Lasagna classica is one of the few Italian dishes where I do not try to find a shortcut. It takes what it takes: a ragu that simmers for ninety minutes to two hours, a bechamel you make from scratch, and the patience to layer it properly. The result is worth every step.
This is the Emilia-Romagna version: beef and pork, white wine, tomato passata, and a pour of milk at the end to round the sauce. The bechamel is plain and well-seasoned. No ricotta. No shortcuts. The Parmigiano holds everything together.
I make this on a Sunday when I want the kitchen to smell like something is happening. It feeds six and improves with a night in the refrigerator.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Start the ragu: heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the finely diced carrot, celery, and onion. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes until softened and translucent.
Add the ground beef and pork. Raise the heat to high and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until fully browned with no pink remaining, about 8 minutes.
Pour in the white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the base of the pot. Cook until the wine has completely evaporated, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the tomato passata and the bay leaf. Add 1/2 cup of water. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, partially cover, and simmer for at least 90 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes and adding small amounts of water as needed. Stir in the milk in the final 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and a grating of nutmeg. Remove the bay leaf.
Make the bechamel: melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour all at once and whisk vigorously for 2 minutes. Gradually pour in the warm milk, whisking constantly, until smooth. Simmer gently, stirring, for 8 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt, white pepper, and a grating of nutmeg.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter a 12 x 8 in baking dish. Spread a thin layer of bechamel across the base.
Lay pasta sheets over the bechamel in a single layer, trimming to fit. Spread a layer of ragu, then bechamel, then scatter Parmigiano Reggiano. Continue layering (pasta, ragu, bechamel, Parmigiano) until ingredients are used, finishing with pasta topped with bechamel and a generous scatter of Parmigiano.
Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling. Rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
You made Lasagna Classica. Time to eat.
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The ragu needs time. Ninety minutes is the minimum; two hours is better. It should look thick and concentrated, not watery, before you build the lasagna. The milk at the end softens the acidity and rounds the sauce.
Six Italian regions. Nothing reformulated. Imported direct.
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