Lasagne Bolognese

This lasagne is layered with a rich meaty ragu, bechemel sauce, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and lasagne noodles. All these wonderful flavours meld together for a wonderful tantalizing taste experience!! The word bolognese means a meat based sauce that originates from Bologna, Italy. It is often served with a long noodles (pappardelle). This dish is rich so serve with some steamed vegetables and a salad to balance it out. My family gave it a ten out of ten rating.



Ingredients:


5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 Tablespoons butter

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 celery stick, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 slices of bacon or 1/4 pound pancetta, chopped

1 pound or 1/2 kg ground veal

1 pound or 1/2 kg ground pork

1/4 Cup tomato paste

1 Cup milk

1 Cup dry white wine

Salt and pepper to taste


White Sauce(Bechemel)

5 Tablespoons butter

1/4 Cup all-purpose flour

3 Cups milk

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg


For assembly:

Approximately 15 no-boil lasagne noodles

9 Tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

13x9 inch baking dish


Directions:

Ragu: Heat oil and butter in a heavy pot, over medium heat until butter is melted. Add carrot, onion, celery, garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper. Cool until vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes. do not brown vegetables.

Stir in pork, veal, and bacon or pancetta. Stir mixture, breaking up the meat lumps. Cook mixture until the meat starts to brown.

Stir in tomato paste, milk, and white wine. Simmer mixture, uncovered, over low heat until almost all the liquid has evaporated, but that the ragu is still moist. This takes about an hour.


Bechemel(Besciamella in Italian)

In a saucepan over medium heat melt butter. Whisk in flour and stir until smooth. Keep whisking until the mixture is a pale golden brown about 3-5 minutes. In the microwave heat the milk until just about a boil. When mixture is a pale golden brown, add milk, one cup at a time, whisking constantly until very smooth. Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking and watching carefully for about 30 seconds. Add nutmeg and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Set aside. Butter a piece or waxed paper and place on sauce buttered side down.


Assemble the lasagne:


Preheat the oven to 375.

Soak the noodles in very warm water until pliable but not soft. Arrange in single layers on towels.

Spread 1 cup of ragu sauce in the bottom of the 9x13 baking pan.

Sprinkle with 1 1/2 Tablespoon of the cheese.

Cover with 3 noodles, leaving space between noodles.

Spread 1/2 Cup of the white sauce over the pasta, this will be a thin layer.

Layer the ingredients that remain in the same order 4 more times (ragu,cheese, pasta, then white sauce).

The final layer will have 1 cup of white sauce and 3 tablespoons of cheese.

Butter a piece of tin foil and place buttered side down over-top of lasagne.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil, and bake until lasagne is pale golden and sauces are bubbling, about 15-20 minutes more. Allow to stand on the countertop for 10 minutes before serving.

Print Recipe:Lasagne Bolognese

Add olive and butter to a heavy pot, melt butter. Add onion, carrot, celery, salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are soft.

Add chopped bacon.

Add veal and pork, stir to combine.

Cook until meat browns.

Stir in tomato paste.

Stir in milk and wine.

Simmer for about 1 hour until most of the liquid from the sauce has evaporated.

Make white sauce while the meat sauce is simmering. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Whisk in flour, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes.

Very important to keep whisking and watching the sauce.

Mixture will turn a pale golden brown.

Whisk in hot milk, one cup at a time.

Bring mixture to a boil for about 30 seconds. Stir in salt and nutmeg.

Remove pot from heat. Butter a piece of wax paper and place butter side down on top of the sauce, allow to cool down.

Add 1 cup of meat sauce to baking dish,

Spread meat sauce over bottom of pan.

Sprinkle 11/2 Tablespoons of cheese over meat.

Place three noodles over meat mixture, leave space between noodles.

Spread 1/2 Cup white sauce over the noodles.

Continue this sequence of meat,cheese,noodles and sauce four more times. Last layer will have about 1 cup of white sauce and 3 tablespoons of cheese.

Butter tin foil and cover the lasagne. Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes

After 30 minutes of baking remove tin foil and continue baking for another 15-25 minutes.

Bake until nice and golden brown and sauces bubbling.

Allow lasagne to stand for ten minutes before serving.

Slice and serve!