Ernestina’s Lasagna

We love returning to grannies we’ve filmed before, and Ernestina welcomed us back into her home as if no time had passed at all. We first filmed her a few years ago preparing cannelloni. She’s 83, lives in Castel Bolognese in the province of Ravenna, and this lasagne is made exactly as she has always done.

Ingredients

Ragù

Extra-virgin olive oil
Mixed soffritto (celery, carrot, onion – fresh or frozen)
500g mixed minced meat (sausage + pork loin)
350g tomato passata
300ml water
Salt, to taste
A small glass of red wine

Béchamel

80g butter
80g flour
500ml milk

Pasta

5 whole eggs
500g 00 flour

To add when layering

120 g Parmigiano Reggiano

Method

Prepare the ragù: Heat a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepan. Add the soffritto and cook gently until softened. Add the minced meat and cook until well browned. Stir in the tomato passata and water, season with salt, and simmer very gently for almost 2 hours. At the end of cooking, add a small glass of red wine and let it cook off briefly.
Make the béchamel: Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir to form a smooth roux. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Remove from the heat.
Make the pasta sheets: Combine the eggs and flour and knead into a smooth dough: Roll the dough using a pasta machine, folding and passing it through several times at setting 8. Reduce to setting 6 for the final thickness, passing it through once.
Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Boil the pasta sheets briefly, then drain and lay them out on a clean tea towel.
Assemble the lasagne: Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Spread a layer of ragù and béchamel on the bottom of a baking dish. Add a layer of pasta, then alternate layers of ragù with Parmigiano and béchamel with Parmigiano. Finish with a final layer of ragù and a little béchamel on top.
Bake: Bake at 200 °C for about 30 minutes, until bubbling and lightly browned on top. Let rest briefly before serving.