Quick CardLasagne 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
- 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.
- 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
- Pour in the 3.5 oz red wine and let it bubble until it has evaporated completely. 3 min to 5 min
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and rest it at room temperature for 30 min. Make the béchamel meanwhile. 21 °C
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- Béchamel Warm the 4 ¼ cups whole milk in a saucepan until steaming but not boiling. 5 min
- 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
- 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
- Transfer to a bowl and press plastic wrap onto the surface so no skin forms.
- Assembly and Baking Heat the oven to 170 °C (no fan). 15 min
- 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.
- 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
- Cover the last sheet completely with ragù, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and dot with small pieces of butter.
- Bake for 40 min. 170 °C
- 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)