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Lasagna Bolognese



We have had a wonderful year and I hope you have too.  We are celebrating the new year with our good friend tonight.  We hope you are with your close friends and family, whatever it is that makes you happy and content.

Daryl made lasagna bolognese yesterday so it would be ready to slide into the the oven today.  Making the meal the day before allows us to enjoy tonight a bit more. It also allows us to make a Cesar salad, homemade bread and margaritas without having to worry about the main course also.  I'm excited to eat and drink just typing all of that!

The bolognese recipe came from Mario Batali and I found it in an bon apetit magazine. We have made it for years.  We made it for Christmas a few years back and sadly our guests weren't as impressed as we had hoped.  The were expecting the classic Italian recipe with red sauce. If that is what you are looking for,  this isn't it.  If you're not familiar with bolognese,  it is a meat based sauce, where marinara in the classic lasagna is tomato based,  is not.

Active Time: 2 hours Start to Finish: 3 hours
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

Ragu:

 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 carrot, finely, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 rib celery, finely diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 pound veal, ground
1 pound pork, ground
1/4 pound pancetta or slab bacon, ground
1/2 tube tomato paste
1 cup milk
1 cup dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating

1lb. good quality Lasagna noodles

Besciamella:
5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating

Directions
For the ragu bolognese: In a 6 to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and garlic and sweat over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the veal, pork, and pancetta and stir into the vegetables. Add the meat over high heat, stirring to keep the meat from sticking together until browned. Add the tomato paste, milk, and wine and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat.

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Remove them from water immediatly and palce them onto a dry paper towel.  

For the besciamella: In a medium saucepan, heat butter until melted. Add flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until light golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat milk in separate pan until just about to boil. Add milk to butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth and bring to a boil. Cook 30 seconds and remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg and set aside.

For assembly: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a brownie pan, assemble the lasagne, beginning with a layer of ragu, a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano, a layer of pasta, a layer of bechamel, a layer of ragu, a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano etc. until all sauce and pasta are used up. The top layer should be pasta with bechamel over it. Top the lasagne with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and bake in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until the edges are browned and the sauces are bubbling. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
Holy smokes!
Caesar Salad:

THE DRESSING

  • A great Caesar salad gets its swagger from a great dressing. Squeamish about raw egg yolks and anchovies? Sorry. Yolks are what give richness to the emulsion, while anchovies provide a briny blast (and that whole umami thing).   Tips:  be mindful of where you are buying your eggs ( we buy ours at the local coop and they are raised less than an hour away) and that they are fresh.  Here's our go-to recipe:

The boys making me a  ceasar salad while I'm nursing my margarita. How lucky am I?
  • Chop together 2 anchovy fillets packed in oil, 1 small garlic clove, and a pinch of kosher salt. Use the side of a knife blade to mash into a paste, then scrape into a medium bowl. Whisk in 2 large egg yolks*, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Adding drop by drop to start, gradually whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil, then 1/2 cup vegetable oil; whisk until dressing is thick and glossy. Whisk in 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Can be made 1 day ahead. 
Just simply fabulous.

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