Originally, this wasn’t supposed to be a Crostini but I was stuck as a last resort due to my zucchini lasagna dish totally not turning out due to lack of patience and a hungry family. Here’s what happened. I thought to myself, self! Why not make lasagna but scrap the lasagna noodles and substitute thinly shaved zucchini on the mandolin. What a great idea, my family said, a much healthier alternative to an Italian classic, so started on my journey of recipe experimentation. I started with fresh tomato sauce that I made from scratch, and this is what messed up the entire dish (sauce was somewhat runny). I didn’t let the sauce simmer for a couple hours, and if I would have the sauce would have reduced and concentrated itself into a thicker more flavorful sauce – patience is key – but we were hungry! All in all, I think it was a good attempt and next time I know what to do differently!

Specialty Equipment:
Mandolin (but you can use your very steady hand and sharp knife to make a consistent thin slice).

Ingredients:
4 Medium/Large Zucchini
1 loaf French bread
1 Egg
1 Container of Ricotta Cheese
2 Heads of Garlic, Cloves Peeled, Minced
3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
3 Sprigs Fresh Oregano
2 Medium/Large White Onions, Small Chop
1lb Ground Turkey
1/2 Pound Spicy Italian Sausage (raw, not cooked)
3 Celery Stalks, rough chop
3 Carrots, Peeled, rough chop
2 Cups White Wine (Pinot Grigio is what I used)
4+ Tablespoons Olive Oil
6 Small/Medium Mushrooms, Sliced Thins
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
Sea Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Large Cans of Tomato Sauce
2 Small (14oz?) Cans of Stewed Tomatoes (no salt added)
1lb Mozzarella Cheese

Method:
1. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in pot of dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 6+ minutes. Add the garlic of 1/2 head into the onion mixture and continue to cook for another 3 minutes while moving the mixture so nothing burns.

2. Add 1 cup of white wine and allow to reduce in half, about 4 minutes. This concentrates the grape flavor of the wine.

3. Add the turkey and sausage and cook until the meat is cooked, about 10 minutes. Break up the meat pieces into small chunks. Once cooked, set aside everything in the pot.

4. Add another 3 table spoons of olive oil. Now add the other chopped onion, and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Now add the minced garlic of 1 head (make sure you have about half of the other head left over) and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the other cup or 2 cups (why not??) of white wine and add all the vegetables and spices. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Now add the tomato products to the pot along with the meat and allow to simmer for 2 hours on LOW heat. Start counting after the heat has been turned down and the sauce starts simmering. If you want to make the crostini, simmer for about 1 hour. The sauce will still be a little running. Trust me, the crostini's taste great!

6. Now add the ricotta to a mixing bowl along with 1 egg, add the remaining 1/2 garlic head to a mortar and crush all the garlic into a paste. Add that paste to the ricotta and fold. Add salt and pepper, very important! Fold. Fold Fold

7. Now in a casserole dish cover the bottom with sauce, much like you would with lasagna. Add a zucchini layer, followed by a ricotta layer. Repeat, sauce, zucchini, ricotta, repeat... Ending with a sauce.

8. Add to a 350 degree oven and cook for 40 minutes. At the 30 minute mark, add mozzarella on top.

9. Now, if your "lasagna" turned out not runny, great! If it didn't... It's crostini time!  And the fun part.  Take spoon and mix all the ingredients together.

10. Slice the bread at an angle and toast the bread until crispy (your toaster is perfect).  Add a layer of the sauce on top, and serve!  It's super flavorful.  Enjoy.