Hubby and middle son, Matt, like my lasagna so we decided I would make some. Actually I think all my boys like my lasagna!  They sure could eat a panfull of it when they were all still living here at home. It takes me the better part of a day to make a pan of it when I make the pasta for it by hand, I used one of those no-boil types on this lasagna and am not real happy with the outcome of it, the taste of the dish on the whole is fine but the pasta component is a little too thick and heavy for my taste. When I make the pasta fresh by hand I roll it out extremely thin and the dish seems lighter. Oh well, there is always another lasagna waiting to be made! There are two different sauce components to my lasagna and I make them the day before I assemble the dish. The first is a bechamel, in essense a heavy white sauce, I add some of this to the meat layer when I assemble the dish and then top the dish with it and parmesan, use the best parmesan you can afford and grate it fresh. If you are going to go to all the work to make my lasagna then make it the best you can and that means use the best ingredients you can, after all as they say, you’re worth it. The second sauce is a bolognese, pretty much a long simmered meat sauce, again use a good quality meat so you don’t end up with a greasy sauce.  For the rest of the cheese components I use whole milk riccota and whole milk mozzarella.

                                                    Bechamel Sauce

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, don’t use margerine

4  tablespoons all purpose flour

3  cups half & half or light cream, warmed over low heat

few grinds fresh pepper

In a heavy medium saucepan melt the butter, when melted whisk in the flour, cook over low heat until it starts to color a very little, about 4 minutes, whisk it constantly. Little by little start adding the warmed cream whisking it constantly, when all added let the sauce come to a gentle simmer, whisk it often to make sure it doesn’t scorch. Continue cooking it for 5 minutes, taste for seasoning and to make sure the raw flour taste is cooked out.  Remove from the heat and place some plastic wrap over the surface to make sure it doesn’t form a skin. When it cools cover it well and place in refridgerator.

                                                   Matties Bolognese

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 scraped carrots

2 stalks celery, washed

3 cloves garlic smashed

1 cup white wine

 1 cup light or heavy cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano

2   28 ounce cans ground tomatoes, I use the Pastene brand

1  small can tomato paste

1 teaspoon sugar

Grind the carrots, garlic, oregano and celery in a Ninja or food processor until they are almost a paste. Heat a large heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat, when it is hot add the oil and heat it. When the oil is hot add the vegetable paste and cook and stir it until it gets browned in the pan, stir often so it doesn’t burn on the bottom, you want it just browned. When it is well browned start adding the meat and cooking it, when all the meat is browned and no pink remains add the wine and let it simmer until it is almost gone. Add the cream and do the same, cook and stir it until the meat mixture absorbs it, add the salt and crushed pepper and mix well. Add the tomato paste and cook with the meat mixture until it colors a little. When the meat and tomato paste mixture darkens a little add the ground tomatoes and one can of water, and the sugar and mix well, continue to all ow the sauce to simmer for another hour, stir often. Turn off let cool then refridgerate overnight so the flavors blend.

                                                        Lasagna

 15-18  fresh or dried lasagna noodles

2 pounds whole milk mozzarella cheese, sliced or grated

2 15 ounce containers whole milk ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 teaspoon mixed italian herbs

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1  1/2   cups freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 recipe bolognese

1 recipe bechamel

Cook lasagna noodles until al dente, rinse in cold water and lay out on towels to dry, put in a single layer, don’t stack them.

Mix the ricotta with the egg, salt, pepper, italian herbs and a handful of the parmesan.

In a 15 by 10 inch deep roasting pan put a layer of your favorite tomato sauce, lay down a row of noodles over it. Cover the pasta with a layer of mozzarella and a little sauce, lay another row of pasta down. Sprinkle with a light layer of mozzarella, cover with a thick layer of the bolognese, dot some of the thickend bechamel over the meat mixture, cover with another layer of pasta. Cover the pasta with a sprinkle of mozzarella and then all of the ricotta mixture, top with another layer of pasta. Put the rest of the mozarella over the pasta and a little bit of the bolognese, sprinkle with the bechamel. Cover with another layer of pasta and spread the rest of the bechamel over the top, sprinkle with the rest of the parmesan and then cover the dish with foil. Place on a flat cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour, remove and let it sit for 1/2 hour then cut and serve. We usually let it sit until the next day and then eat it, it is easier to cut, and the flavors blend better. To reheat it cut into serving size pieces, place in shallow bowls or oval casseroles, cover with some tomato sauce and mozzarella and microwave at 50 percent power for 10 minutes covered.

This dish is a lot of work but it is worth it, it also freezes in portion size pieces for those nights when you don’t feel like cooking. If you give it a try I hope you enjoy it.