Goomba38 said:Vilco said:Try dressing lasagne with just bechamel, bolognese ragout and grated
parmigiano. Heaven.
Have you a nice bolognese recipe to share? 🙂 I anxiously await your
reply as I do need to do a nice family dinner tonight and I suspect that
would make the kidlets very happy....
Vilco will surely have a good recipe. Meanwhile, here is what I posted
a while ago about lasagne bolognesi:
I have to say that it is a rather involved recipe if you want to make
everything from scratch... Here is a recipe from _Cucina Italiana_,
compiled by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina.
Victor
Lasagne bolognesi
for the pasta:
2 eggs
250 g (2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
for the besciamella sauce:
60 g (1/4 cup) butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 l (4 cups) milk
for the meat sauce:
300 g (10 oz) ragù (see below)
50 g (2 oz) dried mushrooms soaked in warm water
1 clove garlic
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons butter
100 g (1/2 cup) Parmesan cheese, grated
40 g (1/4 cup) butter
Prepare the pasta:
Stir the flour into a mound and break the eggs into the centre. Add a
pinch of salt and mix the ingredients together slowly with a fork or
your fingertips. Knead well for about 10 minutes until the dough is
smooth and elastic (you should see air bubbles when you cut the dough).
Leave to stand for 1/4 hour wrapped in a floured cloth. Roll out into a
fairly thin sheet, working from the centre outward, making sure that the
pasta is of even thickness. Leave to dry for up to 1/2 hour. Roll up
the sheet of pasta and cut out the lasagne with a sharp knife.
Make the salsa besciamella:
Cut the butter into small pieces and melt in a heavy saucepan. Stir in
the flour with a wooden spoon, add the salt and mix over medium heat
until smooth. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until the
sauce has thickened.
Make the ragù alla bolognese:
50 g (2 oz) pancetta
1 medium onion
1 small carrot
1 stick celery
50 g (1/4 cup) butter
200 g (3/4 cups) ground mixed meats (pork, veal, beef)
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons tomato sauce (see below)
1 teaspoon meat extract
salt
freshly ground pepper
1 cup milk
Chop the pancetta very finely with the onion, carrot and celery. Melt
the butter in a heavy saucepan; when it is bubbling, add the chopped
vegetables and the ground meats. Brown for a few minutes, turn up the
heat and pour in the red wine. When this has completely evaporated, add
the tomato sauce, diluted in a little hot water, and the dissolved meat
extract. Season with salt and pepper as required. Cover and leave to
simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes until the sauce is quite thick.
Pour in the milk, stir well, cover and simmer over very low heat until
the milk is absorbed.
To make the tomato sauce:
300 g (2 cups) ripe of canned plum tomatoes, chopped
1 small carrot
1 small onion
1 stick celery
2 basil leaves (optional)
1/2 clove garlic
1 1/8 cups olive oil
salt
freshly ground pepper
Choose ripe, plump and juicy summer tomatoes for this sauce. Rinse
thoroughly, chop, salt lightly and leave to sweat in a colander placed
over a bowl. Sauté the chopped vegetables, basil and garlic in a heavy
skillet in a few tablespoons of oil. Add the tomatoes immediately,
bring to a boil and cook over moderate heat for about 1/2 hour. When
the tomatoes are no longer watery, strain in a vegetable mill or blend
in a food processor. If the sauce is too thin, reduce by cooking
briefly over high heat. Check the seasoning and add some more oil and a
little sugar if desired. Pour into a sauceboat when hot.
Now prepare the lasagne:
Drain the soaked mushrooms, squeeze out excess moisture and slice. Peel
1 clove garlic and leave whole. Fry in a small skillet. When it has
browned, discard and add the mushrooms, salt, milk and parsley. Cook
slowly for approximately 1/4 hour. Butter a round pan about 20 cm/8 in
in diameter. Arrange a layer of pasta over the base followed by a layer
of white sauce and one of meat sauce, replacing the meat sauce with the
mushrooms on 2 or 3 layers (this permits the flavour of mushrooms to be
appreciated). Sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Repeat until all the
ingredients have been used up. Finish with a layer of pasta, a few
tablespoons of meat sauce, a few pieces of butter and a sprinkling of
Parmesan. Cook in a hot oven (about 180°C/350°F) for approximately 1
hour until the top is slightly crispy.
