Lasagna

In Italy, lunch and dinner are moments of reunion for all the family. The biggest meal of the week for us is "il pranzo della domenica" (Sunday lunch), which is a very late lunch "at home" with all the family.

​Of course, this already makes a special lunch on its own but when the queen of all Sunday lunches, the lasagna, is added to the table then everything becomes a little more special. Lasagna for me is a dish made for sharing, to bring everyone together at the table and a great way to collect beautiful memories. 

When cooking lasagna there are a few things you might need to know to bring your lasagna to the next level! 

• Fresh egg pasta is unbeatable when used in lasagna so if you can use fresh pasta. If you are using dry pasta you can use them dry without blanching them in boiling water first but make sure to keep your ragù and your bechamel sauce a little more loose as the dry pasta will absorb more liquid. If you don’t do this, your lasagna might end up a little too dry. 
• After all your hard work letting the lasagna dry out during the cooking would be a real shame. Make sure to cover with tin foil for 35-40 minutes then uncover for the last 10, so that it develops a nice crust. Let the Lasagna rest for at least 10-15 minutes after baking. Do not worry, it doesn't get cold! Cutting freshly baked lasagna is a big mistake, as it will fall apart during portioning. ​

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

For the Lasagna

• 500g pasta sheets (according to tradition, lasagna are made with fresh handmade pasta sheets, but if you don’t have time to do this just buy a pack of dry egg lasagna sheets)
• 250g of Grana Padano cheese

For the Bolognese

• 500g of good quality beef mince 
• 400g of good quality pork mince 
• 150g of pancetta 
• 100g of celery 
• 100g of carrots 
• 200g of onions
• 400g can of San Marzano tomatoes 
• 200g of red wine
• 1.5L of vegetable stock 
• Salt 
• 2 bay leaves

For the Bechamel

• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour or all purpose flour
• 600ml whole milk
• A pinch of nutmeg
• Fine sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. If you can prepare the ragù the day before. To make the ragù follow the same method as the Ragù all Bolognese recipe and set a side.
2. To make the béchamel sauce heat a medium pan over a medium heat and melt the butter.  Add the flour to the melted butter and stir constantly until it forms a smooth paste, this is also called the roux. Keep cooking it for 1 minute. Add the milk gradually, stirring constantly with a whisk to avoid any lumps. Continue to stir and cook for about 6 - 8 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. If the bechamel becomes too thick, you can add a little more milk to reach the right consistency. Turn the heat off and season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Give it a good stir and make sure the béchamel is nice and smooth. The consistency should be between a custard-like texture and double cream (heavy cream).
3. Once you have the ragù and the béchamel at the ready all you need to do is to put your masterpiece together. In a large casserole dish (roughly 25cm by 30cm) spoon a small ladle of ragù and béchamel as the base and spread evenly. Cover the sauce with one layer of lasagna sheets and so they are slighlty overlapping each others. 
4. Now add again a portion of the ragu and spread evenly, follow by  some of the bechamel doted all around and a generous amount of grated cheese. Repeat the same method working in layers and creating around 4 to 5 layers and finishing with a layer of  ragù, béchamel and cheese. 
5. Cover with tin foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 200°C fan mode then remove the tin foil and bake again for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden on top. Once baked let the lasagna set for 10 minutes before serving. 

Watch the recipe video

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