Delicious homemade lasagna (plus dough recipe)
Description
This recipe might seem labor-intensive, but the result will be so satisfying that it's worth the effort. The lasagna dough should turn out elastic. It may expand during cooking, so keep this in mind when cutting the sheets. Avoid applying very thick layers of sauce, otherwise the lasagna will "float" in the baking dish and become too moist. This recipe yields a very large portion, so invite plenty of guests.
Instructions
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Step 1
1. Let's start preparing the Bolognese sauce. First, finely chop the vegetables: carrots, onion, and celery. You can do this in a blender. Heat a frying pan, add a little oil, then add the vegetables, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
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Step 2
2. You can use store-bought ground meat. But it's better to make it yourself. Pass pork and beef in a 1:1 ratio through a meat grinder.
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Step 3
3. Add 100 ml of wine and 100 ml of broth (or water, if necessary) to the sautéed vegetables.
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Step 4
4. As soon as the liquid in the pan begins to boil, add the minced meat and mix. After a couple of minutes, add the tomatoes (tomato paste or grated fresh tomatoes without skin). It's still too early to season at this stage; you can add just a pinch of salt. Simmer for about 1.5 hours over low heat, covered, until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Half an hour before it's done, add salt and pepper.
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Step 5
5. To prepare the "Béchamel" sauce, follow these precise instructions. Warm the milk in a saucepan, but do not bring it to a boil. In a second saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour, and quickly whisk it to cook the flour in the butter. Turn off the heat to prevent burning.
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Step 6
6. Gradually add the milk a little at a time with a ladle, using it to thin the butter and flour mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming. When only a small amount of milk remains, add to it 2 pinches of nutmeg and half a teaspoon of salt. Then place the sauce over low heat and stir for 3–4 minutes until thickened. Our goal is to achieve a thick, smooth sauce with a uniform consistency.
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Step 7
7. Now prepare the dough. Mix the eggs in a blender container (do not whisk with a whisk to avoid foam). Then add corn and wheat flour and knead the dough until smooth. Shape it into a ball—it should be firm. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30–40 minutes.
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Step 8
8. Grate the Parmesan on a fine grater and the mozzarella on a coarse one. Choose mozzarella for pizza or lasagna, not for salads—it's a bit different.
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Step 9
9. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, divide it into 3 parts, and knead each part thoroughly by hand. Then roll out the dough into approximately a rectangular shape and cut it in half.
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Step 10
10. Roll out each half as thinly as possible until the dough becomes semi-transparent. Next, determine the size of the sheets, which directly depends on the baking pan. It's better to cut the dough into pieces again and roll them out slightly. Periodically dust with flour if necessary.
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Step 11
11. The rolled-out sheets need to be boiled. Add salt and sunflower oil to boiling water. Boil each dough sheet for no more than a minute, then remove it with a slotted spoon and dip it into a container with cold water for a couple of minutes. Place the sheets in a colander to drain the water.
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Step 12
12. The final stage is assembling the lasagna. Layer everything in a baking dish. Start with a little béchamel sauce on the bottom, then add the pasta. Next, add the meat—don't use too much. Lightly sprinkle with grated Parmesan, then cover with another layer of pasta sheets. Add a little more béchamel sauce, then top with mozzarella. Add another layer of pasta sheets, then ragù... and continue alternating layers until the top. The final layer should consist of pasta and béchamel, covered with cheese.
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Step 13
13. Bake the lasagna for 25 minutes in an oven preheated to 180°C. After cooking, let it stand for 10–15 minutes, allowing the pasta to absorb the moisture from the sauces. It turns out divine!