Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce - Recipe #64

Warning - this is not a weeknight supper, unless you have at least 4-5 hours of time available to you. Meat ragout is simmered on the stove in red wine and beef stock for 3-5 hours, filling the kitchen with savory scents. This is layered with a stove-top bechemel sauce and parmesan cheese before baking for about 40 minutes. This lasagna is for a slow food night, when you have all the time in the world to spend with friends or family. In the interest of full-disclosure, most of the time this is not the way I cook and eat (though I have great intentions), so this may be the only time I prepare this recipe. If I do make it again, I'll make a few corrections - add a little more parmesan and make sure that the top layer is well-moistened with sauce or cheese, as my top layer turned out much crispier than I like. I'm on a roll making recipes from my aunt. She and my uncle have taken a few cooking classes in Italy. This isn't labeled as being one of those recipes, but I like to pretend that it is.

Meat Ragout

• 2 lbs. ground beef, 7% fat
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 red onion
• 2 large carrots
• 1 stick celery
• some chopped Italian parsley (q.b. or whatever is best)
• 3-4 T. olive oil
• 1 large can tomatoes, crushed (24-26 oz.)
• 1 - 2 c. wine
• Salt and pepper
• one or two sage leaves (I substituted dried sage, even though I have a fresh sage source a few blocks away that I've been invited to use when needed)
• beef stock

Finely chop vegetables and simmer in olive oil over a lively flame, stirring often. When the vegetables have changed color and become translucent, add the meat, letting it brown on a high flame (no salt at this time; meat must lose its color).

Add a glass of red wine, simmer gently and leave to evaporate. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper.

Cook on low heat, occasionally adding stock, for at least 3-5 hours. Add sage leaves (if you want) 1/2 hour before the sauce is cooked. Sage darkens the color of the sauce. If you want strong sage, add with the vegetables; medium add before tomatoes and mild at the end.

Bechamel Sauce

• 4 c. milk
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1/2 c. flour
• white pepper
• nutmeg
• salt

Melt butter in pan. Add flour. Stir mixture well and allow to turn a light brown color. Add milk. Continue stirring until sauce begins to bubble. Cook for one minute longer and remove from heat. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Building the lasagna

Cook noodles in salted water. Drain noodles. Rinse with cool water and then dry on a towel. Spread some butter in bottom of 9¨ x 13¨ pan. Put in one layer of lasagna, ragout sauce, bechamel sauce, and parmesan. Recipe calls for doing this once more (my aunt usually makes three layers of lasagna). On top, add pats of butter and bake in a hot oven (about 400 degrees) for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.