced
1/2 cup Sweet basil
1.5 pounds Mozzarella
1 pinches Salt and pepper

Steps:

Prepare seafood sauce. Heat oil in a large skiller over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and puree and cook for 5 more minutes. Stir in the wine, basil, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper (to taste). Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 45 minutes, stirring occaionally.
Stir the cream into the sauce and then the pernod. Stir in all the shellfish and simer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the lasagna (if necessary). Also ok to use the no-pre-cook lasagna.
To make filling, with a wooden spoon, beat the ricotta, cream cheese, and eggs in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in the spinach, crabmeat, red pepper, scallions, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Butter a large rectangular baking pan. Spread a thin layer of the sauce without any shellfish on the bottom of the pan. Cover with a layer of noodles. Top with half the filling, then half the seafood sauce. Cover the sauce with a layer of mozzarella.
Place another layer of noodles over the mozzarella and spread with the remaining filling. Top with another layer of mozzarella. Add a final layer of noodles and then the remaining seafood sauce. Cover with the remaining cheese.