Lasagna Bologna (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Lasagna Bologna

11:39am Thursday 26th January 2006 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

UNLESS you are a gluten-free wheat-free consumer and if you are any thing like myself, you probably eat pasta once a week at the least.

I'm in Rome visiting a friend (a chef) we have been eating our way around Roma, debating on working conditions, coffee, pastry, fish, meat, wine and, of course, pasta.

I don't think there is an industry topic we have not talked about. Oh and typical of an Italian I have to lose every argument or I offend him. Or I receive the "how would you know if you are not Italian?".

My recipe is for lasagne Bologna while in Rome eats as Romans do. This is my recipe that my friend agrees is good, so I'm pleased.

Build your lasagne and enjoy this traditional first course. You will need a baking tray.

Remember Italians eat anything up to four courses so portions are quite small in non-tourist areas. The women never eat four courses if they do they never finish each course; I wish I could do the same.

* Ruth Hurren is head chef at Darcy's restaurant, Hatfield Road, St Albans. For more information telephone 01727 730777.

Lasagna Bologna

Grated mozzarella

Grated picoreno Parmesan

Dried instant lasagne sheets or fresh egg-based sheets

lt white sauce (bchamel sauce) as below

1 lt of meat sauce as below

To build your lasagne just continue to layer, each layer of pasta with a bit of both cheese and meat sauce.

You will need to bake the lasagne for 20 to 30 minutes and let it settle once out of the oven. The sauce is good for any pasta shape and freezes well.

Meat sauce

Ingredients

Half cup olive oil, medium blend; 1 large onion, diced; 1 large carrot, chopped or processed finely; 2 stalks of celery, chopped or processed finely; 2 cloves of garlic, crushed; 500g ground beef; 2 pieces pancetta or streaky bacon, diced finely; 2 bay leaves; half cup of red wine; 1 400g tin of whole Italian tomatoes; 1 tbls of tomato puree, crushed with your fingers; a tiny pinch of dried oregano or fresh, but just a little; salt and pepper.

Method

Heat half the oil and fry off vegetables one at a time for two minutes each, with medium heat.

In another pan heat the oil and add the bacon and beef and try to give it as much colour as possible.

Deglaze this with red wine and add to the vegetables. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and let it simmer; reduce by half, finish with salt and pepper, oregano and tomato pure then cook for a further five minutes and taste.

White sauce

Ingredients

400ml of warm milk, flavoured with a piece of onion with a bay leaf and a clove; 40 gms of butter; 60 grm of flour; One eigjth nutmeg fresh grated, or one pinch of dried; salt and pepper

Method

Heat pan, melt butter, add flour, stirring with a wooden spoon for about seven minutes.

Little by little add milk and keep stirring until you have a smooth sauce you may need a little extra milk as sauce should be thick but not stodgy. Remove studded onion.

Add nutmeg and salt and pepper. As soon as the sauce starts to bubble it is ready.