The Best Lasagna Bologna Recipe

Lasagna alla Bolognese is the ultimate in Italian comfort food. Here's my take on what could be considered the holy grail of lasagna: Okay, there are a few things to do before building and baking the lasagna, and it all starts with the ragu ala Bolognese. Place a large sauce pot over medium-high heat and add a few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Once it's hot, add 227 grammes of chopped pancetta and cook it down until all that fat is rendered out and the little pieces of meat are a rich mahogany color. Now add 680 grammes of ground pork to the pot and give it a good stir so it's all mixed up with that pancetta, then let it cook. The goal here is to render out all that fat and let the moisture evaporate, so the meat can brown nicely. We're also looking for a crust to develop on the bottom of the pan, and that's called the fond. It's one of the keys to irresistible flavor. Add 680 grammes of ground beef.

Chuck is my preference here since it has about 20 grammes of fat and packs some great flavor, but use what you can find; it's all good. Stir the raw meat into the pork and pancetta just like you did before, then repeat the process of letting that fat render and the moisture evaporate. Once you begin to hear that meat sizzle, it's a great indication that your ragu is progressing nicely. It's time to transition from meat to other ingredients, which means it's time for the holy trinity of vegetables and Italian cookery. Finely chopped onions, carrots, and celery are also known as the building blocks for sofrito, and the ragu wouldn't be complete without some freshly minced garlic, so add about 28 grammes to the pot as well. Reduce the heat to medium-low, give the pot a stir, and let the veggies sweat and soften for about 10 minutes or so while that's happening. finally Chop a few teaspoons each of fresh rosemary, sage, and some fresh thyme, then add the fresh herbs to the sauce pot, stir, and then stop to take in all the wonderful things that are going on in this pot right now. I mean, the smell is just amazing. Isn't it time to deglaze the pan with some wine? Now, red or white? White or red? That's the million-dollar question. Either is fine, but I lean towards the brighter, more subtle flavour of white wine for this ragu. The inclusion of liquid should help pull the fond off the bottom of the pot. Just take a peek and make sure it's actually happening. Before you add the 56 grammes of tomato paste, work it into the other ingredients, then let the ragu cook for a few minutes so the paste has a chance to melt into all that delicious meat and veggies. Now there are just two ingredients left before the sauce simmers away for half the day: 794 grammes of tomato puree and 680 grammes of brown stock. I happen to have brown chicken stock on hand, but beef or brown veal stock fit the bill as well.

Once again, give the sauce a generous stir. Bring it up to a gentle simmer and let the ragu slowly bubble away for about four hours. Just make sure you check on it once in a while. Today I decided to break out my food processor. This way, I can skip blanching and pureeing my greens and instead add them directly to the flour. The dough takes a good beating too, which jumpstarts gluten formation. Okay, for the pasta, start by adding 225 grammes each of double zero and fine semolina flour. This blend gives you a soft yet sturdy dough with just a little bit of texture that can stand up to that hearty Bolognese.

Next, drop in 60 grammes of fresh spinach. You could easily sub out a different green here, but traditional lasagna alla Bolognese calls for spinach. Okay, pulse the machine on and off until the greens are completely broken down and incorporated into the flour. Then add two whole eggs and five large egg yolks, which are about 120 grammes and 90 grammes, respectively. Season the mixture with about a quarter teaspoon of sea salt; there is no need to be exact; a fat pinch will do here. Follow that up with a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, then pulse the food processor to bring all the ingredients together. At first, it'll look shaggy, then the dough will transform into this green, tacky, and slightly crumbly mass. Turn it out onto your counter, press the dough together, and knead it for a minute or two until it's one smooth hunk of pasta dough. Once you have it nice and compact, place the dough under a bowl or wrap it in some plastic film. Realistically, the dough only needs about 30 minutes or so to rest before you can work with it, so time things accordingly. Cut off about a third of the dough, then place the rest back under the bowl or wrap it in film again. This will keep it from forming skin while you work with it a little bit at a time. Flatten the dough out using your fingers, then continue with a rolling pin if you have one.

Essentially, you just want the dough thin enough so it doesn't tear on its meat and voyage through the pasta machine. Now dust the pasta with a little flour. Adjust the pasta rollers to their widest setting, then pass the dough through the machine, being careful not to let your fingers follow along. Oh, the pasta sheet will come out the other end a bit longer, so fold it over onto itself a few times and use a rolling pin or your fingers to thin it out. Remember, if the sheets are too thick, the machine might tear them.