Lasagna alla Bolognese
I acquired a free lasagna pan through a deal at the grocery store last year and I've been dying to use it! My hubby doesn't like ricotta cheese, which deters me from making traditional (or Sicilian) lasagna. Fortunately I discovered the deliciousness that is Lasagne alla Bolognese. Bolognese sauce, or ragu alla bolognese, refers to a meat-based sauce with a small amount of tomato base that is slowly cooked over a long period of time. It originated in Bologna, Itay, and often contains a variety of meats (the recipe I used has pork, chorizo and ground beef). This type of lasagna is made up of the ragu sauce as well as a bechamel sauce, layered with the lasagna noodles and topped with parmesan, mozzarella and fontina cheeses.
This dish was very time-intensive, both for the cooking aspect and the grocery shopping at multiple stores, but it was probably the best lasagna I've ever had! My advice: allow yourself all day (or all weekend) for cooking... and wear an apron.
Buon appetito!
Lasagna Bolognese (from The Food Network Kitchen)
INGREDIENTS:
For the Ragu:
1 cup dried porcini mushrooms
10 ounces white button mushrooms
2 carrots, cut into 4 pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 4 pieces
2 cloves garlic
1 cup fresh parsley
1 6-ounce piece prosciutto, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 cups dry white wine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt
5 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup cognac or brandy
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
For the Bechamel:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cups whole milk
For the Lasagna:
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds fresh lasagna sheets*
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 pound parmesan, grated (2-3 cups)
1 pound fresh mozzarella or fontina, grated (4-5 cups)
*Note: I was unable to find lasagna sheets (fresh pasta that has not been dried) anywhere in Santa Fe, so I used the "no boil" lasagna noodles from Whole Foods and they worked perfectly. If you're more ambitious than me you could try making your own!
DIRECTIONS:
Make the ragu: Soak the porcini mushrooms in 2 cups hot water until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain the porcini, reserving the liquid.
Finely chop the porcini and white mushrooms in a food processor; transfer to a bowl. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, parsley and prosciutto to the processor; pulse until finely chopped.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Cook the ground beef and pork in batches, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, until browned, 6-8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl. Add the wine to the pot, scraping up the browned bits. Add the liquid to the bowl with the meat.
Melt the butter in the pot; add the onion, chopped carrot mixture, the rosemary, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mushrooms and cook, stirring, about 8 minutes.
Return the meat mixture to the pot. Add the cognac or brandy and scrape up the browned bits. Cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Crush the tomatoes with your hands over the pot and add with their juices. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 hours 30 minutes. Cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the bechamel: Melt the butter in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, whisking, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking, 10 more minutes.
Assemble the lasagna: Preheat the over to 400 degrees F. Bring a few inches of salted water to a boil in a wide saucepan. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Line a baking sheet with a damp kitchen towel. Working in batches, boil the pasta until partially cooked, about 4 minutes, then remove with a skimmer and transfer to the ice water to cool. Remove the pasta sheets, shake off the excess water and arrange in a single layer on the towel. Cover the pasta with another damp towel.
Brush the bottom and sides of a deep 11-by-13 inch baking dish with the butter. Spread 1/2 cup ragu in the pan. Cover with a layer of pasta, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup parmesan and 2/3 cup mozzarella. Spread 1 1/2 cups ragu over the cheese and top with 1 cup bechamel. Repeat with 3 more layers of each pasta, parmesan, mozzarella, ragu and bechamel. Top with a layer of pasta, then cover with the remaining bechamel. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella. Tuck the edges of the pasta into the baking dish with a knife.
Place the lasagna on a baking sheet to catch any drips; bake until bubbly and golden, about 40 minutes. Let rest 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Vegetarian friends: I also made this amazing baked vegetable penne pasta! Here's the recipe: Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
This dish was very time-intensive, both for the cooking aspect and the grocery shopping at multiple stores, but it was probably the best lasagna I've ever had! My advice: allow yourself all day (or all weekend) for cooking... and wear an apron.
Buon appetito!
Lasagna Bolognese (from The Food Network Kitchen)
INGREDIENTS:
For the Ragu:
1 cup dried porcini mushrooms
10 ounces white button mushrooms
2 carrots, cut into 4 pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 4 pieces
2 cloves garlic
1 cup fresh parsley
1 6-ounce piece prosciutto, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 cups dry white wine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt
5 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup cognac or brandy
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
For the Bechamel:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cups whole milk
For the Lasagna:
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds fresh lasagna sheets*
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 pound parmesan, grated (2-3 cups)
1 pound fresh mozzarella or fontina, grated (4-5 cups)
*Note: I was unable to find lasagna sheets (fresh pasta that has not been dried) anywhere in Santa Fe, so I used the "no boil" lasagna noodles from Whole Foods and they worked perfectly. If you're more ambitious than me you could try making your own!
DIRECTIONS:
Make the ragu: Soak the porcini mushrooms in 2 cups hot water until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain the porcini, reserving the liquid.
Finely chop the porcini and white mushrooms in a food processor; transfer to a bowl. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, parsley and prosciutto to the processor; pulse until finely chopped.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Cook the ground beef and pork in batches, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, until browned, 6-8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl. Add the wine to the pot, scraping up the browned bits. Add the liquid to the bowl with the meat.
Melt the butter in the pot; add the onion, chopped carrot mixture, the rosemary, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mushrooms and cook, stirring, about 8 minutes.
Return the meat mixture to the pot. Add the cognac or brandy and scrape up the browned bits. Cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Crush the tomatoes with your hands over the pot and add with their juices. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 hours 30 minutes. Cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the bechamel: Melt the butter in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, whisking, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking, 10 more minutes.
Assemble the lasagna: Preheat the over to 400 degrees F. Bring a few inches of salted water to a boil in a wide saucepan. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Line a baking sheet with a damp kitchen towel. Working in batches, boil the pasta until partially cooked, about 4 minutes, then remove with a skimmer and transfer to the ice water to cool. Remove the pasta sheets, shake off the excess water and arrange in a single layer on the towel. Cover the pasta with another damp towel.
Brush the bottom and sides of a deep 11-by-13 inch baking dish with the butter. Spread 1/2 cup ragu in the pan. Cover with a layer of pasta, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup parmesan and 2/3 cup mozzarella. Spread 1 1/2 cups ragu over the cheese and top with 1 cup bechamel. Repeat with 3 more layers of each pasta, parmesan, mozzarella, ragu and bechamel. Top with a layer of pasta, then cover with the remaining bechamel. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella. Tuck the edges of the pasta into the baking dish with a knife.
Place the lasagna on a baking sheet to catch any drips; bake until bubbly and golden, about 40 minutes. Let rest 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
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| Starting the Ragu. My food processor has never been this full. |
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| Cooking the Ragu. |
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| Making the bechamel sauce. |
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| Putting together all the layers. |
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| Layering the lasagna noodles. |
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| Ready to go in the oven! |
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| Yum!! (I was too eager to cut it before I took a picture. Oops.) |
Vegetarian friends: I also made this amazing baked vegetable penne pasta! Here's the recipe: Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
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