Classic lasagne

Name: Classic lasagne
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 3 h 25 min
Total time: 4 h 20 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 25 g butter, for the ragu; 100 g pancetta, finely diced; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 carrot, finely chopped; 2 celery sticks, finely chopped; 2 clove garlic, finely chopped; 500 g beef mince; 250 g pork mince; 150 ml whole milk, for the ragu; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 200 ml dry red wine; 700 g tomato passata; 200 ml water, plus more as needed; 75 g butter, for the bechamel; 75 g plain flour; 1 l whole milk, for the bechamel; 0.25 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated; 300 g dried lasagne sheets, the no-precook kind; 100 g parmesan, finely grated; salt and black pepper

4 h 20
Prep 40 min
Cook 3 h 25
Serves 8
medium

Start cooking

Layers of pasta, slow-cooked beef and pork ragu and nutmeg-scented bechamel, baked until bubbling with a deep golden parmesan top.

Method

1
Heat the oil and 25 g butter in a large heavy pan over medium heat and fry the pancetta until its fat runs.
2
Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook gently, stirring, until soft and sweet but not browned. Add the garlic for the last minute.
3
Raise the heat, add both minces and cook, breaking them up, until no pink remains and the liquid has evaporated.
4
Pour in the 150 ml milk and simmer, stirring, until it has been absorbed.
5
Stir in the tomato paste, then pour in the wine and let it bubble until almost gone.
6
Add the passata and water, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a bare simmer.
7
Cover with the lid ajar and simmer very gently, stirring now and then and adding a splash of water if it catches, until thick and glossy.
8
For the bechamel, melt 75 g butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes without letting it colour.
9
Whisk in the litre of milk a little at a time, then simmer, stirring, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Season with nutmeg and salt.
10
Heat the oven to 190°C. Spread a thin layer of ragu over the base of the dish and cover with lasagne sheets, breaking them to fit.
11
Spread over a quarter of the remaining ragu, then a thin layer of bechamel and a scattering of parmesan, then another layer of sheets.
12
Repeat the layers three more times, finishing with a generous layer of bechamel and the last of the parmesan.
13
Bake until the edges are bubbling and the top is deep golden.
14
Rest for 15 minutes before cutting so the layers hold together.

Notes

The ragu tastes better made a day or two ahead and kept in the fridge. The assembled lasagne can also be chilled overnight; add 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time.
If your lasagne sheets need precooking, boil them for 3 minutes first and lay them out on an oiled tray so they do not stick.
Cutting too soon is the usual mistake. A short rest lets the sauce settle so each slice stands up.

Equipment

Large heavy saucepan or casserole, Medium saucepan, Whisk, Baking dish, about 30 x 20 cm

Cook this step by step