Classic lasagna al forno

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 3 tbsp butter
• 50 g bacon, streaky, diced
• 1 carrot(s)
• 1 stalk(s) Celery
• 2 onions
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 400 g minced beef (or 1/3 each beef, pork, lamb)
• 250 ml red wine
• 250 ml vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 250 g chopped tomatoes (canned)
• 1 bunch parsley, flat
• Salt
• pepper, black
• 2 pinches of nutmeg, freshly grated
• 50 g chicken liver(s), chopped
• 20 g porcini mushrooms, soaked
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves
• Pepper, white
• ½ tbsp flour
• 375 ml milk
• 125 ml sweet cream
• 400 g lasagna sheet(s)
• 100 g Parmesan, grated
• Butter for the mold

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Soak the porcini mushrooms in lukewarm water. Finely chop the carrot, celery, one onion, and garlic. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a wide saucepan. Fry the streaky bacon until it begins to “cling” and the bottom of the pan is lightly browned. Sauté the vegetables very quickly for a few minutes. Then add the minced meat and sauté until crumbly. Deglaze with the red wine. Then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable stock, chopped flat-leaf parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Finally, add the chopped liver and the soaked porcini mushrooms and stir well again. Simmer for 1 hour over low heat, leaving the lid slightly ajar. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir until combined. Heat the mixture while stirring until the flour turns light yellow. The roux should no longer taste like flour. Add the milk. Pierce the peeled second onion with the bay leaf and cloves and add it to the sauce. Simmer over very low heat (if using an electric stove, place a toothpick under the pan) for 30 minutes. The sauce will thicken. Remove the onion, season generously with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg, and finish with the cream. Pre-cook the pasta sheets, if desired. Butter a deep casserole dish. Cover the bottom evenly with Bolognese, spread the béchamel evenly over it, then spread the Parmesan cheese evenly, then add a layer of pasta. Continue in this order until all the ingredients are used up. Finish with the béchamel sauce and Parmesan cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for half an hour. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes before eating. Another tip: Prepare the lasagna half a day in advance and refrigerate it. This ensures it will be nice and firm after baking.