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Lasagne alla Bolognese

8 servings

Ragù alla Bolognese

  • 5.5 ozpancetta, cut into strips, then finely chopped
  • 1.75 ozcarrot, finely chopped
  • 1.75 ozcelery, finely chopped
  • 1.75 ozyellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tbspextra virgin olive oil
  • 10.5 ozcoarsely ground beef
  • 3.5 ozred wine
  • 10.5 oztomato passata
  • hot vegetable broth, as needed, to taste
  • fine salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste

Spinach Egg Pasta

  • 9 ozfresh spinach, washed
  • 3.5 ozsqueezed spinach purée
  • 2 ⅛ cupsremilled durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata)
  • 1 ¼ cups00 flour
  • 2eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3egg yolks
  • semolina, for dusting, to taste
  • salt, for the cooking water, to taste

Béchamel

  • 4 ¼ cupswhole milk
  • 2.5 ozbutter
  • 9 tbsp00 flour
  • fine salt, a pinch, to taste
  • nutmeg, to taste, freshly grated

Assembly and Baking

  • 9.5 ozParmigiano Reggiano, grated
  • butter, for the dish and for dotting, to taste
  1. Ragù alla Bolognese Heat the 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, add the 5.5 oz pancetta and spread it out with the back of a ladle. Let it brown for a few minutes, then add the 1.75 oz carrot, 1.75 oz celery and 1.75 oz yellow onion and cook for 5 min to 6 min, stirring.
  2. Add the 10.5 oz coarsely ground beef, turn up the heat and break it up as it cooks. Let it brown slowly and thoroughly. 10 min to 15 min
  3. Pour in the 3.5 oz red wine and let it bubble until it has evaporated completely. 3 min to 5 min
  4. Stir in the 10.5 oz tomato passata and bring back to a simmer. Once it bubbles again, add a ladle or two of the hot vegetable broth, as needed.
  5. Lower the heat to the gentlest simmer, set the lid ajar and cook for at least 2 h to 4 h, stirring from time to time and adding more broth whenever it looks dry. Season with fine salt and black pepper at the end.
  6. Spinach Egg Pasta Put the 9 oz fresh spinach in a pan with a splash of water, cover and cook until completely wilted. 5 min to 6 min
  7. Drain, let it cool, then squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands. Blend to a smooth purée; you should have about 3.5 oz squeezed spinach purée. 10 min
  8. Heap the 2 ⅛ cups remilled durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata) and 1 ¼ cups 00 flour on a board and make a wide well in the middle. Put the spinach purée, the 2 eggs and the 3 egg yolks into the well.
  9. With a fork, beat the eggs and spinach together in the centre, drawing in flour from the inside wall a little at a time so the liquid never breaks out. When it gets too stiff for the fork, knead by hand. 10 min to 15 min
  10. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and rest it at room temperature for 30 min. Make the béchamel meanwhile. 21 °C
  11. Cut off a piece of dough and keep the rest covered. Flatten it with a little semolina, for dusting, then pass it through the pasta machine, starting at the widest setting. Fold it and roll again a few times, then thin it notch by notch until it is about 0.5 mm (0.02 in), nearly see-through. 30 min to 45 min
  12. Lay the sheets on the board and cut them into large rectangles about 30 cm (11 ¾ in) by 20 cm (7 ¾ in), to fit your dish. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  13. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and season it with salt, for the cooking water. Cook the sheets one at a time for 30 s to 40 s, lift them out with a slotted spoon and lay them side by side, not overlapping, on a cloth-lined tray. Pat dry. 100 °C
  14. Béchamel Warm the 4 ¼ cups whole milk in a saucepan until steaming but not boiling. 5 min
  15. In another pan melt the 2.5 oz butter, tip in the 9 tbsp 00 flour all at once and stir over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes. 2 min to 3 min
  16. Pour in the hot milk in three additions, whisking well after each. Season with fine salt, a pinch and nutmeg and keep whisking over low heat until creamy. 5 min to 8 min
  17. Transfer to a bowl and press plastic wrap onto the surface so no skin forms.
  18. Assembly and Baking Heat the oven to 170 °C (no fan). 15 min
  19. Grease the dish with some of the butter, for the dish and for dotting, then spread a thin layer of béchamel and a thin layer of ragù over the bottom.
  20. Lay in a sheet of pasta, then add a layer of béchamel, a layer of ragù and a good scattering of 9.5 oz Parmigiano Reggiano. Repeat until you have five layers of pasta. 15 min to 20 min
  21. Cover the last sheet completely with ragù, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and dot with small pieces of butter.
  22. Bake for 40 min. 170 °C
  23. Let the lasagne rest for 15 min before cutting so the layers set.
  • Safety: Ground beef should reach 71 °C (160 °F) at the centre. (USDA FSIS)
  • Safety: Egg dishes should reach 71 °C (160 °F) at the centre. (USDA FSIS)