Living our differences

Passport & Plate - My family's lasagna

Italy | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 4 photos

10 to 15 precooked lasagna
For the tomato sauce:
2 spoons olive oïl
250 g ground beef
A big and a small box (both are less than 1kg) of peeled tomatoes (from Italy, it is often more sweet) or fresh tomatoes if it's the season
1 large onion
1 carott
Herbs from Provence (thyme, Rosemary)
2 bay leaves
For the béchamel sauce :
50 g flour
50 g of butter
60 cl milk
Salt and pepper
Grated Nutmeg (This changes everything);
How to prepare this recipe;
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Then start with the tomato sauce!
In a large saute pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and onion. When the onion is translucent, add the carott peeled and cut in slices. After 5 minutes, add the meat and break it with a wooden spoon. When it's browned,add the tomatoes cut in pieces, the herbs from Provence, the bay leaves, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Then, the Béchamel sauce.
Melt the butter in a casserole. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until you got a homogeneous mixing. Then, add the milk gradually and don't stop stirring, until you got a medium heavy sauce. Add salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.
Now, you only have to assemble all the preparations. Lay 3 to 4 lasagna in the bottom of the baking dish. Spread half the béchamel sauce on top. Spread 1/3 of the tomato sauce on top. Prinkle 1/3 of the Parmesan. Repeat layering in same order. Then add the 3 to 4 lasagna, then the last 1/3 of tomato sauce and Parmesan. Bake in the oven 30 to 35 minutes.
That's ready!
You can accompany the lasagna with a salad and especially with rucola (which i love), olive oil and balsamic vinegar;

The story behind this recipe;
This recipe is a story of souvenirs. It makes me think about my grand dad. In fact, my grand dad was Italian and I always had a special link to my him personally and to Italy then. This country represents my roots and I am proud of it. I am proud of my grand dad and I am grateful to him for the Italian love he gave us. I first see my grandmother, who was French, making this recipe. To honor her husband, she learned how to make lasagna and much more about Italy but that’s not the subject now). This recipe is a story of transmission. My mother was also used to make these lasagna. And they were so good, that my dad he will never find lasagna as good my mothers'one. These lasagna have keep their promise until now! So I saw my mom cooking these lasagna for us and for her friends. As I was interested in cooking and as I had a strong fierce about my Italian roots, I ask my mom to teach me how to do these lasagna. That’s how it began for me. Then, I did it for my friends and today I begin to share it with people I love. For the 30th birthday of one very good friend, we made a recipes book and I shared the recipe of my family’s lasagna.
This recipe is a story of sharing. Lasagna is a plate you share easily, it’s convivial. I remember these family meeting eating together on huge table and discussing, laughing, arguing around a huge good plate of lasagna. Recently, my mom made me the surprise to invite secretly my family and my friends to celebrate my 25th birthday. That was an amazing moment, full of emotions and happiness. Everybody was here, at my parent’s place. And we share that moment with a good plate of lasagna that my mother made.