Serves 8–10
lasagne verdi made with 3 eggs, 350 g (12 oz) Italian 00 white flour and 200 g (7 oz) cooked or frozen leaf spinach, or 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) dried lasagne verdi
1 tbsp vegetable oil
150 g (5 oz) freshly grated Parmesan
30 g (1 oz) unsalted butter, melted
For the ragù
60 g (2 oz) unsalted butter
100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) olive oil
100 g (3 1/2 oz) pancetta or unsmoked streaky bacon, finely chopped
2 small onions, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp tomato purée
450 g (1 lb) lean chuck or braising steak, minced
300 ml (1/2 pint) dry white wine
300 ml (1/2 pint) meat stock
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the béchamel sauce
1.5 litres (2 1/2 pints) full-fat milk
150 g (5 oz) unsalted butter
120 g (4 oz) Italian 00 flour
sea salt
3 pinches of grated nutmeg
First make the ragù. Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan and cook the pancetta for 2 minutes. Add the onion, and when it has begun to soften add the carrot, celery, garlic and bay leaves. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tomato purée and cook over a low heat for 30 seconds. Put in the minced steak and cook briskly for 3–4 minutes, until the meat has lost its raw colour, stirring with a fork to break up the lumps. Splash with the wine and boil for 2 minutes or so, until the liquid has almost evaporated. Fish out and discard the bay leaf and pour in the stock. Mix well, season, and simmer, uncovered, for about 2 hours, adding a little warm water if the sauce gets too dry. The heat should be at its lowest, so that just a few bubbles break the surface of the sauce.
To make the béchamel sauce, heat the milk until it begins to bubble at the edge. Meanwhile melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Blend in the flour, stirring vigorously. Now draw the pan off the heat and add the hot milk, a few tablespoons at a time. You must let the flour mixture absorb each addition thoroughly before going on to the next stage.
When all the milk has been absorbed, return the pan to the heat. Add salt to taste and bring to the boil. Cook over the gentlest heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. You can put the pan over a flame disperser or in a bain-marie to save the worry of frequent stirring. Add the nutmeg and check the seasonings. The sauce should have the consistency of thin double cream.
If you are making your own lasagne, turn to here for making the pasta dough, and to here for cutting the lasagne. If your lasagne are home-made, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the vegetable oil. Place a large bowl of cold water near the cooker and lay some clean and dry tea-towels nearby. When the water boils, drop in 5 or 6 rectangles of pasta and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 1 minute after the water has come back to the boil, then lift each sheet of pasta out with a fish slice and plunge it into the bowl of cold water. Lift it out and lay it on the tea-towels. Repeat this operation until all the pasta is cooked. Pat the top of the cooked lasagne dry.
If you are using bought lasagne, cook according to the directions on the packet.
Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) mark 6.
Butter a 35 x 25 cm (14 x 10 inch) ovenproof dish generously. Spread 2 tablespoons of the ragù over the bottom, cover with a layer of lasagne and spread over a little ragù and some béchamel. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Cover with another layer of lasagne and repeat until all the ingredients are used, finishing with a layer of béchamel. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and dribble the melted butter all over the top.
Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes, until the top has formed a golden crust. Allow the dish to settle for at least 5 minutes before serving.
preparation
The dish can be prepared totally up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated, covered with clingfilm. The meat sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated. It also freezes well.