Lasagne Maison
Homemade Pasta Sheets, Tomato Meat Sauce and Béchamel
Maison means home. There were a lot of home cooked meals in my house growing up, one of those recipes, my dads tomato meat sauce is included today. I take it a few steps further and use it in this lasagne recipe. Homemade pasta sheets are a cathartic process and invites us to slow down to prepare this really special meal. The ricotta-parmesan béchamel is pillowy and luxurious. Once the sizzling hot lasagne comes out of the oven, I guarantee you will dive in to delection.
The needed mise-en-place elements with prep schedule recommendations:
Tomato Meat Sauce (2L) (3 hours) - Make ahead. It freezes well and can be directly assembled into the lasagne once fully thawed.
Pasta Dough (30 minutes) - Make your pasta dough in the morning.
Béchamel Sauce (1L) (20 minutes) - Make in the afternoon.
Lasagne Pasta Sheets (1 hour)
Setting up your pasta making workstation
Scraper or knife, rolling pin, pasta sheeter attachment, cookie racks, extra flour ready for light dusting, heightened tolerance for dispersement, mess and multitasking.
Lasagne Assembly (30 minutes)
8-10L pot of boiling water, heavily salted
3 cups shredded mozzarella, generously added to each layer.
1/4 cup fine grated parmesan for the top layer.
Cut your pasta sheets into lasagna sheets using your baking dish as a size template.
Drop in 2-3 cut lasagna sheets in your water at a time. Boil and assemble one layer at a time.
Use a laddle x2 of your béchamel and a large spoon x2 of tomato-meat sauce per layer. I put both on each layer but you can also alternate, doubling quantities accordingly.
Repeat until 6-8 layers have been completed.
Big Batch Tomato Meat Sauce
Combine in a food processor
4-6 onions
4 celery ribs
2 green peppers
4 bulb heads of garlic
In a large dutch oven or stock pot, combine
3 tbsp olive oil
3 lbs ground beef
250g tomato paste, no salt added
10 lbs of tomatoes
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
6 bay leaf
1.5 tsp salt + more to taste
1 tbsp pepper
1 tsp crushed chili flake + more to taste
Cook for 3 hours minimum. Portion into air tight freezer containers.
You will need 2L of tomato-meat sauce for this lasagne recipe.
Pasta Dough
400 g “00” white flour
150 g unbleached all purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp warm water
To combine your eggs and flour, place your eggs in the centre of a flour well in your mixing bowl. Whisk with a fork until the yolks have broken and start slowly mixing in the flour. Once half the flour has been incorporated, add your salt, olive oil and warm water.
Using the fork or the dough hook on your stand mixer, mix all the ingredients together until a dough forms.
If kneading by hand, roll out on lightly floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes.
For a stand-mixer, mix on setting 3 and 4 for 3-5 minutes, until dough has elasticity and sheen.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and set in the fridge until ready to make the lasagne noodles.
Béchamel Sauce//Garlic, Ricotta, Parmesan
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp nutmeg
1.5 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
4 cups milk
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
500 g ricotta
3/4 cup grated parmesan
Using a whisk, mix and dry toast the flour in a large sauce pan on medium heat.
After 2-3 minutes, add your butter, whisking constantly.
Turn heat to medium-low until the butter and flour form a dough-like consistency.
While whisking, add your milk 1/2 cup at a time. Continue whisking and turn your heat back up.
Once all the milk is combined, continue whisking on high heat from approximately 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken, remove from heat.
Add ricotta, parmesan and herbs like parsley or fresh basil (optional) stir to combine. Add pepper and salt to taste.
Set aside, and partially cover.
Lasagne Pasta Sheets
Stand Mixer Process:
Pasta Sheeter attachment in place.
Using scraper, divide dough into four equal parts.
Wrap 3 pieces tightly and place back in the fridge until ready to roll out.
Using your rolling pin, slightly roll out one piece in order for it to fit through the pasta sheeter.
Lightly dust with flour and set your mixer to setting 2 (the entire time) and attachment to setting sequence below. Continue lightly dusting with flour as needed throughout.
Setting 1 x 3
Setting 3 x 3
Setting 4 x 3
Setting 5 x 3
Setting 6 x 3
Lay pasta sheets on the racks, and repeat with remaining dough spheres until complete.
Preheat oven to 375°C.
Cut your pasta sheets to fit the size of your baking vessel and set aside, lightly covered with a tea towel.
Bonus tip: If you have any leftover pasta, cut with a knife into a wide ragu noodle, set in the freezer on a baking tray over night and place in a freezer safe ziplock bag the next day to keep for your next pasta meal.
Bonne Bouffe!
Véronique