If your only experience with lasagna is the plasticky, cheesy gut-bombs you’ve waded through at church socials and bad potlucks, you need to try Biba Restaurant’s version. Chef Biba Caggiano’s elegant Lasagne Verdi alla Bolognese is composed of ten silky-thin layers of homemade spinach pasta, interspersed with a fragrant Bolognese meat ragú and velvety béchamel sauce. No dried-out clots of mozzarella cheese or hard boiled egg slices, just simple, delicate flavors that leave you feeling sated and happy – not bloated and thirsty. *Note: the lasagna is only available on Thursdays and Fridays.
This recipe is brought to us by renowned chef and author Biba Caggiano, of Biba's Italian restaurant in Sacramento, California. Source: Martha Stewart Living Television
Biba's Tagliatelle and Bolognese Ragu
INGREDIENTS2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely minced yellow onions
1/2 cup finely minced carrots
1/2 cup finely minced celery
1/2 cup (2 to 3 ounces) thickly sliced pancetta, finely minced
1 pound ground beef chuck
1/2 pound ground pork loin
1/2 cup medium-bodied red wine, such as a Chianti Classico
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons double-concentrated Italian tomato paste, diluted in 3 cups Biba's Meat Broth, or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup milk, preferably whole milk
1 pound imported dried tagliatelle
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
DIRECTIONS
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Add the milk, partially cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Taste, and adjust the seasoning. Turn off the heat.
4. 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.
5. 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.
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