The Crunchy Part of the Lasagne

Massimo Bottura

Massimo Bottura

27th November 2019
Massimo Bottura

The Crunchy Part of the Lasagne

120 min

The corner piece of a lasagne

This recipe is extracted from Signature Dishes that Matter, A celebration of the iconic restaurant dishes that defined the course of culinary history.

Follow this link for a chance to win a copy: www.thestaffcanteen.com/Editorials-and-Advertorials/win-a-signed-copy-of-signature-dishes-that-matter#/

Ingredients

Ragù

  • 1 yellow onion, diced 1 carrot, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 3 g extra-virgin olive oil 2 dried bay laves 1 sprig rosemary 100 g bone marrow 50 g pancetta steccata, chopped 100 g sausagemeat 200 g veal tail 100 g veal tongue 100 g beef cheek
  • 100 g cherry tomato confit 80 g white wine 1.5 g capon stock 5 g sea salt 1 g black pepper

Pasta dough

  • 100 g spinach 100 g Swiss chard 500 g ‘00’ flour 8 egg yolks 1 egg salt

Bechamel

  • Béchamel foam 30 g butter 30 g flour 500 g milk, at room temperature 120 g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated sea salt

Tomato terrine

  • 4 ripe tomatoes 1 g sugar 1 g sea salt 0.5 g freshly ground black pepper 3 g extra virgin olive oil 2 g agar agar

Parmigiano crackers

  • 15 g soft butter 90 g 30-month Parmigiano Reggiano, grated 5 g cornflour (cornstarch)

Method

Ragù

Make a classic soffritto by cooking the onion, carrot and celery very gently in
a pan with the olive oil. Transfer to a stainless steel bowl and stir in the bay and rosemary.
Blanch the bone marrow in salted boiling water and drain it on paper towels to absorb any excess liquid. Sweat the pancetta in a large, heavy-based saucepan.
Add the sausage meat and cook until browned. Remove any excess fat, then add the remaining meats, keeping them in large pieces, and cherry tomato confit.
Brown them, add the wine and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and add the soffritto. Put the mixture in a sous-vide bag along with a little of the stock, and seal. Cook for 24 hours at 63°C (145°F).
Open the bag and separate the liquid and solids. Place the liquid in a pan and reduce it by half over low heat. Chop the meat with a sharp knife. Put it in
a large saucepan and add the liquid.

Pasta

Cook the spinach and chard in boiling water, then chill it immediately in iced water. Drain it well, dry it and pound it thoroughly.
Sift the flour on to a board and make a well in the centre.
Add the egg yolks, egg and the spinach mixture gradually to the well, mixing until the dough comes together in a ball.
Knead for 15 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover it with a clean dish cloth and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1 mm (1⁄16 inch). Cut it into 5-cm (2-inch) triangles.
Stack the pasta, cover it carefully and let stand in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Bake for 15 minutes, until the pasta is perfectly gratinated. Let stand in a warm place for 5 minutes before serving.

Béchamel foam

Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour and salt. Cook, stirring, until it forms a smooth paste, then add the milk. Stir very well and when it starts to thicken, add the Parmigiano and keep stirring.
Cook for 5 more minutes. While still warm, process it in a thermal mixer at maximum speed, then strain it, put it into a siphon and chill it. Once cold, charge with 2 charges and shake it well.

Tomato terrine

Blend the tomatoes thoroughly and strain them, adding the sugar, salt, pepper and oil. Put the liquid into a small pan with the agar agar and bring to a boil, stirring, until it has melted completely.
Pour the mixture into a 10 x 15-cm (4 x 6-inch) rectangular tray and let cool. Once cold, cut it into 1 x 15-cm (1⁄2 x 6-inch) strips.

Parmigiano crackers

Knead the butter, Parmigiano and cornflour (cornstarch) together briefly. Roll it out to a thickness of 2 mm(1⁄8 inch) and cut it into 5-cm (2-inch) triangles, like the pasta.

To serve

Place a straight line of tomato terrine along the plate. Place four spoonfuls of the ragù alongside it, topped with spoonfuls of the béchamel foam. Rest 2 Parmigiano crackers and 2 crispy pasta pieces alternately in front of them.

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