4th and Virginia: Lasagna

This is the best recipe for Lasagna ever. It comes from a cookbook called Culinaria Italia (see pic)

This cookbook has as many pictures as recipes, but it's not exactly laid out like a recipe book, it's organized by regions of Italy and the foods popular in each region. The recipes are all really delicious and traditionally Italian, not American-Italian, so you really get the local versions, and I would say the better versions of all things to do with Italian cooking.

I come back to this Lasagna recipe all the time. It's really rich and creamy, without all the cheesy gooey American way we think of it. And if you go the extra step to make homemade noodles, it's even better and totally melts in your mouth.

This time I took the easy way out and bought the noodles, but it was still really good. You can make this, and here we go step by step:

Important note. Don't let the pages stick together or you will end up with this. Oops. Luckily I know how to put it all together. Duh.

Carrots, celery, pancetta, onion. oregano - saute til soft.

Add a little white wine. Once it's cooked down, add 2 T tomato paste and a can of tomato sauce. Then add beef stock and some salt and pepper. Use the beef stock as it simmers to keep it from getting too thick.

Let simmer for at least an hour. Once all simmery and good, set aside. Secret note: sometimes I will add chicken liver to the meat of this ragu, and sometimes I will add some anchovy. You don't need to tell anyone you did it, it will taste really good, and all the people who say they hate liver will wonder why this is the best sauce they ever tasted.

Next best thing for a good traditional lasagna, bechamel sauce. Sounds fancy, not fancy. Just butter, flour, milk and salt. You may add pepper at the end which I did, some people like to add a little nutmeg, whatever, it's just the best addition to your lasagna. Your're welcome.

Start your noodles. The water takes forever to boil, and your lasagna noodles take a while to cook, especially if they are store bought. Watch that they don't clump in the bottom of your pot, or stick together and break up. Pull out when al dente - dont let them get too soggy.

Parmesan cheese - grate. Have enough for the top layer of your lasagna, don't put it between layers, it's rich enough without it.

Start layering. Bechamel fist, then pasta, then meat. Then repeat til your lasagna is as tall as you want it.

I made one and a spare for the freezer.

Ready for freezer or oven. Cook at 375 I think, for about 30 minutes, everything is already cooked, so you are just melting the cheese and reheating til it's all bubbling away.