This month we are featuring a recipe for Botto’s Famous Lasagna, hand made for many years as part of the menu at Botto’s Catering.
Botto’s Catering is part of Botto’s Italian Line Restaurant and Botto’s Italian Market located at 1411 Kings Highway in Swedesboro.
The Botto family has changed and grown with this area. From a simple meat store in the early 1960’s, they have expanded their business to include a grocery store, a restaurant, a catering business, and even food trucks.
Still staying in the meat industry, they perfected and marketed Botto’s Italian Sausage along with a variety of other meats under the Botto’s label, and they can be found on store shelves throughout the South Jersey area.
Botto’s Italian Market, according to their website, is their “own Little Italy”. In the Italian tradition, Botto’s celebrates the holidays by holding an annual provolone cheese cutting ceremony. According to owner Robert Botto, the cutting of the log of cheese marks the gathering of families for the holidays. Traditionally these cheese slices are eaten during family gatherings.
The store offers regular grocery staples, but also Italian specialties like cheeses, pastas, and Botto’s own sauces and meats.
You can also stop in and pick up a hot meal with their assortment of ready-to-cook entrees. One of their most popular is Mrs. Botto’s Famous Meat Lasagna. This taste of Italy launched the Botto’s catering business.
Executive Chef Enrico Botto would like to share their mother’s recipe with you for your dining delight.
Mrs. Botto’s Famous Meat Lasagna
Lasagna noodles
Botto’s spaghetti sauce
Botto’s Italian sweet sausage, cooked and crumbled
Riccotta cheese
Mozzarella cheese, shredded and sliced
Grated Romano cheese
Salt, pepper, garlic, basil, parsley
Boil the lasagna noodles in salted water. When done cool down. In baking pan at least 3 inches deep, put a layer of sauce in the pan and make layer of noodles, covering the bottom of the pan.
Blend the riccotta cheese with garlic salt, black pepper, Romano cheese, shredded mozzarella, basil, and parsley.
Place a thin layer of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles, then a layer of the ground sausage, and then sauce. The Botto’s suggest doing three layers of noodles, cheese, and sausage. Finish the lasagna off with a top layer of noodles followed by sauce and the sliced mozzarella.
Bake at 325 for 30 minutes uncovered and let it sit for half hour before cutting into squares. This will keep it into neat squares.
Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
The Botto Family
If this sounds delicious (and it does), but you don’t have time to cook, don’t worry. Mrs. Botto’s homemade lasagna is available daily in Botto’s Market with meat or plain cheese.
Botto’s Italian Line Restaurant and Botto’s Market are located at 1411 Kings Highway in Swedesboro.
Here is a bonus recipe from Botto’s Italian Line Restaurant published in our November 2014 Issue
Botto’s Holiday Stuffing
Classic Stuffing mixed with Botto’s Sweet, Hot or Country Style Sausage
1 stalk of celery finely diced
1 large onion finely diced
1 lb. of sausage
1\4 lb. of unsalted butter
2 cups of diced stale bread
1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning
1 can chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large skillet melt butter on low heat and add celery and onions. Remove sausage from casing and break by hand and add to skillet. Sauté everything together making sure sausage is fully cooked and broken into small pieces. Add chicken stock and simmer. After everything is fully cooked, add diced stale bread and seasonings and fold together.
Let cool and fill your turkey. If not for filling, butter a 2-inch baking pan and fill with stuffing and bake in oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Enjoy!!!
