Lasagne Verdi al Forno
Description
This lasagne verde from Italy's Emilia-Romagna region features homemade spinach pasta sheets layered with meat ragu, béchamel, ricotta, and Parmesan
Ingredients
•
5 ounces spinach - rinsed, stemmed, and dried
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5/8 cup semolina flour
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2 eggs
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1 teaspoon salt
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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
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2 tablespoons butter
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1 carrot, diced
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1 stalk celery, diced
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1 onion, diced
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2 slices bacon, diced
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3 1/2 ounces lean ground pork
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3 1/2 ounces lean ground beef
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3 1/2 ounces minced ham
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1 cup beef stock
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2 tablespoons tomato paste
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1 teaspoon dried oregano
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salt and pepper to taste
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3 1/2 ounces chicken livers, trimmed and chopped
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2 tablespoons butter
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2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
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2 cups warm milk
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1 pinch salt
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1 pinch ground nutmeg
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1 pint ricotta cheese
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1 2/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
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3 tablespoons butter
Directions
1
Make pasta: Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add spinach, cover, and steam until bright green, about 2 minutes. Squeeze spinach to remove excess moisture and process in a food processor to make a paste. Add semolina, eggs, and salt; process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in enough flour to make a smooth dough. Knead briefly, then cover with a dish towel and set aside.
2
Make ragu: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook and stir carrot, celery, onion, and bacon in hot butter until onion is translucent. Stir in pork, beef, and ham; cook and stir until crumbly and browned. Stir in beef stock, tomato paste, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3
While ragu is simmering, make béchamel: Combine butter and flour in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk to make a roux. Remove from heat, let rest for 1 minute, then whisk in warm milk. Return to heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Season with salt and nutmeg. Remove from heat.
4
Cook pasta: Prepare an ice bath. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. On a floured surface, divide pasta dough into 3 portions. Roll each portion out to a thin sheet. Cook each pasta sheet in boiling water for 3 minutes; remove and dip in ice water; drain and dry on a clean cloth.
5
Finish ragu: Stir chicken livers into simmering sauce. Cook for 1 minute, remove from heat, and set aside.
6
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
7
Assemble lasagna: Place 1 pasta sheet in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spread 1/3 of the ragu, 1/4 of the béchamel, 1/3 of the ricotta, and 1/4 of the Parmesan over pasta. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining béchamel and Parmesan; dot with butter.
8
Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.