Table Talk
Lasagna Bolognese
Football is finally coming to an end. We've been inundated with bowl games and playoffs. It seems to be constant. And all of this football, which so captivates many, leaves others of us cold. I typically find something else to do while my husband watches the games. This week, my daughter and her husband came over for the playoff games. After the first game, Kate and I sent the men down to the basement, put Raiders of the Lost Ark on the TV and started cooking. We made marinara and meat sauce and bechamel. And eventually, we made one of the best Lasagnas ever.
Lasagna Bolognese
Meat sauce Bolognese; ---
1 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 tablespoon butter
1 pound mild Italian sausage
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white wine, dry
2 cup tomato, chopped
3 tablespoon Tomato paste
2 cup beef stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1/2 teaspoon oregano, dried
1/8 teaspoon allspice
Salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
-Besciamella (Italian bechamel sauce)
---
3 tablespoon Butter
3 tablespoons flour, all-purpose
2 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Salt
1 dash nutmeg
1 pound lasagna noodle, preferably green
1 pound mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1. To prepare meat sauce, saute onion, garlic, and celery over low heat in
two tablespoons butter, 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove to a
heavy 3-4 quart sauce pan. Saute the sausage and ground beef in the same
frying pan in the olive oil until lightly browned. Stir to break up
lumps.
2. Drain excess grease. Add the wine to the meat and boil, stirring
constantly, until the wine is almost evaporated. Add meat to sauce pan
with onion mixture and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, and
seasonings. Simmer, partially covered, for one hour, stirring
occasionally.
3. To prepare Besciamella, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a heavy 2-3 quart
sauce pan, over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook slowly 2-3 minutes,
stirring constantly. Pour in the milk and cream slowly, stirring with a
whisk to obtain a smooth sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly,
until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon salt and the
nutmeg. Set aside. Makes 3 cups.
4. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. In a large 6-8 quart pot cook the
lasagna noodles. When cooked drain and cover the lasagna with cold water,
then lift out strips and drain on paper towels.
5. To assemble, spread a layer of meat sauce on bottom of baking dish to
about 1/4-inch deep. Over this lay 1/3 of the noodles, then 1/3 of the Besciamella, and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat two more times layering the meat sauce, noodles, Besciamella, and ending with the mozzarella. Sprinkle top with grated parmesan cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Can be frozen.
