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Biba's Introduction

Spinach Lasagna: Lasagna Verde alla Bologanese

For the Bolognese meat sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium-size onion, finely minced
1 small carrot, finely minced
1 small stalk celery, finely minced
2 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
1 pound ground veal
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups canned imported Italian tomatoes with their juice, put through a strainer or a food mill to remove the seeds
1 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade
2 tablespoons milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Lasagna:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons finely chopped cooked fresh or frozen spinach

For the Béchamel sauce:
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt

To complete the dish:
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1-tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Note of interest: The Bolognese meat sauce yields about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of sauce. You might want to double or triple the recipe and freeze what you don't use right away. It can be used over any kind of pasta.

Preparing the Sauce:
To prepare the Bolognese sauce, heat the butter and oil in a medium-size skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the pancetta and veal and cook, stirring to break up the meat with a large spoon, until the meat loses its raw color, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it is almost all reduced 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, and milk, and season with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat about 1 hour, stirring a few times. When done the sauce should have a medium-thick consistency. If too dry, add a bit more broth. Keep warm.

Prepare the Pasta:
Using the flour, eggs, and spinach in this recipe: Roll out the dough into lasagna and cut to fit your baking pan.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and no more than 3 or 4 sheets of pasta at a time. As soon as the water comes to a boil, cook the sheets no longer than 1 minute. Scoop up the sheets with a large skimmer or slotted spoon, trying not to break them, and place in a bowl of cold water to cool and untangle. Remove the pasta sheets immediately and lay on kitchen towels. Pat dry with another kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets.

Prepare the Béchamel Sauce:
Heat the milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the butter foams, add the flour, lower the heat to medium-low, and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon or a small whisk. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes, making sure not to let the flour turn brown. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the hot milk all at once. Mix energetically to prevent lumps. Put the saucepan back over low heat, season with salt, and cook gently, stirring constantly, until the sauce has a medium-thick consistency, 3 to 4 minutes. If the béchamel is too thick, stir in a bit more milk. If it is too thin, cook a bit longer. (Makes approximately 3 cups sauce.) (For preparing the béchamel ahead, see below)Preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter the bottom and sides of your lasagna pan generously. Add the béchamel to the meat sauce and mix well to combine. Cover the bottom of the pan with sheets of pasta, trimming the pasta to fit the pan. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with Parmigiano. Repeat the process, layering pasta, meat-béchamel sauce, and Parmigiano for an additional 7 layers. Dot the last layer of pasta with butter. (The lasagna may be prepared and assembled up to this point 1 day ahead. Refrigerate tightly wrapped. Before baking, leave the lasagna at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.)

Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the top of the lasagna is lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and let it set a few minutes before serving.