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Spinach Pasta Lasagne Alla Emilana Pork Ragu with Bechamel

This recipe welcomes you to Italy! And the authentic Spinach Pasta recipe is from a 91 year old Nonna. You will love it. A bit of work to put together, but worth every step!

Ingredients

For the Spinach Pasta

  • 16 oz. Fresh spinach Stemmed if not using baby spinach.
  • 5 Eggs Large
  • 4 cups OO Flour

For the Ragu

  • 1/4 Lb. Pancetta, diced Err on the side of generous pancetta as I believe this is the ingredient that made the sauce great!
  • 4+ Tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1 Lb. Minced Pork Again, do not skimp as this is a meaty lasagne. A bit more than 1 lb. is good.
  • 3 Large Garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 4 Fresh sage leaves Next time I would use 2 as I thought it was a bit sage forward.
  • 3/4 cup Beef stock Or enough to cover the meat.
  • 3/4 cup Rich red wine Or you may use white.
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt Or to taste.
  • 1/4 tsp. Freshly ground Black Pepper Or to taste.

For the Bechamel

  • 16 oz. Whole Milk
  • 4 Tbsp. Butter More for topping.
  • 1/3 cup Flour
  • Nutmeg, to taste
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

To make the Spinach Pasta

  • Rinse, stem and thoroughly dry spinach. In a food processor, mix together spinach and flour. Pulse until well combined.
  • Pour the mixture on your counter and make a well in the center. Add the eggs.
  • Knead dough until smooth.
  • Shape dough into a round disc and let rest for at least 30 minutes. The longer it rests the easier it is to roll out. Nonna rolled the pasta by hand. She made it look like an elegant dance. We used my pasta machine.
  • Once rested, roll through pasta machine until desired thickness. About #4 setting.
  • Cut into lasagne strips to fit your pan. You may have leftover dough, which can be used for another time.
  • Bring large pot of oiled and salted (at least 1 Tbsp.) boiling water to boil and boil pasta sheets for 2 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and lay pasta out on the counter to cool.

To Make the Pork Ragu

  • Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan fit with a lid.
  • Add the pancetta and brown until crisp.
  • Next, add minced pork and brown for about 20 minutes.
  • Place the chopped garlic and sage in cheese cloth and secure with kitchen string. Add to the meats. Remove once the ragu is done.
  • Add enough beef stock to cover the meat.
  • Spoon in tomato paste and rinse the can with either wine or beef stock.
  • Taste for salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for at least an hour checking to make sure the ragu is neither too thick or thin. If too thick, add more beef stock or wine. If too thin, tilt the cover while it is simmering to let off some steam and reduce. Taste again for salt and pepper.

To Make the Bechamel

  • In a saucepan heat milk, but do not boil.
  • In a separate saucepan, brown the butter, and add flour. Cook for a bit to ensure flour taste is not too strong.
  • Whisk in hot milk and cook until thickened or until it coats the back of a spoon.
  • Add plenty of nutmeg and salt. Always taste to check seasonings.

To Assemble the Lasagne

  • Have about 2 cups Parmigiano Reggiano on hand to lace throughout the layers and top.
  • Spread a layer of ragu on the bottom of the baking dish. Add a layer of pasta sheets over the ragu.
  • Add a layer of bechamel and thin layer of Parmigiano Reggiano. Repeat with pasta, ragu, bechamel, and cheese. Continue layering until your baking dish is nearly full.
  • Top with a liberal spreading of the bechamel, more cheese and dot with butter. As you can see from the photo above, our dots were quite large.
  • Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until browned and bubbling.

Notes

I know this sounds like many steps, but it is completely worth it. Take your time. Enjoy a glass of vino while cooking and let the aromas take you to Italy.