Ingredients

The following ingredients have 7 Servings
  • 3 cups of “00” flour
  • plus additional for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
  • 3 large free-range organic eggs
  • 1 large free-range organic egg yolk
  • About 2 tablespoons warm water
  • 1 to 1/2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 carrot
  • finely chopped
  • 1 small rib celery with leafy top
  • finely chopped
  • 1 small onion
  • finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • finely chopped
  • 1 pound ground veal
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
  • finely chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3 cups chicken/veal stock
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 5 tablespoons flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • warmed
  • Salt and pepper
  • Freshly ground nutmeg
  • to taste
  • For the Lasagna: Salt
  • 8 sheets fresh egg pasta or 16 no-boil lasagna sheets
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • Chopped flat-leaf parsley (garnish)

Instruction

  • For the pasta, on a large work surface, combine the flour and salt; make a well
  • Add the whole eggs, egg yolk, water and EVOO to the well and mix with a fork
  • Using the fork, start pulling the flour into the well to make a sticky dough, then work in the flour a little at a time with your hands to fully incorporate
  • Knead the dough in one direction away from your body, turning it into a smooth and elastic dough, 5-10 minutes
  • Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for about 30 minutes
  • Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces with a bench scraper
  • Working with one piece of dough at a time (keep the dough that you are not working with under a clean kitchen towel to keep it from drying out), set your pasta machine to the widest setting and pass the dough through
  • Fold the dough over on itself in thirds and pass through the pasta machine three more times
  • Next, pass the dough through the machine decreasing the width with each pass until the dough is at the second to last setting, forming a 1/16-inch thick sheet
  • Cut the long sheet in half crosswise and place the sheets on parchment paper dusted with flour
  • Repeat this process with each piece of dough
  • For the lasagna, use the whole sheet or cut each sheet crosswise into thirds if it is easier to layer them this way
  • Make the ragu: In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium heat
  • When it ripples, melt in the butter
  • Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic; partially cover and cook until the vegetables are softened, 7-8 minutes
  • Add the meat, sage, rosemary, bay leaf and cloves, and season with salt and pepper
  • Cook, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it browns
  • Deglaze the pan with the wine, let it cook off then add the tomato paste and cook until it has been absorbed
  • Add stock and simmer for 30 minutes
  • Discard the bay leaf
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F
  • Make the besciamella: In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat
  • Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute
  • Whisk in the milk and season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg
  • Cook the sauce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon
  • If using fresh pasta sheets, heat a large and wide pot of water to a low rolling boil
  • Fill a pan with ice and water
  • Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta sheets 2 at a time for about 2 minutes
  • Cold-shock the sheets in the ice water to stop the cooking process
  • Drain on a clean kitchen towel and transfer to parchment paper
  • Stack the sheets neatly (you can do this ahead and freeze or store in the fridge until ready to use)
  • Coat the bottom of a 9x13” lasagna pan or two 8” square pans with a thin layer of besciamella
  • Add a pasta sheet or sheets, top with the besciamella and the ragu in thin layers, and sprinkle with cheese
  • Repeat the layering to the top of the pan(s), ending with besciamella and cheese
  • Bake until browned and bubbling, 30-35 minutes (1 hour if using dried pasta)
  • Top with parsley and let stand for 20 minutes before cutting and serving