Anna Del Conte Lasagna Recipes

LASAGNE ALLA BOLOGNESE RECIPE

Steps:

• Before you start, get the mince up to room temperature.
• In heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, add the pancetta and cook until crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add the olive oil and butter to the fat over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and sweat down until the vegetables are translucent.
• In the meantime, combine the two portions of mince together in a large bowl. Add a little olive oil and, using your very clean hands, combine the mince.
• Add the garlic to the vegetables and stir for one minute to combine. Do not let the garlic burn or it will make the finished ragù bitter.
• Add the pork and beef mix and stir into vegetables. Brown over medium-high heat, stirring to keep meat from sticking together. This should take 15 to 20 minutes, so be patient, it's worth it.
• Once the ragù is browned, add the tomato paste and work into the ragù until the paste ad really deepened in colour. Add the pancetta back into the ragù.
• Add the milk and simmer while stirring until the milk is reduced, around 2-3 minutes.
• Add the wine and stir until evaporated.
• Add the stock, bring to a boil and then lower the heat as low as you can go.
• Put the lid on the pot and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes.
• Remove the lid slightly and simmer for another 1 1/2 hours, moving the lid every 15 minutes until fully off. If the ragù is starting to dry out add some more stock or water, just enough so that you can see liquid bubbling around the ragù.
• The final ragù should have a film of oil around the pieces of mince. It should bubble around the sauce. If not, add more stock.
• Combine milk, onion, parsley stalks, peppercorns, bay leaves and cloves in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes to infuse.
• Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve into a large measuring cup.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high until foaming. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes or until mixture bubbles and begins to come away from side of pan. Remove from heat.
• Pour in half the milk gradually, whisking with a balloon whisk until mixture is smooth. Gradually add the remaining milk, whisking until smooth and combined.
• Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat. Taste and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 220°C.
• Grease a lasagne pan with butter and spread a thin layer of ragu over the bottom. Spread a layer of besciamella over this and sprinkle with 15g of Parmigiano Reggiano.
• Lay a layer of lasagne sheets on top of this. Break the corners of the sheets going into the corners so they are a snug fit. Try not to overlap the sheets.
• Cover with a thin layer of ragu, then besciamella, being careful to make sure the ragu and besciamella cover the corners to help prevent burning. Sprinkle with 15g of Parmigiano Reggiano.
• Repeat this process 4 times so you have 5 layers of lasagne sheets in total.
• When it comes to the final pasta sheets, only put down a layer of besciamella and cheese.
• Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes and check for doneness, you want a golden cheesy layer on top and the sauce should be bubbling.
• Let the lasagne rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. If you do this sooner the lasagne layers will spread out over the plate.
• For best results, refrigerate overnight, cut individual slices and place in a very hot oven until reheated.
• Serve with a little drizzle of olive oil.

ANNA'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook ground beef until throughly cooked, add pepperoni. Add onion, celery and bell pepper, simmer until the veggies are soft. Add garlic, parsley, tomato sauce, bay leaf, basil, Italian seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Simmer at least 1 hour until sauce is thickened.
• Spray lasagna pan with Pam or what ever you have on hand. Put cooked noodles on bottom of pan, put half of meat mixture on top of noodles, add both cheeses making sure to remove bay leaves. Repeat process, adding more of the cheese on the top of the lasagna.
• Bake at 350°F until cheese is melted and just starting to brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
• This is delicious with a green salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!