Lasagne alla Bolognese

Ragù

• olive oil2 tbsp
• butter30 g
• onion1
• carrot1
• celery2 stalk
• pancetta100 g
• beef mince500 g
• pork mince300 g
• whole milk250 ml
• dry white wine200 ml
• tomato passata500 g
• tomato paste2 tbsp
• beef stock300 ml
• bay leaf1
• nutmeg1 pinch
• salt
• black pepper

Béchamel

• butter70 g
• plain flour70 g
• whole milk900 ml
• nutmeg1 pinch
• salt

Assembly

• lasagne sheets250 g
• parmesan120 g
• butter

Ragù

1. 01

   Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery and pancetta. Warm the oil and butter in a large heavy pan over medium-low heat. Add the finely chopped onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until soft and sweet but not coloured.

2. 02

   Add the finely chopped pancetta and fry for 5 minutes until its fat has run. Turn the heat up, add the beef and pork mince and break the meat up with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 10 minutes, until no pink is left and the meat has started to catch and brown on the base of the pan.

3. 03

   Pour in the milk and grate in the nutmeg. Simmer, stirring now and then, until the milk has almost all been absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. This is what keeps the meat tender over a long simmer, so do not skip it.

4. 04

   Add the wine and let it bubble until it has nearly evaporated, scraping the sticky bits off the bottom of the pan as you stir.

5. 05

   Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, then add the passata, the stock, the bay leaf and a good grind of pepper. Bring to the barest simmer.

6. 06

   Leave the pan half covered and cook very gently for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so, until the ragù is thick, dark and glossy and the fat has separated at the edges. Add a splash of water if it dries out before the time is up. Season with salt and fish out the bay leaf.

Béchamel

7. 07

   Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until you have a pale, sandy paste that smells biscuity.

8. 08

   Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the milk a splash at a time, letting each addition go smooth before the next. Return to the heat and cook, whisking, for 5 to 8 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. It should still pour easily; a stiff béchamel makes a dry lasagne. Season with salt and nutmeg.

Assembly

9. 09

   Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Butter a deep baking dish of about 30 x 20 cm and spread a thin layer of ragù over the base.

10. 10

    Lay on a layer of pasta sheets, then a quarter of the remaining ragù, a ladle of béchamel spread to the corners and a scattering of parmesan. Repeat until you have four layers of pasta, keeping back enough béchamel and parmesan for the top.

11. 11

    Finish with a generous layer of béchamel and the rest of the parmesan, right up to the edges so the pasta underneath cannot dry out.

12. 12

    Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden and blistered and the sauce is bubbling up the sides. Cover loosely with foil if it browns before the time is up.

13. 13

    Let the lasagne rest for 15 minutes before cutting. Straight from the oven it will slump on the plate; rested, it holds its layers.