Christmas is just around the corner. Have you already thought about what to cook for your guests? Here is the perfect Lasagna recipe
To prepare lasagna start with the meat sauce. Prepare the vegetable broth and ensure to keep it warm. Then take the pancetta bacon, cut it into strips first and then chop it well. Separately, finely chop the carrots, onions, celery and set aside. In a saucepan, pour a drizzle of oil and the pancetta bacon. Use a ladle to spread it well and let it brown for a few minutes. Then add the chopped vegetables and cook for 5-6 minutes. Then add the minced meat. Stir and raise the heat. Let the meat brown slowly, it must be well browned to seal the juices and be soft.
Deglaze with red wine and let it evaporate completely before adding the tomato puree. The Bolognese sauce must cook for two hours. When it starts boiling again, you can add some hot broth, one or two ladles, and let the sauce cook for another couple of hours at least. Let it cook with the lid on, without covering the pan completely. Check and stir from time to time, add more broth when needed and let it cook. Now move on to the pasta. First, pour the spinach into a pan, add a little water, cover with a lid and cook until they are wilted, it will take 5-6 minutes in total. At this point, drain them, let them cool and squeeze them well . Transfer the spinach to a mixer and blend them until you get a puree. You will need to get approx 3.5 cups (100 g) of it. Now on a pastry board pour the semolina and 00 flour , add the spinach and create a fountain shape. Add the lightly beaten eggs and egg yolks. Begin to knead everything starting from the center, this way the eggs will not slip out of the fountain. Knead well until you get a homogeneous dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. In the meantime, prepare the béchamel sauce. Heat the milk in a saucepan, without boiling it. In another pan, place the butter and let it melt. Add the flour in one go and cook for a few minutes until you get a golden roux. Then, pour the hot milk in three times, mixing well.
Add salt and flavor with nutmeg. Continue to mix until you get a creamy béchamel. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside. As soon as 30 minutes have elapsed, take the dough back and take a piece. Cover the rest of the dough with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
With the help of a little semolina flatten it slightly on the pastry board to form a rectangle and roll out the dough in the machine. Start from a wider thickness, then fold the dough and pass it over. When you feel it is too wet, sprinkle with a little semolina. Gradually reduce the thickness until you get a sheet just over 0.2 inches (0.5 mm) thick. Transfer it to a pastry board and cut into large rectangles 12×8 inches (30×20 cm). Continue this way until the dough is finished and in the meantime put a pot of water on the stove and add salt. When it starts to boil, immerse one sheet at a time, wait 30-40 seconds and using a skimmer drain it. Transfer it to a tray with a cloth and dab to remove excess water. Continue this way, placing the cooked sheets side by side, without overlapping them. As soon as the Bolognese sauce is ready, season with salt and pepper and proceed to the composition of the lasagna. Take a large 12×8 inches (30×20 cm) lasagna pan and grease the bottom. Add a thin layer of béchamel and one of Bolognese sauce. Then place the first sheet, add a layer of béchamel and a layer of meat sauce. Add grated Parmesan cheese and place another sheet of pasta on top.
Add another layer of béchamel and one of meat sauce, add grated cheese and continue like this until you have 5 layers. After placing the last sheet, add the Bolognese sauce. in order to completely cover the pasta sheet. Sprinkle with grated cheese, add some tufts of butter and bake in a preheated static oven at 338°F (170°C) for 40 minutes.
