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Our lasagna

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Our Lasagne

⚠️Official recipe deposited on 17 October 1982 by the Bolognese delegation of the Italian Academy of Cuisine at the Bologna Chamber of Commerce

PREPARATION: 60 min
COOKING: 5 hours 30 min
TOTAL TIME: 6 hours 30 min
SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS

For the ragù:

  • 300g of coarsely ground beef
  • 150g of pork pancetta
  • 300g of tomato purée (or 35g of triple-concentrated tomato paste)
  • 50g of chopped onion
  • 50g of chopped carrot
  • 50g of chopped celery
  • 100g of good quality red wine
  • Meat broth as needed
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Butter to taste
  • Milk and extra virgin olive oil to taste

For the béchamel sauce:

  • 100g of butter
  • 1L of whole milk
  • 100g of ’00’ flour
  • Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

For the green pasta sheets:

  • 500g of fresh pasta flour
  • 350g of fresh spinach, boiled, squeezed and passed through a sieve or blender
  • 3 eggs
  • Salt to taste
  • Extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION

To prepare the green lasagne we start with the preparation of the ragù, which requires a long cooking time. Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery with a knife.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the chopped vegetables. Leave to brown over a low heat for at least 15 minutes, then add the chopped fresh pancetta and after a few minutes the ground beef.

Brown over a high heat, stirring continuously and breaking up the meat with a spoon. Deglaze with the wine and let it evaporate. When you can no longer smell the alcohol, add a small glass of milk and let it absorb over a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

At this point, add the tomato purée or paste, stirring with a spoon to mix well. Bring to the boil, cover without sealing with the lid and cook over a very low heat for at least 3 or 4 hours.

In the meantime, prepare the pasta sheet: on a pastry board, knead the eggs with the boiled spinach, squeezed and passed through a sieve or blender, the flour, a tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt. Leave the mixture to rest for about 30 minutes, covering it with a damp cloth.

After half an hour, roll out the dough with a rolling pin, not too thin, and cut it into rectangles of a size suitable for the baking dish you intend to use.

Boil the sheets in salted boiling water to which you will add two tablespoons of oil.

Drain the pasta, run it under cold water, then lay the sheets out on a clean tea towel and let them dry.

Prepare the béchamel sauce: in a small saucepan, melt the butter over a moderate heat; add the flour, whisking until the mixture becomes golden. Then pour in the hot milk a little at a time, continuing to stir so that it is fully absorbed, without lumps. Lower the heat and cook, stirring, until it reaches the desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

We are ready to assemble the lasagne: butter a baking dish thoroughly and start layering the ingredients, alternating a layer of pasta sheets, a layer of béchamel, a layer of ragù and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan, until the ingredients are used up. The last layer should consist of béchamel, ragù and plenty of Parmesan, which during cooking will form a tasty crust.

Bake the lasagne at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes, covered with a sheet of aluminium foil, which will be removed in the last 10 minutes of cooking, during which you can also turn on the grill if necessary.

Once ready, let it rest in the dish for at least 5 minutes, then portion it out and enjoy!