Lasagna

A few days ago I was at Katie's flipping through Italian cookbooks when she told me there was a recipe she had been dying to make. I borrowed the cookbook and brought it home so Evan and I could make it together. Well, actually Evan made it but I helped. I did go to the grocery store with him although...I spent most of the time in the ice cream aisle deciding which flavor would go best with my pie. Anyway, the lasagna was DELICIOUS as was the pecan pie and vanilla ice cream. I know what your thinking, vanilla is a given with pecan pie. I don't know though, what about butter pecan? Too many pecans, is there such a thing? Well, the vanilla definitely hit the spot! So I am going to give you the recipe for the lasagna. I think Evan added a fresh chopped tomato to the sauce. We also used the lasagna noodle that you don't have to boil, so much easier! The name of the cookbook is The Wine Lover Cooks Italian by Brian St. Pierre

Vincisgrassi

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1 1/2 c. boiling water

Meat Sauce

3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 oz. pancetta, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
8 oz. ground veal
8 oz. ground pork
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup beef broth
1 cup tomato puree
1 bay leaf
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper
6 oz white mushrooms, sliced
6 oz chicken livers, trimmed and chopped

Bechamel Sauce

3 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour

12 oz dried lasagna noodles
1 cup grated parmesan
1 cup grated pecorina romano

Serves 6

Put the mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl, pour the boiling water over them and soak 30 min. Remove, rinse, chop and set aside. Save 1 cup of soaking liquid.

To make the meat sauce, in a large heavy-bottomed sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the pancetta, garlic, onion, and carrot and cook, stirring, until the pancetta has begun to brown, about five minutes. Add the veal and pork, raise the heat to medium, and cook, till lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Pour in the wine ans cook till almost evaporated. Add the broth, tomato puree, bay leaf, cinnamon, and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Stir well, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Add the reserved porcini, sliced mushrooms, and chicken livers. Cook 15 minutes longer and remove from heat.

To make the bechamel sauce, in a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium-low heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Gradually whisk in the flour and continue whisking until the mixture turns a golden color, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the hot milk until smooth. Add the reserved mushroom liquid and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover and remove from heat.

Pre heat the over to 400. Oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish

Bring a large pot filled with salted water to a boil. add the pasta, stir well, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile mix together 2 cheeses.

Drain the pasta. Pout a thin layer of bechamel on the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a single layer of noodles. Scatter one-third of the cheese over the noodles. Pour one-third of the meat sauce over the cheese and top with a thin layer of bechamel. Repeat twice more, finishing with a layer of bechamel.

Bake the lasagna until the top has browned slightly, about 25 minutes. Let sit for ten minutes. Enjoy!