Lasagne alla Norcina evokes Umbria, black truffle and a hearty meat sauce. This recipe from the Fontana Cookbook combines an aromatic ragù with béchamel sauce and handmade pasta. It can be prepared in a home oven as well as in a pizza or wood-fired oven.
Ingredients
Ragù and truffle
- 50 g celery
- 50 g carrots
- 50 g onion
- 100 g extra virgin olive oil
- 100 g black truffle, grated
- 1 anchovy
- 1 garlic clove
- 600 g minced meat (chicken, veal, pork)
- Salt
- Pepper
- White wine (to taste)
Bechamel sauce
- 2 l milk
- 120 g flour
- 120 g butter (in small knobs)
- Nutmeg
- Salt
Pasta and for layering
- 600 g handmade egg pasta, cut into diamond shapes
- Grated Parmigiano
- Butter for the dish and for finishing
Preparation
Make the ragù
- Finely dice the celery, carrots and onion. Gently sweat them in a pan with the garlic clove, the anchovy and the olive oil.
- Remove the garlic, add the minced meat and the grated truffle. Brown well.
- Deglaze with a little white wine, season with salt and pepper and simmer gently.
Cook the béchamel sauce
- Heat the milk with some grated nutmeg.
- Make a light roux from the butter and flour. As soon as the milk comes to the boil, stir in the roux, season with salt and whisk until smooth.
Precook the pasta
- Cook the egg pasta in plenty of salted water for about 1 minute. Drain and let it drain on a linen cloth.
Layer and bake
- Butter a baking dish. Alternate layers of pasta, ragù, a little béchamel and grated Parmigiano. Finish each layer with a few knobs of butter.
- Finish baking in the oven as usual until the surface is golden and gratinated. Let rest briefly before slicing.
Notes and variations
- Salsiccia option: Many Norcina variants use salsiccia. If you like, replace the minced meat wholly or partly with fresh salsiccia.
- Truffle: Adjust amount and intensity to taste.
- Oven note: A preheated pizza or wood-fired oven gives a particularly strong browning. Use an ovenproof dish and keep an eye on the heat.
