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By Lauren Scott, Arizona Farm Bureau Intern

As a new intern at the Arizona Farm Bureau I wanted to find an interesting and fun way to introduce myself to the readers of this blog. After bouncing some ideas off of my supervisor, Julie, we came to the conclusion that a recipe series would be a good introduction. And who better a person to write an introductory recipe blog about than my grandma? I will be dishing out all the goods on grandma’s secret recipes. You know, those ones that she always said she would take to her grave. To start, I’m going to begin with my great grandmother, Mildred Scott, and her out-of-this-world ‘John Mazetti’ recipe. I’ve found that not many people have heard of this dish, so let me break it down for you: It’s like lasagna, but better! So without further ado, let me take you back in time to 1930’s New York City, where this wonderful recipe was born.

Back when coffee was just 10 cents per cup and the times were simpler, you could find Mildred Scott and her husband Holman running one of Wall Street’s favorite sandwich shops of the time: Scottie’s. Each sandwich was just 35 cents and your second cup of coffee was free. When they weren’t working at their shop, they were running the ‘counter car’ on the local train. The car was so named because it had counters inside, where the Scott’s served breakfast and an ‘afternoon pick-me-up’ to train patrons. Mildred would return home in the evenings to her children, Tony and Marie, and, like many mothers today, find herself worn out from a long day’s work. Not wanting to have to cook a large and time-consuming dinner, the John Mazetti recipe was pulled out. It would take 45 minutes to bake in the oven which was just enough time to set the table and help the kids finish their homework.  Mildred’s recipe ended up being famous the whole family through for its great flavor and simplicity, and it continues to be enjoyed by the family, myself included, to this day. I hope you can now enjoy it too!

Remember, Fill Your Plate has an endless supply of recipes (now including Grandma Scott’s) and many are Italian.

Great Grandma Scott’s John Mazetti

1lb box of Goodman’s fine egg noodles or any fine egg noodles (Must be the very thin kind)

1lb of ground chuck or ground turkey

1 large onion – chopped

1 28oz can of tomato sauce OR tomato puree OR spaghetti sauce

1lb sharp cheddar cheese – shredded

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Oregano, basil and garlic to taste

Cooking directions:

Boil the noodles according to the packaging specifications. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onions in the oil until translucent. Add the meat and let cook until it is no longer pink. Add the sauce of your choosing and the seasonings and let cook on low for 15 minutes. Spray a lasagna pan with non-stick spray and add half the noodles. Spread the noodles evenly over the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the tomato sauce mixture and half of the shredded cheese. Lay one more layer of noodles, sauce and cheese. (Do not exceed two layers!) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Enjoy!