Lasagne Bolognese - Pasta Grammar
4 Hours/
INGREDIENTS
Bolognese Sauce (This recipe seems easier Bolognese Sauce
4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3-4 Garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1/2 cup Carrots, diced
1/2 cup Celery, diced
1/2 cup Onion, diced
1 cup White Wine
1 lb. Ground Beef
11 oz. Ground Pork (pancetta is preferred but optional)
1 28oz Can or 1 3/4 cup Pure Tomato Purèe
1 6oz Can or 1/4 cup Tomato Paste
Salt
Fresh Black Pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for grating
2lbs Dry Lasagne Pasta
Besciamella
7 tbsp (100g) unsalted butter
3/4 Cup Flour
4 1/4 cups (1 liter) whole milk
Nutmeg
Salt
Fresh black pepper
Assembled Lasagne
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for grating.
Salt and Pepper
METHOD
Bolognese Sauce
1. Warm a large saucepan on medium heat.
2. When pan is warm add Olive Oil.
3. When Olive Oil is aromatic, add celery, carrots and onion.
4. Sautèe for about 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and tender.
5. Add the ground pork and brown, stirring and breaking up the meat constantly.
6. When the pork is finely crumbled, add the ground beef and brown in the same manner.
7. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Add 1 cup of white wine and allow to simmer, partially covered, for 10-15 minutes (or until the smell of alcohol is gone).
9. Stir in tomato purèe and paste and bring to a simmer. Be sure that what you use is 100% tomatoes, nothing added.
10. After 5 minutes, salt to taste again.
11. At this point the ragù should resemble a thick chili. While thickness is great when it comes to Bolognese, the sauce needs to simmer for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, so you'll need to add some water to keep the reduction going. We recommend keeping a kettle of water warm on the stove so that you can avoid adding cold water into the sauce. Add a generous splash of warm water to thin the sauce and stir.
12. Partially cover and allow the sauce to gently simmer for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally, and add some more warm water whenever it thickens into a chili-like texture.
13. Towards the end of the cook time, stop adding water so the ragù can thicken up for serving.
Besciamella
1. To make the besciamella sauce, heat the milk in a small saucepan until it is warm, but not hot.
2. Melt the unsalted butter in another small saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add the flour to the butter and whisk until it combines into a putty.
4. Pour in the warmed milk while continuing to whisk.
5. Add a pinch of ground nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Stir almost continually until the besciamella thickens into a gravy-like substance.
Assembly
1. Preheat your oven to 425F.
2. Spread a thin layer of ragù on the bottom of the dish.
3. Cover with a single layer of pasta sheets. Be sure that there are no gaps showing, and feel free to cut smaller pieces of pasta to fill any that might appear.
4. Then add another layer of ragù, a thin layer of spread besciamella sauce, topped with a generous grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
5. Top with another layer of pasta and repeat until you have 4-6 such layers.
6. The final, top layer should end with ragù/besciamella and an extra-heavy grating of Parmigiana.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is slightly browned and beginning to crisp.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Try with Spinach Pasta:
INGREDIENTS
10 1/2oz (about 300g) spinach
5 1/2 cups (750g) all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for dusting
5 eggs
METHOD
1. Bring a pot of water to boil and add the spinach. Cook until very tender.
2. Drain and squeeze all the excess water out.
3. Chop finely and set aside.
4. On a large work surface, pour 5 1/2 cups (650g) of flour into a pile.
5. Hollow out the middle so that it resembles a volcano, and crack the eggs into this depression.
6. Also add the chopped spinach and begin gently whisking all together with a fork.
7. Gradually start mixing in flour from the sides of the flour volcano until the mixture thickens into a goopy substance.
8. Continue to work and knead the dough by hand, dusting with flour as needed. The final consistency should be smooth, uniform, and moist but not too sticky.
9. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
10. After the dough has rested, roll it out on a well-floured surface until it is quite thin—about 1/16th-inch thick. Flip and dust the dough as needed while you work. If you have limited space or difficulty rolling it out in one sheet, feel free to cut the dough ball into more manageable pieces and work in batches.
11. When the pasta has been rolled out, use a paring knife to cut it into rectangular pieces. When using a 10x15-inch casserole dish roughly 4x6-inch pieces work well, but feel free to adapt to the size and shape of the dish you plan on using.
12. Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt liberally.
13. Working in batches of 3-4 sheets at a time, boil the pasta.
14. Remove each sheet after it floats to the top of the water and spread on a tea towel to dry. Be careful not to stack the cooked sheets on top of one another without either a towel or wax paper divider as they will stick together like glue!