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Ingredients
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled, coarsely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef chuck
- 1 pound ground pork
- 4 ounces pancetta (Italian bacon), finely chopped
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk, warmed
- Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
- Kosher salt
- Kosher salt
- Unsalted butter, room temperature (for dish)
- 2 cups finely grated Parmesan
- Special equipment: A pasta maker
Details
Servings 8
Adapted from epicurious.com
Preparation
Step 1
Up to two days ahead
Make the Bolognese sauce
Pulse onion, carrot, and celery
in a food processor until finely
chopped.
Heat olive oil in a large heavy
pot over medium heat. Add
ground beef, ground pork,
pancetta, and vegetables;
cook, breaking up ground meat
with a spoon, until moisture is
almost completely evaporated and meat is well browned,
25–30 minutes; season with
salt and pepper.
Add wine to pot and bring
to a boil, scraping up browned
bits from bottom of pot, about
2 minutes. Add milk; bring
to a boil, reduce heat, and
simmer until moisture is almost
completely evaporated, 8–10
minutes. Add tomatoes and
2 cups broth; bring to a boil,
reduce heat, and simmer, adding
water by 1/2-cupfuls if sauce
looks dry, until flavors meld and
sauce thickens, 2 1/2–3 hours.
Let sauce cool, then
cover and chill at least 12 hours
or up to 2 days. (Letting the
sauce sit will give it a deeper,
richer flavor.)
Up to one day ahead
Make the fresh pasta dough
Whisk salt and 3 cups flour in
a large bowl, make a well in the
center, and crack eggs into well. Mix eggs with a fork,
then slowly mix in flour until a
shaggy dough forms. Turn
out dough onto a lightly floured
surface and knead, dusting
lightly with flour if sticky, until
smooth, about 5 minutes (it
will be fairly stiff). Wrap in
plastic; let sit until dough holds
an indentation when pressed,
1–2 hours.
Chill dough if you are not
rolling it out right away. Bring to
room temperature before rolling
out, about 1 hour.
Make the noodles
Set pasta maker to thickest
setting; dust lightly with flour.
Divide dough into 4 pieces.
Working with 1 piece at a time
and keeping remaining dough
wrapped in plastic as you work,
flatten dough into a narrow
rectangle (no wider than mouth
of machine); pass through
rollers . Fold dough as
needed to fit and run through
again. Repeat without folding,
adjusting machine to thinner
settings after every pass and
dusting with flour if sticky, until
pasta sheet is 1/16" thick (setting
8 on most machines). Place
pasta sheets on a lightly floured
surface and cut crosswise into
16 8"-long noodles.
If making noodles ahead,
stack on a baking sheet with
a piece of parchment paper
between each layer. Cover with
plastic wrap; chill.
Make the béchamel
Heat butter in a medium saucepan
over medium heat until
foaming. Add flour and cook,
whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in warm milk,
1/2-cupful at a time. Bring sauce
to a boil, reduce heat, and
simmer, whisking often, until
the consistency of cream, 8–10
minutes; add nutmeg
and season with salt. Remove
from heat, transfer to a medium
bowl, and press plastic wrap
directly onto surface; let
cool slightly. Chill if not using
right away.
Day of
Reheat the sauces
Combine Bolognese sauce and
remaining 1 cup broth in a large
saucepan over medium heat,
and heat until sauce is warmed
through.
Meanwhile, if you made
the béchamel ahead of time,
heat in a medium saucepan
over low heat just until warmed
through (you don't want to let
it boil).
Cook the noodles
Working in batches, cook fresh
lasagna noodles in a large pot
of boiling salted water until just
softened, about 10 seconds.
Remove carefully with tongs and
transfer to a large bowl of ice
water; let cool. Drain noodles
and stack on a baking sheet,
with paper towels between each
layer, making sure noodles don't
touch (they'll stick together).
Assemble the lasagna
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a
13x9" baking dish with butter.
Spread 1/4 cup béchamel in
the prepared baking dish. Top
with a layer of noodles, spread
over a scant 3/4 cup Bolognese
sauce, then 1/2 cup béchamel,
and top with 1/4 cup Parmesan.
Repeat process 7 more times,
starting with noodles and
ending with Parmesan, for a
total of 8 layers. Place baking
dish on a rimmed baking sheet
and bake lasagna until bubbling
and beginning to brown on top,
50–60 minutes. Let lasagna sit
45 minutes before serving.
Lasagna can be assembled 12
hours ahead. Cover and chill. Let
sit at room temperature 2 hours
before baking. Cook, covered
with foil until the last 20 minutes,
then finish cooking uncovered.
how to sub store-bought
Homemade pasta is great:
It's rich, and can be rolled
very thin. But of course it's
not your only option:
Fresh store-bought:
Available in the refrigerated
section of specialty stores
and Italian grocers. Usually
a bit thicker than what
our recipe calls for but
still a good choice. Buy 1 1/2
pounds. Sizes vary by shop;
if needed, trim the noodles
during assembly to fill
pan without much overlap.
Dried: If you spot imported
dried egg noodles, they're
worth the splurge, but
standard supermarket
durum wheat will work just
fine (avoid no-boil, though).
Supermarket noodles
are thicker, so make fewer
layers. Cook 24 noodles
(1–1 1/2 boxes) per package
instructions; divide sauces
evenly among 6 layers.
Trim noodles as needed.
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