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Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)

Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)

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The March Daring Baker’s challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno) from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.  Let me say there are a few steps and the recipe may seem intimidating but it is so worth it as this is one of the best lasagnes I have ever made.  

Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)

 

I thought I had until the end of the month to finish my Daring Bakers challenge.  Planned out the meal for the weekend.  Then I got a Tweet that the date had been moved up to the 27th.  Oh well, nothing like waiting until last minute!  I was kind of nervous when I started making this recipe for Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno) at 2 pm.  I had seen a few tweets that it was an all-day project.  I thought for sure we would be eating at 10 pm, just as we would be if we were in Italy.

I have always wanted to make a traditional ragu but have always thought it would be too much work.  Thanks to this challenge I finally did it.  I made the ragu first.  The recipe calls for veal, pork, beef, pancetta, and prosciutto which I grabbed from a local neighborhood butcher.  When I got home I ground all the meats together with the prosciutto.   I wanted my minced veggies to be very fine so I ground them with the pancetta, the texture was perfect for ragu. 

I had just enough left over beef stock from a while back, so I used that.  As well I did not use plum tomatoes as I had a container of frozen dry farmed ones, so in they went.  The sauce smelled so good while it was cooking and it was very flavorful.  The meat came out so tender, thanks to adding milk during the simmering process.  I would serve this sauce alone with pasta.  

While the sauce was cooking, I made my lasagne noodles.  I was kind of concerned about making it without a pasta machine, but I had to make due with what I had, a rolling pin.  I did have a bit of a problem getting the dough to come together, but after adding two more eggs, it was perfect.  I don’t think my eggs were “jumbo” enough.  I had visions of struggling with the rolling as I did when I made ravioli.  Luckily, Jeff and Andy gifted me a new French rolling pin and it was a dream for rolling out the lasgne.  It was so much easier to get the dough very thin.  In fact, after cutting my sheets for the lasagna pan, I had plenty leftover to make noodles for another time.

The process was coming together really well, and it was only 5 pm.  Who was I?  I was relaxed, and it was time to pour a glass of Italian wine, as we would be eating at a normal time.

I made the Bechamel sauce right before putting everything together.  I love making bechamel sauce, it is guilty pleasure.  They are so easy and you can use them in pasta dishes, gratins, etc..  Sometimes I add cheese and sometimes I keep it simple as this recipe calls for.  I was going to skip the nutmeg but am glad I didn’t as it went really well with this recipe.

Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)

Overall this recipe for Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno) came out perfectly and rather quickly.  The pasta could have been a little thinner.  The ragu is fantastic, we really loved the flavors of the smoky prosciutto coming through, the silkiness of the veal and the richness of the other meats.  The nutmeg of the bechamel was fantastic as well, and I normally do not like nutmeg in my savory recipes.

This is a lovely rustic lasagna, that we will be eating again and I think you should as well!

Thank you to our lovely hosts for picking a fantastic challenge.  

 

Recipe:  Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)

from The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food by Lynne Rossetto Kasper
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)

Ingredients:

10 quarts (9 liters) salted water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce
1 recipe Country Style Ragu
1 cup (4 oz./125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

How To:

Working ahead: The ragu and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The ragu can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagna can wait at room temperature (20°C/68°F) about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of béchamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot.

Assembling the ingredients: Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Have a large perforated skimmer and a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Spread a double thickness of paper towels over a large counter space. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Oil or butter a 3 quart (approx 3 litres) shallow baking dish.

Cooking the pasta: Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop about four pieces of pasta in the water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender. Lift the lasagne from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked.

Assembling the lasagne: Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer of béchamel (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the ragu. Sprinkle with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the béchamel and about 1/3 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and topping with a generous dusting of cheese.

Baking and serving the lasagne: Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagne. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Take care not to brown the cheese topping. It should be melted, creamy looking and barely tinged with a little gold. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagne rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve. This is not a solid lasagne, but a moist one that slips a bit when it is cut and served.

spinach egg pasta (pasta verde)

Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.

Ingredients:

2 jumbo eggs (2 oz./60g or more)
10 oz. (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 oz. (170g) frozen chopped spinach defrosted and squeezed dry
3 1/2 cups (14 oz./400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

How To:

Working by hand you will need:  A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired. A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough. A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta. Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly. A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets. Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta.

Mixing the dough: Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.

Kneading: With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Stretching and thinning: If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more. Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time. Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm).

Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

Béchamel

Ingredients:

4 tbsps (2 oz./60g) unsalted butter
4 tbsps (2 oz./60g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour, organic stone ground preferred
2 2/3 cups (approx 570ml) milk
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
nutmeg to taste, freshly grated

How To:

Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat.

Sift over the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes.

Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth.

Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

Country style ragu’ (ragu alla contadina)

makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta or 1 pound/450g dried pasta)

Ingredients:

3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil (45 mL)
2 oz./60g pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium stalk celery with leaves, minced
1 small carrot, minced
4 oz./125g boneless veal shoulder or round
4 oz./125g pork loin, trimmed of fat, or 4 ounces/125g mild Italian sausages (made without fennel)
8 ounces/250g beef skirt steak, hanging tender, or boneless chuck blade or chuck center cut (in order of preference)
1 oz./30g thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma
2/3 cup (5 oz./160ml) dry red wine
1 1/2 cups (12 oz./375ml) chicken or beef stock (homemade if possible)
2 cups (16 oz./500ml) milk
3 canned plum tomatoes, drained
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

How To:

Working ahead: The ragu can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. It also freezes well for up to 1 month. Skim the fat from the ragu’ before using it.

Browning the ragu base: Heat the olive oil in a 12 inch (30cm) skillet (frying pan) over medium-high heat. Have a large saucepan handy to use once browning is complete. Add the pancetta and minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color. Coarsely grind all the meats together, including the prosciutto, in a food processor or meat grinder. Stir into the pan and slowly brown over medium heat. First, the meats will give off a liquid and turn dull grey but, as the liquid evaporates, browning will begin. Stir often, scooping under the meats with the wooden spatula. Protect the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan by turning the heat down. Cook 15 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown. Turn the contents of the skillet into a strainer and shake out the fat. Turn them into the saucepan and set over medium heat.

Reducing and Simmering: Add the wine to the skillet, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir occasionally until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown glaze as the wine bubbles. Then pour the reduced wine into the saucepan and set the skillet aside. Stir 1/2 cup stock into the saucepan and let it bubble slowly 10 minutes, or until totally evaporated. Repeat with another ½ cup stock. Stir in the last 1/2 cup stock along with the milk. Adjust heat so the liquid bubbles very slowly. Partially cover the pot, and cook 1 hour. Stir frequently to check for sticking. Add the tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pot. Cook uncovered, at a very slow bubble for another 45 minutes, or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper.

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Chicken Coop

Thursday 2nd of July 2009

Great post thank you (why i cant subscribe to your feed ? i keep getting an error)Thanks

admin

Tuesday 7th of July 2009

I checked out our RSS and it is working fine. If you still have problems email us at [email protected] and we can set you up on our end!

z of the Harvester

Thursday 2nd of April 2009

holy crap that makes me hungry.. if only I had that in the stove rather than some lame burritos

cheers

-the Harvester

Andrea

Monday 30th of March 2009

Your pasta looks beautiful, and the lasagna turned out scrumptious. Nicely done!

Susan at Sticky,Gooey,Creamy,Chewy

Monday 30th of March 2009

You got it done! Yay! The date change threw me off as well.

Your lasagne looks absolutely perfect! Molto delicioso! I love the photos too, especially the first one. Very artsy! :)

Peter

Monday 30th of March 2009

Bravissimo...the lasangna looks delish and it held up well.