Why Béchamel? Because it's the right thing to do. Plus, you should always have butter, flour and milk in your kitchen. Ricotta may not always be on hand.
Ingredients:
Bechamel
3/6/5 days in the year
3 cups whole milk. If using skim or low fat, substitute some half and half or cream to bring the fat content of the milk up.
6 Tbl of unsalted butter
5 Tbl of flour
salt
a few gratings of fresh nutmeg, or a pinch of pre-ground
1 box lasagne noodles
6 cups or more of your favorite homemade tomato sauce (with or without meat)
3-4 cups of freshly ground Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Bring a large pan of water to a boil to cook the lasagne noodles.
While the pan is heating, heat the milk or milk mixture in a separate pan over a medium heat until hot, but not boiling. Stir occasionally.
While the other two pans are heating, in a third pan (5 cups or more capacity), melt the butter over a medium heat.
Once the butter melts and stops bubbling, slowly add the flour while whisking the butter/flour mixture. Continue to whisk gently after adding all the flour for about 2-3 minutes. The goal is to cook the raw flour taste out of the flour, and fully incorporate the butter and flour, but not to brown the mixture. It may darken just slightly, but you are not making a roux.
Pull the butter/flour off the heat.
If the milk is hot (and it should be. You've been stirring it occasionally, yes?), take a ladle and add a few tablespoons to the flour/butter mixture while whisking. Continue to add the milk to the pan a few tablespoons at a time, mixing thoroughly in between, until you have added 1/2 the milk. Now add in full ladel full batches, mixing fully each time.
Put the pan back over a low heat, and continue to stir very often. Some say this should be constant, but you have other things to do (like cooking the noodles).
Preheat your oven to 375 if you are cooking the lasagna right away.
Add the lasagna noodles to the boiling water pot and stir. Add some salt.
Coat a lasagna pan with olive oil.
Coat 2 baking sheets with olive oil as well.
Continue to stir and heat the bechamel until it is as thick as heavy cream. Resist the temptation to add more flour. And it is OK if the sauce is only just as thick as cream. It will set more as you bake it. When the sauce is at this consistency, take it off the heat, add a pinch or two of salt, and the nutmeg.
When the noodles are just al dente, remove, drain, and quickly take them out of the strainer and lay them out on the oiled baking sheets.
Add a very thin layer of béchamel to the bottom of the lasagna pan. Then put in a layer of noodles, then tomato sauce, béchamel, and parmesean. Resist the urge to put a lot of any one layer. You are painting the layer of noodles with the sauces and cheese.
Continue until you are either out of noodles, or almost done with either of the sauces. Make sure you reserve enough of the sauce to completely cover the top layer of noodles. If you want to mix the tomato and béchamel sauces for the last top layer, that is fine. Put one last layer of Parmesean, wrap tightly with foil, and bake 25 minutes or so until bubbling.
Remove the foil, and continue to bake until the top just starts to brown. Cheating by using the broiler is OK.
Ingredients:
Bechamel
3/6/5 days in the year
3 cups whole milk. If using skim or low fat, substitute some half and half or cream to bring the fat content of the milk up.
6 Tbl of unsalted butter
5 Tbl of flour
salt
a few gratings of fresh nutmeg, or a pinch of pre-ground
1 box lasagne noodles
6 cups or more of your favorite homemade tomato sauce (with or without meat)
3-4 cups of freshly ground Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Bring a large pan of water to a boil to cook the lasagne noodles.
While the pan is heating, heat the milk or milk mixture in a separate pan over a medium heat until hot, but not boiling. Stir occasionally.
While the other two pans are heating, in a third pan (5 cups or more capacity), melt the butter over a medium heat.
Once the butter melts and stops bubbling, slowly add the flour while whisking the butter/flour mixture. Continue to whisk gently after adding all the flour for about 2-3 minutes. The goal is to cook the raw flour taste out of the flour, and fully incorporate the butter and flour, but not to brown the mixture. It may darken just slightly, but you are not making a roux.
Pull the butter/flour off the heat.
If the milk is hot (and it should be. You've been stirring it occasionally, yes?), take a ladle and add a few tablespoons to the flour/butter mixture while whisking. Continue to add the milk to the pan a few tablespoons at a time, mixing thoroughly in between, until you have added 1/2 the milk. Now add in full ladel full batches, mixing fully each time.
Put the pan back over a low heat, and continue to stir very often. Some say this should be constant, but you have other things to do (like cooking the noodles).
Preheat your oven to 375 if you are cooking the lasagna right away.
Add the lasagna noodles to the boiling water pot and stir. Add some salt.
Coat a lasagna pan with olive oil.
Coat 2 baking sheets with olive oil as well.
Continue to stir and heat the bechamel until it is as thick as heavy cream. Resist the temptation to add more flour. And it is OK if the sauce is only just as thick as cream. It will set more as you bake it. When the sauce is at this consistency, take it off the heat, add a pinch or two of salt, and the nutmeg.
When the noodles are just al dente, remove, drain, and quickly take them out of the strainer and lay them out on the oiled baking sheets.
Add a very thin layer of béchamel to the bottom of the lasagna pan. Then put in a layer of noodles, then tomato sauce, béchamel, and parmesean. Resist the urge to put a lot of any one layer. You are painting the layer of noodles with the sauces and cheese.
Continue until you are either out of noodles, or almost done with either of the sauces. Make sure you reserve enough of the sauce to completely cover the top layer of noodles. If you want to mix the tomato and béchamel sauces for the last top layer, that is fine. Put one last layer of Parmesean, wrap tightly with foil, and bake 25 minutes or so until bubbling.
Remove the foil, and continue to bake until the top just starts to brown. Cheating by using the broiler is OK.
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