Lasagne alla bolognese, the recipe for the classic Emilian dish

The Lasagna Bolognese they are a typical Emilian first course excellent to be served at a Sunday family lunch. They are usually prepared in a large pan but they will also be excellent to be presented in mini portions as a small tasty appetizer or during an aperitif with friends. In creating this recipe, 3 basic preparations are required: fresh green pasta with spinach, béchamel and finally the very tasty ragù; together they will give the dish a strong and creamy taste that will be worth tasting!

Ingredients for 6 people

  • FOR THE RAGU ‘
  • Minced beef: 500 g
  • Bacon in cubes: 100 g
  • Carrots: 150 g
  • Celery: 50 g
  • Golden onion: 70 g
  • Red wine: 150 g
  • Tomato puree: 600 g
  • Vegetable broth: 150 g
  • Extra virgin olive oil: 1 tsp
  • Salt up: to taste
  • FOR PASTA
  • Remilled durum wheat semolina: 350 g
  • 00 flour: 150 g
  • Fresh spinach: 500 g
  • Whole eggs: 2
  • Yolks: 3
  • FOR THE BEANS
  • Butter: 100 g
  • 00 flour: 70 g
  • Fresh whole milk: 1 l
  • Salt up: to taste
  • Nutmeg: ½ tsp
  • Preparation: 2 hours
  • Cooking: 2 hours, 50 minutes
  • Total: 4 hours, 50 minutes
  • Calories: 127Kcal / 100g

Preparation

1

To prepare the ragù, start by cleaning the vegetables by depriving them of their inedible parts; then prepare a very finely chopped mixture with the previously cleaned carrots, onion and celery and keep it temporarily aside.

2

Take a saucepan and pour a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into it; add the diced pancetta and let it brown over medium heat for a few minutes. Then add the chopped vegetables and cook the ingredients for about 5/6 minutes.

3

After this time, pour the minced meat into the saucepan; stir by raising the flame of the fire. Brown well.

4

Pour in the red wine and wait for it to evaporate completely. At this point add the tomato puree and mix everything together.

5

When the tomato sauce has resumed boiling, you can add the previously heated vegetable broth. Continue to cook the sauce for at least 2 hours, covering the saucepan with a lid and stirring occasionally.

6

In the meantime, prepare the fresh pasta: collect the fresh spinach and wash them under running water before pouring them into a saucepan (be careful not to add more water as you already have plenty of it inside).

7

Cook for about 10 minutes until you have some wilted spinach; then let them cool completely and continue squeezing them well with your hands.

8

Place the spinach in an electric blender and chop them until a smooth puree is obtained.

9

Pour the 00 flour together with the semolina on a pastry board. Add the chopped spinach in the center giving the classic fountain shape.

10

Beat the eggs and egg yolks in a bowl with a fork; combine them several times inside the flour and spinach.

11

Start kneading the ingredients by bringing the external flour towards the center with the help of a fork. Continue adding the remaining beaten eggs as well.

12

At this point proceed to knead using your hands: continue like this until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough.

13

Create a ball and cover it with cling film. Put it back in the fridge and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.

14

At this point, prepare the béchamel by pouring the milk into a saucepan: heat it without boiling.

15

Place the butter in a pan and let it melt completely. Add the flour all at once, mix with a whisk and let it cook for a few minutes until it is golden.

16

Add the hot milk to the pan and continue stirring avoiding the formation of lumps. Add a pinch of fine salt and flavor with the nutmeg powder.

17

Mix until a smooth and creamy béchamel is obtained.

18

Retrieve the piece of fresh pasta and take a piece of it with the help of a spatula or a knife. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin: to make it easier to spread, sprinkle it with a little semolina.

19

Continue until you get a very thin rectangle that has a thickness of about 1 millimeter.

20

To carry out this operation, you can also use a fresh pasta machine instead of a rolling pin.

21

Then obtain sheets of 15 x 20 centimeters. Fill a pot with water and half a teaspoon of coarse salt: when it comes to a boil, immerse the sheets obtained one at a time. Let them cook for 1 minute.

22

Drain the sheets with the help of a slotted spoon and transfer them to a clean cloth, dabbing them to remove excess water. Repeat this operation for all the sheets, placing them side by side as they are cooked and being careful not to overlap them.

23

At this point take a pan of about 30 x 20 centimeters and butter the bottom. Then pour in a tablespoon of bechamel spreading it well.

24

Continue with a spoonful of meat sauce.

25

Place two sheets side by side.

26

Continue with another layer of béchamel and another of ragù.

27

Sprinkle with a tablespoon of grated cheese and continue like this until you have another five layers. After placing the last sheet, add, in addition to the béchamel, cheese and ragù, also some pieces of butter.

28

Place the pan in a preheated static oven at 170 ° and cook for about 40 minutes.

Accessories

  • Knife
  • Casserole with lid
  • Table spoon
  • Electric blender
  • Skimmer
  • Fork
  • Bowl
  • Rolling pin or fresh pasta machine
  • Transparent kitchen film
  • Small saucepan
  • Pan
  • Clean tea towel
  • Pan of 30 × 20 centimeters

Tips and tricks

  • Try adding a little bacon or ground pork to the ground beef for a fair amount of fat.
  • If you prefer, to eliminate the acidity of the tomato, add a glass of milk or a pinch of sugar at the end of cooking.
  • There are different types of filling: indulge yourself by adding mushrooms or Treviso red radicchio; replace the ragù with a sauce of Aubergine cream or with the very tasty Ligurian pesto.
  • Prepare your Lasagne alla Bolognese in advance and store them in the freezer: when you use them, just defrost and put them in the oven, so the last minute dinner will be safe!
  • There are various versions: try for example the Vegetarian lasagna composed of peas, courgettes and carrots, or the more particular white ones without the use of tomatoes.

storage

Lasagna Bolognese can be stored in the refrigerator, inside an airtight container for a maximum of 2/3 days.

History

Lasagne alla bolognese are a dish without a precise origin: the roots are located in central-southern Italy.

The invention of Lasagna alla Bolognese dates back to the early 1900s by the Bolognese innkeepers who modified the recipe dough by adding spinach directly into the pastry, therefore no longer used in the creation of the lasagna layers, thus making it green in color. ; later they also added ragù, béchamel and grated cheese, transforming the dish into the symbol par excellence of Emilian cuisine.

Ingredients for 6 people

  • FOR THE RAGU ‘
  • Minced beef: 500 g
  • Bacon in cubes: 100 g
  • Carrots: 150 g
  • Celery: 50 g
  • Golden onion: 70 g
  • Red wine: 150 g
  • Tomato puree: 600 g
  • Vegetable broth: 150 g
  • Extra virgin olive oil: 1 tsp
  • Salt up: to taste
  • FOR PASTA
  • Remilled durum wheat semolina: 350 g
  • 00 flour: 150 g
  • Fresh spinach: 500 g
  • Whole eggs: 2
  • Yolks: 3
  • FOR THE BEANS
  • Butter: 100 g
  • 00 flour: 70 g
  • Fresh whole milk: 1 l
  • Salt up: to taste
  • Nutmeg: ½ tsp
  • Preparation: 2 hours
  • Cooking: 2 hours, 50 minutes
  • Total: 4 hours, 50 minutes
  • Calories: 127Kcal / 100g
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Philip Owell

Professional blogger, here to bring you new and interesting content every time you visit our blog.