Best 2 Biba Caggiano Lasagna Recipes

LASAGNE VERDI ALLA BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Saute pancetta in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until fat has rendered, 1 to 2 minutes. Add carrot, celery, onion, and oil. Cook and stir until vegetables have softened and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add beef and pork. Cook, stirring and mashing meat into small crumbles, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes more.
• Stir wine into the stockpot and bring to a boil. Add tomato sauce and stir; pour in 1 cup broth. Reduce heat to low and partially cover the pot to allow steam to escape. Simmer sauce for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Pour 1 more cup of broth into the sauce. Continue simmering until thick, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add more broth only if absolutely necessary; ragu should drop, not run, off a spoon.
• Start preparing pasta after sauce has been cooking for 1 1/2 hours. Bring water and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Add spinach and cover until it returns to a boil. Stir gently and cook until spinach is heated through. Remove from heat, leave covered, and let cool.
• Drain spinach in a mesh strainer set over a bowl, pressing it down with a fork to squeeze out as much water and possible; reserve the liquid. Puree spinach in a blender until smooth.
• Sift flour into a bowl. Make a well in the center; add eggs, spinach, and about 1 tablespoon of the reserved liquid. Mix together by hand or using the dough hook of a stand mixer, adding more liquid if needed. Knead until dough becomes a smooth ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Taste the ragu and adjust salt. Remove from heat and add milk; stir well and set aside to cool.
• Divide pasta dough into 4 equal sections. Use a pasta machine, or rolling pin, dusted with flour, to roll pasta into 1/16-inch thick sheets. Lay sheets on clean dish towels to help them dry. Let rest for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not allow it to brown or burn. Add flour and whisk constantly until golden. Add 1/2 cup milk, whisking constantly. Repeat with remaining milk. Simmer until bechamel is thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with nutmeg and salt.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Spread a bit of the ragu sauce over the base of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Add a layer of pasta. Top with a spoonful of sauce and bechamel. Add a spoonful of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Top with another layer of pasta. Add more sauce, bechamel, and cheese. Repeat layers until you reach the top; finish with a layer of pasta, bechamel, and cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese on top has browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Let lasagne rest for 10 or 15 minutes at room temperature before slicing.

BIBA'S TAGLIATELLE AND BOLOGNESE RAGU

Steps:

• Make the ragu: Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. As soon as butter begins to foam, add the minced vegetables. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have a nice golden color. Add the pancetta, and cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and pork, raise heat to high, and cook, stirring and breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until meat and vegetables have a rich brown color and bottom of pan is glazed, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Add the wine and cook, stirring, until almost all of it has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the diluted tomato paste. As soon as liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover pan, and simmer for about 2 hours, stirring and checking sauce every 20 minutes. The sauce should be thick, with an appealing nutty brown color, and just slightly liquid. Add a bit more broth or water if the sauce looks too dry.
• Add the milk, partially cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Taste, and adjust the seasoning. Turn off the heat.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the tagliatelle, and cook until pasta is tender but still firm to the bite. Drain the pasta, and place in a large heated bowl.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, about two thirds of the sauce, and a small handful of the cheese. Toss quickly until pasta and sauce are well combined. Add more sauce if needed. Serve at once, with the cheese.