How to make lasagne alla bolognese

This year there will be more fresh pasta recipes here on the blog, I told myself as I rolled out the green spinach sheets for the lasagne alla Bolognese we ate to celebrate with my family the first day of the year.

Until last year I used to make fresh pasta at least two or three times a week, thanks to my cooking classes: ravioli, tortelli, tagliatelle and tagliolini, and especially pici. Then pregnancy and the pandemic took over, and we suspended the classes. I almost stopped making fresh pasta, leaving it only for special occasions or for a few recipes to test for the blog, or for some clients.

This year, searching for a new normality, I decided to include fresh pasta in my good intentions, or rather, in my daily rituals, in the gestures that I want to make essential, fluid, an anchor to the present, to the here and now.

During these festive days, I have been cooking a lot, testing recipes for our next cookbook and dedicating myself to the classics of Italian cuisine, such as lasagne alla Bolognese.

There’s a sense of comfort in cooking traditional recipes: it is a taste that is part of our DNA, a sparkle that awakens shared memories of happiness and family. You feel also a sense of relief, because you realize that everything already works perfectly, from the ingredient pairing to the textures. Innovation and experimentation are always welcomed in my kitchen, even though they are certainly not my signature traits. Every now and then, though, it is good to rely on what others have already fine tuned for us, trusting a traditional recipe and sending gratitude to the universe and to the array of home chefs that have cooked that dish for years, or centuries, creating a classic.

Lasagne alla bolognese, with ragù Bolognese, béchamel sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano

Recipe developed in collaboration with  Cecchi.

The history of the Cecchi family began in 1893 with Luigi Cecchi, an extremely talented wine taster. The Cecchis soon became famous abroad for their skills. In the 1970s they moved to Castellina in Chianti, in the area historically famous for the production of Chianti Classico, and there they began their wine making adventure. In the following years, they expanded their production areas as to include San Gimignano, where they produce a renowned local white wine, Vernaccia, and Maremma.

Cecchi was one of the pioneers of wine production in Maremma, where they make one of the most representative local wines, Morellino di Scansano, and a Merlot.

La Mora Merlot is the wine that inspired today’s recipe. It has all the varietal characteristics and those of Maremma where it grows, with an intense, deep purple red hue. Perfectly balanced, fruity, and complex, La Mora is a silky wine rounded out with fine and velvety tannins. It is a perfect pairing for pasta dishes with robust meat sauces or game, but also for grilled meats. Given the festive climate, I immediately thought of lasagne. Given my desire for classics, I opted for lasagne alla Bolognese, to start the year off on the right foot.

The ingredients of lasagne alla Bolognese

Besides spinach lasagne sheets and a proper ragù Bolognese, we stick to the classics. A soft béchamel sauce, scented with nutmeg, and a shower of grated Parmigiano Reggiano. These are the essential ingredients of lasagne Alla Bolognese. Ricotta is not a traditional ingredient in the classic lasagne alla Bolognese.

Fresh pasta

To make lasagne alla Bolognese by the book, you should use fresh spinach lasagne sheets, as per the Emilian tradition. Kneaded with fresh eggs and spinach and rolled out very thinly, they are cooked for less than a minute in boiling water. It is important to pass them immediately afterwards under cold water and dry the excess moisture on a clean cloth. They look delicate, but once cooked, they gain strength and, as a consequence, they are the backbone of the lasagne.

Here you can find a recipe to make tagliatelle paglia e fieno, hay and straw tagliatelle, another classic sporting fresh spinach pasta as a key ingredient.

The ragù

The ragù is the Bolognese sauce, which is different from my family Tuscan ragù. In the Bolognese ragù you use a dry white wine instead our robust Chianti red wine, a smaller amount of vegetables than in my grandmother’s meat sauce, and, above all, you pour in the pot a glass of milk, which softens the acidity of the tomatoes. What this ragù has in common with ours, though, is the use of mixed ground meat, not only beef but also pork, for a good amount of fat, and a slow. long simmering. I’m talking about hours.

Patience and moderation

I learnt about the importance of these ingredients from my grandmother. They are the key to perfectly replicating her lasagne, or pasta al forno, as we call it. They can certainly be applied to lasagne alla Bolognese as well.

You need patience, in kneading and resting the fresh pasta, rolling out the lasagna sheets, cooking and drying them. It takes patience to prepare a proper ragù, in which all the flavours blend with time. But above all, it takes patience to wait, because for me lasagne always tastes much better the next day.

Moderation comes into play when making lasagne, when smearing ragù and béchamel sauce layer upon layer, along with with spinach lasagne sheets and grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Until a few years ago, I used to think that more béchamel and meat sauce automatically made a better lasagne, but every time I got a lasagne that was too heavy, or greasy.

Now I’ve realised that the right amount of ingredients produces a result that goes far beyond what you might expect from applying the word moderation to cooking: the lasagne is thick, you can easily slice it, and it has just the right amount of creaminess, taste and flavour.

It’s amazing how much you can learn from a simple pan of lasagne.

Link Love

I’ll leave you with a few links to more recipes for lasagne.

• A perfectly seasonal Lasagna with Artichokes and Mozzarella, by Cooking my dreams, and the Neapolitan Lasagne by La Cucina Italiana. 
• A seafood lasagna by Valeria Necchio for Great Italian Chefs, or a Pasticcio with Radicchio and Sausage, made by Latte e Grappa.
• A few more links from the blog: ricotta and basil pesto lasagne, and my grandma’s lasagne. 
• Last link, for a reading recommendation. Harper’s Magazine has a long story by Ann Patchett that I loved, and which marked the first days of the year. These Precious Days, a reflection on the role and behaviour of characters in a story, on friendship, illness and an  honest account of the early months of pandemic in America.

Related posts:

Broccoli and squash flans, and the 4 things I’d save of 2020 Christmas is in the air and a butternut squash parmigiana Cappelletti with Parmesan and breadcrumbs… I’m a fresh pasta maniac! A Tuscan Christmas lunch – potato and pecorino tortelli with meat sauce