Marcella Hazan's Lasagna
INGREDIENTS
- Lasagna noodles
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
- Bolognese Sauce:
- 1 Tb. oil
- 3 Tb. butter
- 1/2 c. chopped onion
- 2/3 c. chopped celery (I left this out)
- 2/3 c. chopped carrot
- 3/4 lb. ground beef chuck (not too lean)
- 1 c. whole milk
- nutmeg
- 1 c. dry white wine
- 1 1/2 c. canned Italian plum tomatoes, cut up with their juices
DIRECTIONS
- Bolognese Sauce:
- Put oil, butter and onion in pot and turn heat to medium. Cook until onion is translucent, then add celery and carrot. Cook for 2 min.
- Add the ground beef, a large pinch of salt, & a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork and cook until beef has lost its raw, red color.
- Add the milk and let simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. Add about 1/8 tsp. nutmeg and stir.
- Add the wine, let simmer until evaporated, then add the tomatoes. When tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down and cook uncovered at the merest simmer for a long, long time (no less than 3 hours!). Stir from time to time. If it starts to stick, add 1/2 c. water whenever necessary.
- Bechamel Sauce:
- (make just before you need it, not ahead of time)
- Put milk in a saucepan, turn heat to medium, and bring to the verge of a boil.
- While heating milk, put butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and turn heat to low. When melted, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook, while stirring constantly, for about 2 min. Do not allow flour to color. Remove from heat.
- Add the hot milk to the flour/butter mixture, no more than 2 Tb. at a time. Stir steadily and thoroughly. Once the first 2 Tb. have been incorporated, repeat this process 2 Tb. at a time until 1/2 c. has been incorporated. Then, you can begin adding milk 1/2 c. at a time until all incorporated.
- Place the pan over low heat, add salt, and cook, stirring constantly until sauce is like thickened (like the consistency of sour cream).
- When done, you can keep warm on top of a double boiler and remove film if one forms on top.
- Lasagna:
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Prepare lasagna noodles.
- Thickly smear the bottom of your lasagna pan with butter and 1 Tb. of bechamel. Line the bottom of pan with one layer of noodles.
- Combine the bolognese and bechamel sauces and spread a coating on the pasta. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan, then add another layer of noodles. Repeat the procedure of spreading sauce and Parmesan and noodles. Leave enough sauce to spread a thin layer on top at the end. Sprinkle with Parmesan and dot with butter. (This can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated.)
- Bake on top rack until golden crust forms on top, about 10 or 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to settle for 10 min. before serving.