Traditional lasagne
4 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| ⅔ | Recipe Egg Pasta or use 2 eggs and 1 1/3 cups flour | |
| OR 1/2 Lb dry lasagne noodles | ||
| BOLOGNESE SAUCE | ||
| 1 | Onion | |
| ½ | Carrot | |
| ½ | Rib celery | |
| 1 | Clove garlic | |
| 2 | tablespoons | Butter |
| ½ | pounds | Lean pork, ground |
| ⅓ | cup | Dry white wine |
| ⅓ | cup | Heavy cream |
| ⅛ | teaspoon | Nutmeg, grated |
| 6 | Fresh Italian plum tomatoes (or 1 cup canned) | |
| Salt | ||
| Pepper | ||
| BECHAMEL SAUCE | ||
| 3 | tablespoons | Butter |
| ¼ | cup | Flour |
| 2 | cups | Milk |
| Salt | ||
| Pepper | ||
| ¾ | cup | Parmesan cheese, grated |
Directions
PREPARATION: Make the Egg Pasta dough. Roll as thin as possible and cut into 2-inch wide stripe or approximately 4-inch squares. Grate the Parmesan cheese. For The Bolognese Sauce, dice the onion, carrot, and celery. Mince the garlic. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat; add the pork and cook until it just loses its pink color, about 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery; cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Add wine, stirring with wooden spoon to deglaze pan; simmer until reduced by ½, about 15 minutes.
Add heavy cream and nutmeg; simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes and their juice, breaking up with a wooden spoon.
Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours.
Season with salt and pepper. For The Bechamel Sauce, melt butter on low heat in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute.
Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat; season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender, about 3 minutes for fresh pasta. Drain and refresh under cold water. Pour a thin layer of Bolognese Sauce into bottom of baking dish. Arrange a layer of pasta on top. Pour ⅓ of the Bolognese and then ⅓ of the Bechamel over pasta. Sprinkle ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat for 2 more layers, ending with the Parmesan cheese. NOTE: Lasagne can be made to this point a day ahead (OR can be frozen). COOKING AND SERVING: Heat oven to 400F. Loosely cover lasagne with foil and bake until warmed through, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and put lasagne under broiler until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Let lasagne sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 4 servings.
[COOKS March-April 1988]