This is the classic lasagna recipe, the same lasagna you would find on the table of many Tuscan and northern Italian families for Sunday lunch or Holiday feasts. No messing around with added ingredients, keep it traditional and make sure you have enough ground nutmeg in the bechamel sauce that you can taste it.
Serves 4 people
3lbs Tuscan Ragù see below for recipe
1 package Lasagna sheets about 4 portions of fresh pasta
2 cups Parmigiano cheese grated
For the Béchamel sauce:
4 cups whole Milk
½ cup Butter
½ cup Flour
Salt
Black Pepper
Ground fresh nutmeg
Prepare the Bechamel:
In a pot, melt the butter and add the flour. Mix until you get a paste and cook it for a minute or two until it gets thicker.
Add the room temperature or warm milk and turn down the heat. Mix occasionally, to melt the roux and to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pot.
Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes until it gets thick enough to coat a spoon, then season with salt, black pepper and a pinch of ground nutmeg to taste.
Tuscan Ragu
1 cup Red Onion
1 cup Carrots
1 cup Celery
4 cups mixed Pork and Beef ground meat
4 Italian Sausages
28 oz peeled San Marzano tomatoes , canned
2 tablespoon Concentrated Tomato Paste
0.67 cup Red Wine
1 tablespoon Juniper berries (dried)
Beef Stock
6-8 Bay Leaves
4-6 tablespoon EVO Oil
2-4 teaspoon Sugar
Salt, Pepper
Start making the soffritto by finely chopping the onion, carrot and celery or if you don’t want chunks in the sauce, you can use a mixer until they’re finely shredded.
Add 4-5 tablespoon of EVO oil in a large pot and add the soffritto. Turn on the medium heat and cook until they become really soft (do not brown).
Add the ground meat and the sausages and turn the heat to high and cook until the meat changes color, then add salt and pepper to season the meat. Finally pour the wine and let evaporate the alcohol.
Purèe the San Marzano tomatoes in a blender, then turn the heat to low and add the pureed tomatoes to the pot. Add enough beef stock to cover all. Add also the concentrated tomato paste and mix.
Taste and season accordingly; if necessary, add some sugar to break the acidity of the tomatoes.
Finally, add the bay leaves and the juniper berries. Mix well with a wooden spoon and cover the pot with the lid. Let it simmer for at least 2 hours stirring every once in a while.
If the sauce reduces too much, add some more beef stock.
Notes
You can add ⅓ cup of milk 15 minutes before the cooking time ends to add more creaminess, break the acidity of the tomatoes and make the flavors more delicate.
You can let the sauce cool and then pour it into freezer bags or freezer containers and freeze for up to 2 months.
Assemble the layers for the lasagna:
Preheat the oven at 200°C (400°F).
Spread a thin layer of bechamel sauce on the bottom of the pan, cover with a layer of pasta, then a layer of Ragù sauce, a layer of bechamel sauce and grated Parmigiano.
Repeat the layers, pressing down a little bit when you add the pasta. When the pan is full, finish with a last layer of pasta, sauce and a generous amount of grated Parmigiano cheese. (You will probably have spare ragu sauce so freeze it for another lasagna.)
Bake in the middle rack of the oven for about 35-40 minutes. If the crust is not crunchy enough, finish with 3-4 minutes under the broiler.
If instead you notice the crust getting too brown before the cooking time is over, cover the pan loosely with foil.