UNBEATABLE LASAGNA - Renovating our farmhouse | Lucca, Tuscany in Spring

We have always preserved and conserved our ancient Tuscan farmhouse keeping all its features. This means hard work!!! Cleaning cotto floors is back breaking but their beauty makes the aches worthwhile. I also love old Italian coastal furniture but it does need help every spring. There are always old chestnut fences to adjust so the they can bear the weight of the antique rambling roses and wisteria. At the end of a physical week a steaming dish of lasagna is just what we needed. This dish may be abused at times but if made at home it is the just mouth watering. Watch to the end of the video and you will find a delight of early spring in Lucca. 00:00 - Intro 00:19 - Work at the farmhouse 01:06 - Lasagna Recipe 13:04 - Lucca Spring Surprise LASAGNA Recipe This is the unbeatable lasagna recipe we have been making for decades in our family and it is always a great success when we invite friends and family for Sunday lunch. Ingredients (serves 4) but you can double or triple the quantities for a large party. 250 gr / 9 oz dry oven ready Egg Lasagna sheets or fresh pasta For the Ragù: 1 lb /450 gr minced beef / ground beef 1 medium onion 1 carrot 100 gr / 3 ½ oz of Italian Pancetta or Guanciale 600 gr/ 22 oz Italian Tomato Passata 2 tbsp tomato paste 400 gr. / 14 oz tin of chopped peeled tomatoes 2 tbsp EV Olive oil 1 glass of red wine For the Besciamella 500 mil / 2 cups of milk 50 gr./ 1½ oz of butter 50 gr/. ½ of a cup of flour Grated nutmeg Sea salt and ground pepper The Ragù Chop the pancetta finely, then chop the onion and carrot. Cover the base heavy saucepan with a couple of tbsp of EV Olive Oil and heat it. Add the carrot and the onion and fry them until the onions get soft. Add the pancetta and cook for a couple of minutes on a medium to high heat, keep stirring otherwise things get burned. Add the minced beef and brown it. Keep stirring to stop burning. Pour the wine and keep stirring for about 10 minutes until the liquid evaporate and the meat turns into a beautiful brown colour. Now add the chopped tomatoes, the passata and 2 tbsp of tomato paste. Add 1/2 cup of water (use our empty tomato tin to recover the tomato left inside) Amalgamate and when it reaches the boil move it on a simmering heat. Simmer for 3 hours. Check regularly making sure that it does not stick. Add some water if necessary. 10 minutes before the cooking time season with salt and ground pepper. Besciamella sauce To prepare the besciamella warm the milk first then melt the butter in a small pan on low heat. Add the flour in one go to the melted butter and create a paste with a whisk. Keep mixing it for a minutes then add the milk slowly and incorporate it trying not to create lumps. Keep stirring it until you get the right consistency, not too sloppy but not too thick either. season with grated nutmeg and salt. Turn the heat off and cover with a lid to stop a film building up on the surface. Many manufacturers suggest using lasagna sheets straight away and this works well, but if you dip them in hot water for a few seconds they can be moulded in your lasagna dish and it improves the texture. You should dry the leaves on a tea towel for a few seconds. Assembly of the lasagna: Traditionally people use a rectangular lasagna tray because the pasta sheets fit better. If you have a round tray it's not a problem as the damp sheets can be adapted to the round shape. Grease the the bottom of the tray with a knob of butter and cover it with a first layer of besciamella, not too thick. Add lasagna sheets on top and cover them with besciamella and then a generous layer of ragù sauce. Sprinkle with lots of Parmigiano cheese Start a second layer of pasta sheets, besciamella, ragù and Parmigiano. Depending on your tray make 4 to 6 layers. I prefer the last layer without besciamella but 3 or 4 knobs of butter on top. Put in a preheated oven 170 C /340 F in a static oven (no fan oven) for 40 minutes. You should get beautiful crispy bits on the top but not burnt! Once ready let it rest for 5 / 10 minutes before serving. Buon appetito! Dear viewers, our videos are an escape from the worries and pain in the world. #lasagna #piazzatalk #piazzatalklucca