Galloping Gourmet Lasagne Bolanese

"Refined and gorgeous, this elegant lasagne is simply the best we've ever had. The pasta is whisper thin; the ragu is rich and understated; and a silky layer of besciamella (Italian for "white sauce") melds the two for an ethereal eating experience." 

Truer words have never been spoken, about food at least. My seminal moment as a home cook occurred with the April 2006 issue of Gourmet Magazine . Pictured on the cover, a simple white plate and a piece of heaven: Lasagne Bolanese. The accompanying article, by Mario Batali, chronicled his recent trip to Italy and the discovery of the world's most perfect lasagne. A far cry from what Americans call lasagna, the cheesy, tomato sauce laden dish we are all too familiar with. Captivated, but definitely intimidated, I set my sights on some day making it. First. I had to learn to make pasta. The key to this whole dish is the paper thin pasta sheets, and they cannot be bought, you must make them yourself.  That was accomplished via a cooking class I found being taught by an Italian woman who was temporarily living in Detroit while her husband was on assignment with one of the auto companies. Then, I stared lovingly at the cover photo for two more years until I finally got the pasta attachment for my mixer for Christmas and more importantly, the gumption to give it a whirl. Hugely labor intense, I usually split the process into two days, ragu and besciamella  the first day, and the pasta making and cooking the second. I have done it all in one, but it's so exhausting that it's hard to really savor the fruits of my labor, and what's the point if that? Also, the pasta dough makes enough for two lasagnes, so I freeze the extra to make another time. One thing about making the dough, it is greatly impacted by the level of humidity, so I rarely do it in the summer. You have to be ready to add a little water sometimes or extra flour. It takes practice to get the feel for it, but once you do, you'll never go back to the dried box crap. Like I said, it's a lot of work, but the satisfaction in every bite makes it worthwhile. That's what makes me a foodie.

Before Julia Child (and certainly before the Julia child) for me there was Graham Kerr and his one man drinking/cooking show The Galloping Gourmet. 1969-71 on the CBC (because living in Detroit we had a fourth channel from Canada), London born Kerr romped through his TV kitchen in Ottawa, joking, imbibing and cooking with large amounts of clarified butter along the way in front of a live studio audience. It was irreverent, conversational and engaging and probably way ahead of its time. Why as a child this so enthralled me, I do not know, but I loved every minute of it. Maybe that's what makes me a foodie...

The Recipe:

INGREDIENTS: Recipe courtesy of Mario Batali for Gourmet, April 2006
For the Ragu Bolognese:
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 pound ground veal
1 pound ground pork (I use a 2 pound beef/veal/pork grind that my Sam the Butcher makes for meatloaf)
1/4 pound sliced pancetta, cut into quarters1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup whole milk
1 cup dry white wine
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

For the Pasta Dough:

1tsp salt
4 extra-large eggs

3 1/2 to 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus 1/2 cup for dusting the work surface
1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

For the Besciamella:
5 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 

For Assembling Lasagne:
2 tblsp salt
2 tblsp olive oil
9 tblsp finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Special Equipment: a pastry or bench scraper; a pasta machine; a 13 by 9 inch lasagne pan at least 2 inches deep

DIRECTIONS

Make the Ragu: In a 6 to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and garlic and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. While vegetables cook, pulse the pancetta in food processor until finely chopped. Increase the heat to high and add the veal, pork, and pancetta, stirring to break up lumps until browned, 10-15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, milk, and wine and gently simmer uncovered over low heat, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated but ragu is still moist, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Stir in salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

Make Pasta Dough while Ragu cooks: Stir together eggs and 1/2 tsp oil in a small bowl. Mound 3 1/2 cups of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the egg mixture and the olive oil. Using a fork, beat eggs mixture,  incorporating the flour a little at a time starting with the inner rim of the well, keeping wall intact by supporting outside with the other hand. When you have a thick paste that you can't beat anymore, and about half of the flour is incorporated, start kneading dough with both hands, using palms (not fingers) and kneading in some of remaining flour (from board), Once you have a cohesive mass (you will have 1/2 to 1 cup flour unincorporated), remove dough from board and scrape board clean with scraper, discarding any leftover bits of dough and flour. Lightly dust board with clean flour and continue kneading until dough is elastic, about 8 minutes. (Dough will be firm). If you have a good mixer, like a Kitchen-Aid, you can make the the dough in there and skip the above, but that's not nearly as fun. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temp 30 to 45 minutes.

Make the Besciamella while the pasta stands: In a medium saucepan, heat butter until melted.Whisk in flour until smooth, then cook, whisking frequently, until pale golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat milk in separate 1 to 1 1/2 qt pan until just about to boil. Add milk 1 cup at a time to butter mixture, whisking constantly until very smooth. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking, then cook, whisking, 30 seconds. Remove from heat and whisk in  salt and nutmeg. Cover with a buttered round of wax paper buttered side down) and cool to room temp, stirring occasionally.

Roll out Pasta while Besciamella Cools: Cut pasta dough into 8 equal pieces. Cover 7 pieces with plastic wrap and pat out remaining piece of dough into a flat rectangle. Lightly dust with flour. Set rollers of pasta machine at widest setting. Feed rectangle, a short end first, through rollers. Fold rectangle in half crosswise and feed it, folded end first, through rollers 7 or 8 more times, folding half crosswise each time, feeding folded end in first, and dusting with flour to prevent sticking. Turn dial to next narrower setting and feed dough through rollers without folding, a short end first. Continue rolling once at each narrower setting, until narrowest setting is reached. Lay pasta sheet on a lightly floured surface to dry until slightly leathery but still flexible, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, roll out remaining pieces of dough in the same manner. Trim ends and cut pasta sheets crosswise into 5 inch lengths, then cover with a barely damp dampened kitchen towel. 

For assembly: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Bring about 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. Have ready a bowl of ice and cold water next to the stovetop and add oil to ice bath. Drop 6 pieces of pasta into the boiling water and cook until tender, about 1 minute. Transfer with slotted spoon to ice bath to chill, then transfer to clean kitchen towels, laying pasta flat, and pat dry. Keep water at a boil. 

Spread 1 cup ragu over the bottom of lasagne pan (ragu will barely cover bottom) and sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano, then cover with cooked pasta (pieces can overlap slightly). Spread 1/2 cup besciamella over pasta (layer will be thin). Cook, chill. and dry remaining pasta, 6 pieces at a time, and layer with remaining ingredients in same sequence as above 4 more times (ragu, then cheese, pasta, and besciamella; final layer of besciamella will be 1 cup). Sprinkle top of lasagne with remaining 3 tablespoons cheese.

Bake lasagne, uncovered, until top is pale golden in spots and sauces are bubbling, about 45 minutes, until the edges are browned and the sauces are bubbling. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8 generously.

Cooks Notes: Ragu and besciamella can be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely, then chilled, covered. Warm ragu over low heat until just stirrable before using. Any leftover dry uncooked pasta can be lightly dusted with flour and frozen in a sealed plastic bag. Do not thaw before cooking.

Blogger Note: Anyone who has read this far is truly a devoted fan. Thank you. This will be the last regular post of In My Kitsch-en, as I feel it has run it's course.