Lasagna is an Italian symbol of national identity. From Sicily to Tyrol there is not a single restaurant, tavern, snack bar, which does not include lasagna in its menu. This dish is also famous abroad, as it stands for good Italian food. It is a princely course for a Sunday meal and for any festivity, when families come together to renew their love bonds. A generous dish, which pleases everyone. What may change, if ever, is its sauce. It is here that the richness of regional cuisines emerges: Ligurian, Venetian, Neapolitan, Molise, Sicilian, Bolognese lasagna, indeed. It is precisely lasagna Bolognese that we would like to recommend, for a very special occasion.

INGREDIENTS

For the dough:

300g/10.5 oz pastry flour

75g/2.6oz spinach

2 eggs

For the meat sauce:

160ml/5.4fl oz water

150g/5.3oz beef

150g/5.3oz bacon

40g/1.4oz carrots

40g/1.4oz celery

40g/1.4oz golden onions

90g/3.2oz tomato concentrate

40g/1.4oz grated Parmesan

100ml/3.3fl oz red wine

100ml/3.3fl oz evo oil

2 bay leaves

lack pepper q.s.

salt q.s.

For the béchamel:

4dl/13.5fl oz milk

35g/1.2oz butter

30g/1oz flour

salt and grated nutmeg q.s.

First, prepare the dough: place the flour on a board and make a well in the centre, then crack the eggs into it. Add the spinach. Use a blender to finely mix the eggs with the spinach. Knead vigorously until the dough becomes smooth. Fold the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

Let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

Put the vegetables and the bay leaf in a saucepan on your induction hob and brown on medium power with a little oil. Add the minced beef, pork shoulder and chopped bacon and raise the power, to brown them properly, then season with salt and pepper, pour the red wine and let it evaporate. Lower the power and stir in the tomato concentrate. Cover with water and simmer on low power for at least 30 minutes. To prepare the béchamel, melt the butter, add the grated nutmeg and the salt on low power. Add the flour and toast it. Pour a little milk and stir to thicken the sauce. Cook on full power for a few minutes. Roll out the dough and cut it into rectangles. Bring the water to a boil and cook the pastry sheets for 1 minute. Cool in cold water and pat dry. Butter a baking tray and place the pastry sheets. Add, in turn, the meat sauce and the béchamel. Sprinkle the Parmesan again on the top. For a traditionally cooked very crisp surface, cook for 40 minutes at 175°C/350°F in convection bake mode. Otherwise, if you want a more hydrated and succulent lasagna, cook at 180°C/355°F, Steam assist on medium steam for just 15 minutes.