First courses recipes

Lasagna

Lasagne pasticciate

Ingredients:
400 gr home made lasagna (or fresh lasagna)
250 gr tomatoes pulp
250 gr minced beef
50 gr ham
20 gr dried mushrooms
2 ½ tablespoons white flour
½ onion
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
A pinch of chopped basil and parsley
50 gr butter
½ glass of red wine
100 gr grated Parmesan cheese
½ liter milk
Extra virgin olive oil
Nutmeg
Pepper
Salt

Ready in: about 120 minutes

How to prepare the recipe: "Lasagna":
Let’s start with the “ragù” (ragout)! Fry slightly the chopped ham with a little bit of olive oil, add all chopped vegetables (except basil and parsley), brown slightly and then add minced beef, mushrooms previously softened in a little bit of warm water, squeezed and chopped.
Cook for a few minutes, sprinkle with red wine, add chopped basil and parsley, salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
When the wine has evaporated, add half tablespoon of flour melted with some water, boil for a few seconds and then add the chopped tomatoes pulp. Simmer to reduce slowly the “ragù” at moderate heat.
Now let’s make the “besciamella” (béchamel). Melt a knob of butter, add flour, mix and then slowly add hot milk, salt and then, always mixing, boil the “besciamella” for a few minutes.
With the remaining butter grease a pan, place a layer of “ragù”, a layer of pasta previously boiled and dried, another layer of “ragù”, besciamella; sprinkle with grated Parmesan and then place another layer of pasta and so on alternating layers.
Put the lasagna in the oven and cook at 190 °C until the surface is “gratinata” (au gratin).

Origin: Naples (Campania), Bologna (Emilia Romagna)
Ingredients for: 4 servings
Preparation: 60 minutes
Cooking: 90 minutes
Difficulty: medium

Chef's advice
Lasagna is a dish widespread in Italy, with a lot, infinite versions of the recipe; for example the “lasagne ai funghi” (mushrooms lasagna) where the sauce is made with mushrooms, the flavor is more delicate. If you want make this kind of lasagna follow the following recipe:
To make the sauce chop a carrot, an onion, a stick of celery and a sprig of parsley; fry slightly the vegetables with 50 gr of butter, add 150 gr of miced veal and 400 gr of fresh sliced porcini mushrooms. Mix and add an abundant cup of tomatoes pulp, salt, pepper and cook for about 30 minutes, eventually adding some broth.
Grease a pan with a knob of butter, arrange in layers sauce, boiled and dried pasta and alternatively, a little at a time, ham slices (200 gr), everything coverd with grated Parmesan and knobs of butter. Lasagna made like this must be cooked in the oven as usual.
The recommended wine is Valpolicella (red).