Lasagne

Introduction

This is not the quick midweek lasagne. This is the restaurant version: homemade pasta sheets, a ragu that gets the time it deserves, and a proper cheese sauce instead of a shortcut. It takes a lot of time, but this is one of those dishes where the payoff is obvious in every layer.

I like cooking this on a Sunday when dinner is allowed to be the project. Protein first, then sauce, then pasta, and finally the careful layering that makes the whole kitchen go quiet when the dish hits the table.

Step-by-step

Ingredients (serves 8)

Ragu

• 1 kg beef mince (2.2 lb)
• 400 g salsiccia sausage meat (14 oz)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
• 3 carrots, finely chopped
• 4 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 70 g tomato paste (2.5 oz)
• 250 ml white wine (1 cup)
• 700 g passata (25 oz)
• 250 ml beef stock (1 cup)
• 0.5 tsp fennel seeds
• 0.5 tsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Fresh pasta

• 400 g tipo 00 flour (14 oz)
• 4 eggs

Cheese sauce

• 75 g butter (5 tbsp)
• 75 g flour (2.6 oz)
• 1.2 l whole milk (5 cups)
• 150 g Gran Padano, finely grated (5 oz)
• 0.25 whole nutmeg, finely grated
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper

For assembly

• 300 g grated mozzarella (10.5 oz)
• 50 g Gran Padano, finely grated (1.8 oz)

Method

1. Make the ragu: Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Brown the beef in batches until it really crackles and takes on dark color. Cook the salsiccia meat lightly in the same pan, breaking it up as it cooks. Set the meat aside.
2. Build the base: Cook the onion, carrot, and celery in the pot until softened without taking on much color, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, fennel seeds, chili flakes, and oregano, and cook for another couple of minutes.
3. Simmer the ragu: Return the meat to the pot. Pour in the white wine and reduce almost completely. Add the passata and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, and simmer uncovered for at least 2 hours, preferably 3. Stir now and then. The sauce should end up thick, dark, and concentrated.
4. Make the pasta dough: Put the flour in a bowl or on the counter, make a well in the middle, and crack in the eggs. Bring it together with your fingers, then knead for 8 to 10 minutes until you have a firm, smooth dough. Wrap and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
5. Make the cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook the roux for 2 minutes without browning it. Whisk in the milk gradually until smooth. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, then stir in the Gran Padano, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
6. Roll the pasta: Divide the dough into smaller pieces and roll it out, by hand or with a pasta machine, into thin sheets that fit your baking dish. Dust lightly with flour and keep the sheets ready.
7. Assemble the lasagne: Lightly grease a large baking dish. Start with a thin layer of ragu, then pasta, then ragu, then cheese sauce. Repeat until most of everything is used up, aiming for 6 to 7 layers. Finish with ragu and cheese sauce on top.
8. Top and bake: Scatter over the mozzarella and the remaining Gran Padano. Bake at 200 °C (390 °F) for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling.
9. Let it rest: Wait 20 minutes before cutting. It is the most annoying part of the recipe, but it is also what gives you proper slices instead of collapse.

Serving notes

• If the ragu seems loose, reduce it further before assembling. A wet sauce gives you floppy lasagne.
• Regular plain flour also works for the pasta if that is what you have. Tipo 00 just gives a slightly more tender sheet.
• A simple tomato and mozzarella salad on the side is enough. This dish does not need competition.