Lasagna (Meat)

This recipe comes from a book… (page 143)

Components

  • Bolognese Sauce

  • Béchamel Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2-¹/₂ cups Bolognese sauce

  • 2-¹/₂ cups Béchamel sauce

  • several sheets spinach pasta

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • ²/₃ cup parmesan, grated

  • 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

  • Prepare the meat sauce and béchamel sauce and set aside.

  • If you are making the pasta by hand, roll out a sheet that is not quite paper thin. Cut the dough into rectangular strips about 4-1/2”x11”. Do not allow it to dry any longer than it takes to bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, lay some clean, dry towels flat on the work counter and set a bowl of cold water near you at the range. When the water boils, add the salt, then drop in 4 of the pasta strips. Stir with a wooden spoon. Cook for just 10 seconds after the water returns to a boil, then retrieve the pasta with a large slotted spoon, dip it in the bowl, and rinse it with cold water. Wring each strip very gently by hand and lay it flat on the towel. Cook all the pasta in the same manner, including the trimmings. When it is all laid out on the towel, pat it dry on top with another towel.

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F.

  • Choose a 14-inch bake-and-serve lasagna pan. Smear the bottom with a little bit of meat sauce, skimming it from the top, where there is more fat. Place a single layer of pasta in the pan, overlapping the strips, if necessary, no more than 1/4 inch. (Do not prop up the edges of the pasta along the sides of the pan. It will become dry and tough there.) Spread enough sauce on the pasta to dot it with meat, then spread béchamel over the meat sauce. If it is on the salty side, sprinkle the grated cheese sparsely. If it is rather bland, sprinkle the cheese freely. Add another layer of pasta and coat it as before. (Do not make more than 6 think layers of pasta at the maximum, since lasagna shouldn’t be too thick, and do not build up the layers any higher than 1/2 inch from the top of the pan.) Use the trimmings to plug up any gaps in the layers. Coat the top layer with béchamel, sprinkle with cheese, and dot lightly with butter.

  • Bake on the uppermost rack of the over for 10 to 15 minutes, until a light, golden crust forms on top. Do not bake for more than 15 minutes. If after 10 minutes’ baking you see that no crust is beginning to form, raise the oven temperature for the next 5 minutes.

  • Allow lasagna to settle 5 to 8 minutes before serving. Serve directly from the pan.

↓ This is a component-based recipe. ↓

Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons yellow onion (chopped)

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons butter

  • 2 tablespoons celery (chopped)

  • 2 tablespoons carrots (chopped)

  • ³/₄ pounds lean ground beef

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup dry white wine

  • ¹/₂ cup milk

  • ¹/₈ teaspoon nutmeg

  • 2 cups Italian tomatoes (roughly chopped, with their juice)

Directions

  • An earthenware pot should be your first choice for making ragù. If you don’t have one available, use a heavy, enameled cast-iron casserole, the deepest one you have (to keep the ragù from reducing too quickly). Put in the chopped onion, with all the oil and butter, and sauté briefly over medium heat until just translucent. Add the celery and carrot and cook gently for 2 minutes.

  • Add the ground beef, crumbling it in the pot with a fork. Add salt, stir, and cook only until the meat has lost its raw, red color. Add the wine, turn the heat up to medium high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the wine has evaporated.

  • Turn the heat down to medium, add the milk and the nutmeg, and cook until the milk has evaporated. Stir frequently.

  • When the milk has evaporated, add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly. When the tomatoes have started to bubble, turn the heat down until the sauce cooks at the laziest simmer, just an occasional bubble. Cook, uncovered, for a minimum of 3-1/2 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and correct for salt.

Béchamel Sauce

Ingredients

  • 3 cups milk

  • 6 tablespoons butter

  • 4-¹/₂ tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • ¹/₄ teaspoon salt

Directions

  • In a small pan, heat the milk until it comes to the very edge of a boil.

  • While you are heating the milk, melt the butter over low heat in a heavy enameled iron saucepan of 6 cups capacity.

  • Turn off the heat and add the hot milk 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring it constantly into the flour-and-butter mixture. As soon as the first 2 tablespoons have been incorporated into the mixture, add another 2 tablespoons, always stirring with your trusty spoon. When you have added 1/2 cup of milk to the mixture, you can start adding 1/4 cup at a time, until you have added it all. (Never add more than 1/4 cup at one time)

  • When all the milk has been incorporated, turn on the heat to low, add the salt, and stir-cook until the sauce is as dense as thick cream. If you need it thicker, cook and stir a little while longer. If you need it thinner, cook a little less.