Lasagna

A very festive recipe! Your lasagna will be appreciated by everyone! They are wonderful as a first course, as we use in Italy, or as a main dish as you use abroad. Not all the recipes are alike, but this is the traditional one, made with the original ingredients, why do not try to stick to the traditional recipe for once? If you are not an expert it will take at least two hours, but it is worth it!

With  the home made fresh egg pasta the results are great, but if you are worried about time, you can opt for ready to cook pasta.

These are the main ingredients, you should cook/prepare them in advance to have all ready when you start preparing it.

- the pasta
- the bolognese sauce
- the bechamel sauce
- 80 grs grated original Parmigiano Reggiano (or Grana Padano)
Butter to grease the pan

Lets prepare it for 4

For the bolognese sauce (follow the instructions here)
300 gr./  0.66 lb minced meat
250 grs./0.55 lb  peeled tomatoes (one small  tin)
1/2  carrot -  chopped
1 stick of celery as long as the carrot -  chopped
1/2 onion -  chopped
- 30 grs./1 oz. pancetta
- wine or milk
salt and pepper

For the bechamel sauce (follow the instructions here)
500 ml/2.11 cups  milk
50 gr./1.76 oz butter
50 gr/ 1.76 oz plain flour
Salt


 For the pasta (sfoglia) (follow the instructions here) 
2 large eggs
200 grs /7 oz flour

Ready with everything?! Most of the job has been done!


1) Grease you pan with the butter.
 It can be a pirex glass or metal one cm. 14X28 (5.5X11 inch) .
Pre-heat your oven 180° C/350° F

2) Cut the sfoglia into squares and big as you hand (or open the box of you what you bought).

3) Bring the water to the boil: add salt (10 grs/liter /1 tea spoon for 5 cups of water) and a spoon of vegetable oil. Put 2-3 squares at a time and let  them cook until smooth for 2-3 minutes.

4) Drain the pasta on a tea towel and smooth it to dry perfectly. Caution: hot water can burn you! but if pasta dries with wrinkles you will not be able to work with it!

I know you like this tea towel! It is 100 years old, it was hand made by my grand-grand mother!!!

5) Start composing the lasagna:

1st layer: pasta

2nd layer: Parmigiano Reggiano

3rd layer: Bechamel sauce

4th layer: Bolognese sauce







Then again pasta, parmigiano, bechamel sauce, pasta....
until the pan is nearly full.
The last layer should be bechamel, on which you should sprinkle the Parmigano. If your last layer is pasta add a little of butter too.

Now put the lasagna in the oven and let it cook until you see it boil (20 min. approx).
Take it off the oven and wait few minutes to allow the lasagna cool a little bit and the bechamel sauce to settle.

Serve with a glass of Sangiovese or Chianti!


Tip: You can prepare it in advance and keep in the fridge for one day. You can also freeze it, protecting it with a cling film, and let it defrost before cooking it. Also, you can freeze any leftover... (if you really have them.....) in an air tight container and warm it in the microwave....

See also /http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03613ww