I did a dinner party this weekend for a couple that insisted on Lasagna.
I told them that this was not the season for a baked pasta dish, suggested boiled noddle Napoleton-style preparation.
"NO! I want the Lasagna I had in Emilia-Romagna!"
"OK, You're the boss."
So here's what I did.
I made spinach pasta sheets, nice and thin.
Made a classic 3 hour Ragu Bolognese and a classic Besciamela (posted below).
Assembly:
Light layer of ragu on th bottom of the lasagna pan.
Cover with a layer of noodles, side to side - corner to corner.
Add another layer of ragu and a layer of besciamela and a nice grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Repeated 4 times
Topped the last layer with the besciamela and another grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano
Baked for 40 minutes at 375 F until it was bubbling and the top was golden brown.
Let it rest for 15 minutes
Cut and serve.
Very successful but way out of season
Besciamela:
Ingredients:
Method
Heat milk in separate pan until just ready to boil.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.
Add flour and stir until smooth.
Cook over medium heat until light golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the milk to butter mixture 1 cup at a time, continuously whisking until it very smooth and brought to a boil.
Cook 8 minutes over medium heat
Remove from heat.
It should be a thicker than cream liquid
Season with salt and nutmeg and set aside to cool
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__________________
Chuck Love
I told them that this was not the season for a baked pasta dish, suggested boiled noddle Napoleton-style preparation.
"NO! I want the Lasagna I had in Emilia-Romagna!"
"OK, You're the boss."
So here's what I did.
I made spinach pasta sheets, nice and thin.
Made a classic 3 hour Ragu Bolognese and a classic Besciamela (posted below).
Assembly:
Light layer of ragu on th bottom of the lasagna pan.
Cover with a layer of noodles, side to side - corner to corner.
Add another layer of ragu and a layer of besciamela and a nice grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Repeated 4 times
Topped the last layer with the besciamela and another grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano
Baked for 40 minutes at 375 F until it was bubbling and the top was golden brown.
Let it rest for 15 minutes
Cut and serve.
Very successful but way out of season
Besciamela:
Ingredients:
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Method
Heat milk in separate pan until just ready to boil.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.
Add flour and stir until smooth.
Cook over medium heat until light golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the milk to butter mixture 1 cup at a time, continuously whisking until it very smooth and brought to a boil.
Cook 8 minutes over medium heat
Remove from heat.
It should be a thicker than cream liquid
Season with salt and nutmeg and set aside to cool
/ message sig
__________________
Chuck Love