cook: bolognese lasagna

I don't buy whole milk anymore, just low fat or 2%. Luckily, I do buy heavy whipping cream, which I needed for Marcella Hazan's recipe for Bolognese Sauce and which I'd first cooked during the pandemic. To convert the low fat milk into a more whole milk, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream to every cup needed into the measuring jug and then then fill with the low fat milk for the amount you need. However, I ended up adding the rest of the bottle of heavy whipping cream, probably 4 to 5 tablespoons to the sauce. I'm cooking a lot of sauce here for a few lasagnas after all. And damn you, Draeger's for running out of fresh lasagna pasta. Damn you Safeway too for running out of Barilla wavy pasta because I was willing to pre-boil dried pasta. I ended up buying Barilla's no boil lasagna. My mise en place felt like everything but the kitchen sink.                             

I diced a lot of yellow onion, which I sautéed in tablespoons of olive oil and butter that got translucent over medium heat in about 5 minutes. Next into the onion, I added 5 crushed cloves of garlic (not in Hazan's recipe, sorry Marcella) and chopped carrot and stalks of celery.

Next into the pot: a pound of wagyu ground beef (all the 80/20 organic beef was sold out at Costco), 3/4 pound of regular ground beef leftover from making hamburgers the other night for dinner, and a pound of Italian sausage which I tried to break up as much as I could with my hands. Also generous sprinklings of salt and pepper.

I was in the mood to cook, listening to my own playlist: a mix of Italian American jazz singers, Puccini opera sung by Andre Boccelli, and Italian pop to boot.

After browning the meats, I added the milk and cream and a generous grating of nutmeg.

And then I added a cup of Chardonnay and the rest of the bottle into my wine glass. After simmering the wine into the sauce for 30 minutes, it was oh my gosh delicious. Next half a can of tomato paste, two cans of diced tomatoes, a box of crushed tomatoes--some San Marzano or Italian imports and cans of domestic diced tomatoes.

Here's the Bolognese before the 3 hours of simmering...

While the sauce simmered on low, I wrapped presents and cleaned kitchen surfaces and then checked in on my sauce to stir...          

My sauce was looking good later when I came to stir it again....

...but I was hungry and wanted to eat up leftover Vietnamese pork and pate, but had no cilantro. After stirring the sauce, I went to Trader Joe's for the herb I can't live without and bought too, a can of tomato sauce, fennel bulbs, lemons, and just in case, their brand of no boil lasagna and then to Safeway for bubbly water and a bolilo roll. And then home to stir the sauce again and eat lunch.

My sandwich was messy but delicious. I continued and finally finished wrapping presents, and added that can of tomato sauce to the pot and stirred more. My neighbor, George stopped by with a pie from my favorite bakery. And then ate a slice of chocolate pie for dessert. And stirred the simmering pot even more.

Finally the Bolognese sauce was done.

My day was still not over. I had lasagnas to construct. I needed to make a lot of Besciamella. I melted a stick of butter and added 8 tablespoons of flour and grated a lotta nutmeg. Next the milk and cream and constant whisking on medium low heat. 

My béchamel was finally thickened enough. Next was the cheese layer. I mixed a small container of ricotta with some balls of bocconcini and what was left of the Asiago, a couple of eggs and lots of chopped parsley. If I'd had more mozzarella or other grated Italian cheese, I would've added that too.

 

I was going to use my roasting pan for the lasagna, but it was way too big. Luckily, I had a cake pan that was smaller, but big enough for a lasagna for 10. Let the building begin.

I didn't bother spraying vegetable oil on the pan. There was a lot of butter and olive oil and meat fat to prevent the lasagna from sticking. And so a layer of Bolognese sauce on the bottom of the pan and on top of that, the dried lasagna. Directions on the box said to not overlap the edges of the noodles because they would expand to the edge of the baking dish.

Next up a layer of the besciamella on top of the dried pasta. I knew there'd be enough moisture to moisten that pasta as I didn't let the milk sauce get too thick. 

And on top of the béchamel went a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture and generous sprinklings of Parmesan cheese.

And then sauce and though not pictured below another heavy sprinkling of shredded Parmesan.

And on it went on repeat until layers of the pie were almost to the the top of the baking pan, where I sprinkled what was left of the cheese in the bag of rustic cut mozzarella.

The day before Christmas Eve was 6 hours in the kitchen of almost nonstop cooking. I skipped dinner and went to the ceramics studio, and Patrick ate leftovers for supper. But, success. After Christmas Eve supper, there was only one slice of lasagna left in the pan even though I forgot to photograph the finished dish. Also I had put the same ingredients of what did not fit into the pan into 3 aluminum foil loaf-size containers as Christmas presents for friends and neighbors like George and my best friend, Meral and her sister, Feliz. The number of guests had increased on Christmas Eve, and so my sister-in-law and I ran to the grocery store to make spaghetti and meatballs, which was all the kids wanted and for extra appetite and serve fresh baked baguette and chopped salad as well. Everyone raved how delicious the lasagna was (even though I should have baked it longer or go at a higher temperature of 400 degrees those last 5 minutes when I removed the foil to brown the cheese). Patrick even went for seconds, which he does so rarely. I will figure out a better baking temperature and will add spinach to the ricotta cheese mixture because I will totally cook this lavish and decadent casserole again, which will be even better next time.