Lasagne alla Bolognese

Lasagne alla Bolognese

When it comes to Italian comfort foods, Lasagne (or Lasagna) is a world-wide favorite for good reasons. Delicious, satisfying and affordable, lasagna can be made in countless variations. However the traditional method from Bologna, using that city's famous meat sauce, is arguably the best.

The name of this famous dish is possibly derived from the Greek "lasana" (kitchen tripod) and the Roman "lasanum" (cooking pot). It is also possible that the name is from the Greek "laganon" or the the Latin "lagane", both were early forms of pasta cut into strips. Foods cooked in a Roman lasanum may have begun to take on the same name.

Lasagne alla Bolognese Origns

Lasagne - The paste layers

Lasagna as we understand it did not start to take shape until the 14th century. Francisco Zambrini published in his cookbook, the first recipe for lasagna that alternated layers of pasta and layers of cheese. Little is known about the birth of the Bolognese lasagna as we know it, not even l'Artusi mentions it in his text, which represented a collection of the most relevant traditional Italian recipes. The reputation of Bolognese lasagna was born in the early 20th century when Bolognese restaurants began to serve the dish to their customers. But it was in 1935 that this recipe became really famous when Paul Monelli mentioned it in his "Ghiottone Errante".

Traditional Ingredients and Preparations

Every Bolognese family has its own lasagna recipe, which may contain more or less greens (like spinach) and seasoned rigorously with Bolognese ragú, also made in numerous variations.

Lasagna alla Bolognese with side dish of vegetables

The Italian Academy of Cuisine, after having examined all the recipes thoroughly, and after having consulted many traditional recipes belonging to the tradition of the Bolognese families, the Chamber of Commerce in Bologna delivered the original recipe of Bolognese lasagna.

This dish lives up to the reputation of "Bologna la Grassa", it is the quintessence of "richness" remarkably delicious and naturally, high in calories.

Lasagne alla Bolognese Recipe

Ingredients for 8 People:

• 1 kg Classic Bolognese Ragù
• 400g Parmigiano Reggiano
• Béchamel sauce made with: 100g of 00 flour, 100g butter, 1 liter whole milk, salt, and nutmeg
• 200g Butter
• 1 kg of Spinach lasagna noodles made with: 700g of 00 flour, 3 fresh eggs, 350g boiled spinach - drained and minced;
• Rectangular pizza pan of approximately 25x35 cm, at least 6 cm high.

Preparation

Put a pot three quarters full of salty water on high heat and let it boil. Cut the lasagna pasta layers in rectangles of about 15x10 or, a little smaller than the chosen baking-pan. Put them into the boiling water and make them sink - avoid them floating on the surface. When cooked quickly rinse under cold water, then dry on a clean white cotton or flax cloth. Butter the baking-pan and sprinkle a spoonful of ragú and béchamel. Cover with the necessary rectangles and lay a thin spread of béchamel, a thick layer of ragú, portions of butter and a lot of parmesan cheese. To prevent air pockets from forming, just perforate the layers three or four times with a toothpick.

Lasagna alla Bolognese with beef

Go on for at least 6 full layers and finish with a topping of pasta, over which you'll stretch the remaining ragú and béchamel, butter, and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. At the end, add some butter in every corner of the baking-pan. Then bake for 25-30 minutes at about 180 degrees celsius in preheated oven. If you like a crispy lasagna, turn on the broiler (no more than 2 minutes) for a light crisping that goes well with the softness of the inside. Leave it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.