Lasagne Alla Bolognese

Hi Guys,

Thru special request, I'm posting here the recipe for lasagne, Bolognese Style.

1 kg minced meat of beef

250 gr parma ham ( can be substituted with Beef ham )

100 gr dried porcini mushrooms

2 pcs bay leaf, rosemary leaves, sage & nutmeg to taste 

100 gr onion finely chopped

100 gr carrots finely chopped

100 gr celery finely chopped

 50 gr garlic finely chopped

200 gr tomato paste

500 gr fresh riped tomato peeled & crushed ( can be substituted with peeled tomato in cans )

100 gr red wine

salt & pepper to taste 

50 gr olive oil

roux ( combination of 10g butter & 10g flour)

350 gr Ricotta cheese

500 gr Mozzarella cheese

500 gr Lasagna noodles

Oven dried tomatoes for garnish 

Deep fried fresh basil leaves

To make the sauce,

Fill a large pot with the minced meat of beef & minced ham over medium heat. ( In a separate pan, saute garlic,onion, celery & carrots with olive oil then set aside. ) Mix until meat is brown, add herbs & spices,mushrooms olive oil, sauteed garlic,onion,celery & carrots , salt & pepper to taste. mix well. stir occasionally, add tomato paste, tomato sauce & red wine. add parmesan cheese  mix & cook over medium heat for a minimum of an hour. add roux to thicken the sauce

 

To make the lasagna,

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the water is boiling, stir in the lasagna noodles, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink. Drizzle the cooked noodles with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil to prevent them from sticking together. Set Aside.

To layer the lasagna, lay about 4 noodles in the bottom of the prepared baking dish, running the long way, and slightly overlap them to cover the bottom completely. Spread mozzarella cheese over the noodles, and top with 1/4 of the meat sauce. Top with a second layer of noodles, running the short way. Top the second layer with 1/3 of the mozzarella & ricotta cheese mixture and 1/4 of the meat sauce as before; make a 3rd layer of noodles, the last third of the mozzarella & ricotta , and 1/4 of the meat sauce. Place one more layer of noodles, and top with the last 1/4 of the meat sauce. Sprinkle the reserved mozzarella cheese over the top,ricotta cheese, garnish with oven dried tomatoes Bake in the preheated oven until the lasagna is bubbling and the cheese is melted and lightly browned, 45 to 55 minutes. Let the lasagna stand about 5 minutes before serving.

Tips: 

Dried Porcini Mushrooms - rehydrate dried mushrooms by placing it in a cup with luke warm water, dont discard the water as you may add it in the sauce, finely chop mushroom flesh and add it in the sauce )