And now for my mommy’s lasagna recipe!
Graziella’s Lasagna
This creamy Italian dish came from a family friend while my family was living in Milan, Italy. The key ingredients are the besciamella and the sofritto in the Bolognese sauce.
Bolognese sauce
2 tbs. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced thinly
4 stalks celery, sliced thinly
1.5-2 lbs. ground beef or veal
1 can chopped tomatoes (or a similar substitute)
2 cans tomato sauce
1 tbs. oregano
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbs. thyme
1 tbs. basil
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
Sauté the onion, carrots and celery until onion is tender but not golden. This is called a soffrito. Add the garlic and sauté briefly. Add the meat and brown it. Drain the fat. Add remaining ingredients and one can of water. Simmer 1/2 hour. Remove bay leaf.
Bescimillia sauce
1 pint heavy cream
2 cups milk
4 tbs. butter or margarine
4 tbs. flour
1tsp salt
1tsp white pepper (if available, if not use black pepper)
1 tsp. nutmeg
Melt the butter and blend in the flour, salt and pepper. Add the cream and milk. Increase heat to high and whisk constantly until mixture boils. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg.
Assembling lasagna
15 lasagna noodles
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Boil 3 quarts of water. Determine how many noodles will fit in one layer in your pan. When water boils, cook that many noodles until they are flexible, but not quite al dente. Use a tongs to lift them from the water and place in a layer in the pan (this assumes a 10 x 14 pan). Layer 1/3 of the meat sauce and then 1/3 of the bescimellia sauce. Repeat twice. Top with cheese. Bake in a 350 oven for 45 minutes.