Classic Lasagna

Name: Classic Lasagna
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 8 lasagna sheets (i used barilla); 100g parmesan (i used the aromatic version but if you don't have it, use plain grated parmesan); a drop of oil

September 23, 2009

Pork Veal Italian Pasta Meat Dishes

It's pointless to advertise it anymore - lasagna is lasagna and I don't think there's anyone who doesn't like it or hasn't tasted it at least once. I'll just tell you that my new green Parmesan has transformed my lasagna - I thought it couldn't get any better than what I make, but I was wrong. So before you is the best lasagna I've ever made.

And one more small observation. Lasagna in this form is quite labor-intensive, but if you prepare the ragù sauce a day ahead, everything becomes faster. Or you can prepare several portions of ragù and freeze them because it keeps very well.

Ingredients

8 lasagna sheets (I used Barilla)
1 portion ragù
100g Parmesan (I used the aromatic version but if you don't have it, use plain grated Parmesan)
2 portions béchamel sauce (made with 600ml milk)
a drop of oil

Servings: 4 large

How to prepare classic lasagna

The ragù sauce can be prepared 2-3 days in advance following the recipe here. Keep it in the refrigerator and warm it slightly when using it for the lasagna.
* the sauce is sufficient for the pan I used, and you'll even have about 2 ladles of sauce left over.
Prepare a 20 x 20 cm pan (I used a square Pyrex dish) by greasing it with a drop of oil, including the sides.
Bring a wide pot with plenty of water and a teaspoon of salt to a boil. When it starts boiling, add 3-4 lasagna sheets at a time (or more, depending on the size of the pot, but they shouldn't be crowded) and let them cook over lower heat until they rise to the surface (or follow the package instructions for cooking). I used Barilla lasagna sheets which said they don't need pre-cooking, but I cooked them anyway (which I recommend to you as well) so the béchamel sauce doesn't become too runny. When they rise, remove the sheets onto a large cotton towel to drain. To remove them, I use a knife which I slide under the middle of the lasagna sheet, lift it gently and then flip it onto the towel.
When all the sheets are ready, prepare the béchamel sauce following the recipe here, but doubling the quantities: meaning you'll use 100g butter, 2 heaping tablespoons flour, 600ml milk... this time I also added a little nutmeg to the béchamel to "match" the ragù sauce.
* the sauce should have a fairly soft consistency, meaning if you pick it up with a spoon it should flow easily off it. If it seems too thick, gradually add a little more milk.
In the prepared pan, pour a little béchamel sauce on the bottom and spread it with that sauce.
Then place 2 lasagna sheets, slightly overlapping.
Pour about 2 ladles of ragù sauce over the sheets and level the layer with the back of a spoon.
Then pour a few generous spoonfuls of béchamel sauce, distributing it over the entire surface.
Sprinkle Parmesan over the entire surface.
* I used aromatic Parmesan in the version without garlic
Continue the layers: lasagna sheet again, ragù, béchamel sauce, Parmesan until you place the last sheets on top.
On the last layer, pour only béchamel sauce (no more ragù) and then sprinkle plenty of Parmesan.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes at 190°C.
To get an even crust, and therefore more attractive, I removed the foil and turned on the grill (heat from above) and let it brown for a few minutes (I watched until I liked how the crust looked). If you don't have this option on your oven, just remove the foil and let it brown.
Let it cool for 10-15 minutes and then serve. It's also very good reheated in the microwave or oven.