A little info on mangoes: For North Americans, probably the closest similar fruit (but NOT close in flavor) is the peach. A ripe mango should have about the same consistency as a ripe peach. And a green mango feels about the same as a green peach. You can ripen green mangoes in a closed brown paper bag in 2-4 days. If you try to cook this dish with green mangoes, you will not get any juice (or flavor), just as if you tried cooking a pie, or some other dish, with green peaches. Use only ripe mangoes to cook this dish. It's true the mace and pecans are not necessary for the main flavor of the dish. They are added for the pleasure of those whose palates enjoy more complex flavors and textures. It is perfectly fine to leave these out if you so wish.

Reviewed On: Jul. 26, 2008

Top notch lasagna recipe. But I agree with other reviewers that ricotta cheese is a better fit here than cottage cheese. Another option is to use Italian sausage instead of the ground beef. Or, make your own "quick Italian sausage" by browning a 1 lb roll of regular sausage with 1 Tbs of cracked/crushed fennel seeds, then substituting it for the beef in this recipe. Mmm, good.

Reviewed On: Oct. 6, 2007

This is really excellent. I have to admit I was a bit surprised at how good this dish actually is, given that the ingredients all seemed to me to be a bit less than inspiring. But put them all together and, wow! I'm also not a big fan of cheddar cheese, but have found that this dish works just as well substituting chopped or grated swiss cheese. Very nice!

Reviewed On: Sep. 23, 2007