Locale Firenze-Style Lasagna al Ragù
Ingredients Ragù: 1 lb ground beef, ½ lb ground pork (optional addition: ¼ cup beef fat), 1 cup each finely chopped carrot & celery, and 2 cups red onion (soffritto), ¾–1 cup EVOO, 2 Tbsp tomato paste, 28 oz tomato sauce, 1 cup red wine (optional), ½ cup water, aromatic herb salt (or salt + rosemary/sage/thyme/lemon zest), pepper. Béchamel: 160g (1½ sticks) butter, 160g (1¼ cups) flour, 1½ liters (6⅓ cups) warm whole milk, salt, generous nutmeg, white pepper. Other: Fresh egg lasagna sheets (4–5 layers), 1½ cups grated aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, olive oil for pasta.Instructions Ragù (start first; ~4+ hours): Heat ¾ cup oil in large pot; sauté soffritto (carrot, celery, onion) with salt until soft/translucent. In separate pan, brown meat well; season. Combine with soffritto veggies. Add tomato paste; cook 2–3 min. Deglaze with wine (if using), then add tomato sauce + water. Simmer low (Crock Pot works) 4+ hours until thick, rich, and reduced. Adjust seasoning. Make ahead if desired.Béchamel: Melt butter, stir in flour; cook to light golden roux. Gradually whisk in warm milk until smooth and thick. Season with salt, nutmeg, white pepper. Cover to prevent skin.Pasta: If dried, blanch 30–40 sec in salted boiling water, shock in ice water, drain, coat lightly with remining ¼ cup EVOO to prevent sticking.Assemble: Preheat oven 392°F/200°C. In dish, spread thick béchamel base to prevent sticking. Then layer: pasta → béchamel → ragù → generous Parmesan→ repeat (pasta, béchamel, ragù, Parmesan). Finish with pasta, a layer of more liquified béchamel (stir in a bit of extra milk), ragù, and a final, extra generous layer of Parmesan on top.Bake: Uncovered 30–40 min until golden, puffed, crispy edges. Rest 30 min before slicing for clean cuts (though hard to wait!). Serve with Tuscan red wine.
Equipment
- one, 9 x 9-inch glass baking pan
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