CHRISTINE'S BOLOGNESE LASAGNA
This lasagna is the perfect balance of creamy bechamel, cheese and rich meat sauce. You’ll need a pasta machine to make the pasta. It’s a fairly lengthy recipe but you will love the end result. As a shortcut , you can use pre-made fresh lasagna sheets and /or my all natural tomota sauce over the meat If you want to just pour the sauce over pasta, add some cream to the meat sauce after adding the wine.
INGREDIENTS
Pasta:
1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour (425 ml)
Pinch salt
3 eggs
Bolognese Sauce:
3 tbsp. olive oil (45 ml)
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (675 grams)
1 small Italian spicy sausage, casing removed
1 Tbsp. butter (15 ml)
2 small onions, finely diced
2 small carrots, finely diced
Several sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried oregano ( 5 ml)
One 28-ounce can plum tomatoes with juice, chopped (784 grams)
1/4 cup dry white wine ( 50 ml)
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Béchamel sauce:
1/3 cup butter (75 ml)
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. flour (75 ml + 15 ml)
4 cups milk (1 l)
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (50 ml)
Oil, for baking dish
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (75 ml)
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Pasta
In food processor with plastic dough attachment, combine flour and salt . Pulse to blend. Add eggs, one at a time until incorporated. Pulse until mixture is crumbly but starts to come together. Remove dough from mixer and knead several time until smooth . Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
Meat Sauce
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium. Add the beef and Italian sausage and cook for 20 - 25 minutes stirring often until browned and all water has evaporated. Add the butter , onion and the carrots and sauté for 5 - 6 minutes just to soften.
Add the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, oregano, tomatoes , white wine and salt and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 55 to 60 minutes or until sauce is thickened and flavour has developed to your liking. Adjust seasoning.Sauce should be loose.
Béchamel Sauce
In a medium saucepan on medium heat, melt butter. Add the flour and stir with wooden spoon until a paste forms. Remove from heat and add the cold milk a little at a time while stirring well between each addition. Return to heat once all the milk is added and mixture is smooth.
Continue stirring over medium heat until sauce comes to a boil and thickens, about 5 minutes. Add a pinch of nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the Parmigiano cheese and stir.
Assembly
Preheat oven to 350°. Oil the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2 inch baking dish.
Cut dough into 12 pieces. Roll dough into thick sheets on the pasta machine, starting at the thickest setting, reducing pasta setting one mark each time you roll the dough through.
Cook pasta in boiling salted water for about 4 minutes or until just al dente. Drain and lay on baking sheets and drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Reserve a quarter of the béchamel sauce for the top layer. Layer lasagna as desired starting with pasta and alternating bolognese sauce, grated cheese and béchamel. Season well between each layer. Finish with a layer pasta, the reserved béchamel sauce and extra cheese on the top layer to finish (you should have 6 layers of lasagna). Bake lasagna in middle of oven for about 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. Serves: 6 to 8 servings.
