Slow Food & A Good Friend

Last Christmas my lovely friend Carlotta from Bologna sent me a copy of Bolognese Cooking Heritage by Barbara Bertuzzi, it really is a lovely book full of history, great photographs and above all stunning recipes. I love books like this that have little quotes and snippets of information by the recipes and notes on variations too. This was one food book I sat down and read cover to cover before even contemplating cooking from it.

I am however very ashamed to say that until yesterday I had hadn’t cooked the most widely travelled and famous recipe in the book, Bolognese meat sauce. Why? Simply because I feared it wouldn’t live up to my usual recipe of choice – a recipe from Giorgio Locatelli’s Made in Italy: Food & Stories, which is an absolute stunner of a meal. 

I decided to bite the bullet and try a new recipe, just for a change really, and what could be better than an authentic recipe from a Bologna cookbook? Once I’d decided on the classic ragu, I was immediately drawn to a lasagna, one way I could get all the family to eat the same meal without worrying about anyone not being happy. To satisfy my need for bread I also made some ciabatta, 

I couldn’t believe how quick and simple the lasagna was to prepare, even the homemade pasta didn’t take so long to do and it was so therapeutic, time to give long slow cooking is required though. With good food so simple and relaxing to prepare why oh why resort to the jars of pasta sauce and ready packaged food? It just doesn’t make sense to me. Home-cooked food not only tastes better, and is better for you but in the long run works out a great deal less expensive too. Ok, Ok I’ll get off my soap-box now

So now to the vital question, how did it taste? Well it tasted better than it looks in the photo above and I really do think the photo looks great (not that I’m blowing my own trumpet or anything, lol).

The thing, for me anyway, that makes a lasagna so great is the way the flavours all amalgamate and become one delightful sweet, savoury combination. This version certainly did that, and above all, it stood proud on the plate when cut, a vital point for a great lasagna.

The ciabatta on the other hand had nothing quick about it. Taking a two day process to complete the dough meant it had to be well planned out, not something to throw together for a quick supper after work The reason it takes so long is the need for a biga, a biga is a type of pre-ferment used in Italian baking. Using a biga adds complexity to the bread’s flavor and is often used in breads which need a light, open texture with holes. Apart from adding to flavor and texture, a biga also helps to preserve bread by making it less perishable.

Time consuming yes, but worth every second all the same.  There is nothing at all like seeing what is basically a thick, creamy white gloopy mess grow into a smooth, satiny dough which then becomes one of the most important foods going – a golden loaf of bread. 

The ciabatta recipe comes from  The Italian Baker (Carol Field), although I’ve adapted the recipe to use metric measurements. This is one of my favourite books at the moment, I love her writing style and the style of the book too, very enjoyable to sit and read with a good cup of coffee. 

It was a scrumptious meal, oh and yes I’d eat it again and again and again, which is probably why I’m having the leftovers for lunch today

The Recipes:

For the green pastry (pasta):

• 3 eggs
• 300g flour 
• 20g spinach
• Nutmeg

For the sauce:

• 150g onion
• 70g carrots
• 50g celery
• 50g lard
• 600g minced beef
• 1 or 2 glasses of red wine
• 1 bottle passata
• Salt & pepper

For the béchamel:

• 1l milk
• 90g butter
• 60g flour
• Salt
• Nutmeg
• 150g grated parmesan

1. Mince the onions, carrots and celery very finely and set aside.
2. Heat the lard in deep casserole pot and add the vegetables.
3. Brown the vegetables on a medium heat, the base is ready when the vegetables change their colour and are completely dry. They will take on a hazel colour and the rule “la conza las fa cold nes” applies – Bolognese sauce must be cooked by the way it smells, so it is ready when you cannot smell the carrot, onion and celery separately but a single sweet perfume.
4. Lower the heat and continue to cook the vegetables until they are soft and well cooked.
5. Spread the vegetables over the base of the pot and add the beef mince, brown on a high heat.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste, once the meat is browned add the wine and continue to stir.
7. Continue stirring until you cannot smell the wine separately to the meat and then add the bottle of passata.
8. Lower the heat and allow to cook slowly for at least two hours (mine simmered for 5).
9. Allow the sauce to cool.
10. Make the béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and stir well.
11. Allow to cook for a minute or two, constantly stirring to make a roux.
12. Gradually add the milk until you have a thick smooth sauce.
13. Cover with wet greaseproof to prevent a skin forming.
14. Allow to cool.
15. Now make the pasta, roll out and cook to the size of your lasagna dish (a step by step method can be found here).
16. Cook the pasta sheets in salted boiling water until al dente then refresh in a bowl of iced water to stop it cooking further.
17. Spread a layer of meat sauce (preferably the oiliest part) across the base of the dish and cover with a layer of still wet pasta, layer again with meat sauce, then béchamel and a scattering of parmesan, then pasta.  
18. Keep repeating this until at least five layers of pasta have been used and you finish with a layer of béchamel, scatter with parmesan.
19. Cook in a preheated oven for 40 minutes at 180C.

Ciabatta:

Biga:

• 7g fresh yeast
• 400ml warm water
• 500g plain flour

Ciabatta:

• 7g fresh yeast
• 125ml warm milk
• 300ml warm water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 500-600ml biga
• 500g plain flour
• 15 salt

1. Make the biga. Stir the yeast into 50ml of the warm water and leave for around 10 minutes (until creamy and active). Add the remaining water and the flour.
2. Place the biga into a large oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave at room temperature for 12-24 hours, it will more than double in size and will have a very strong fermented smell when ready.
3. The following day. Stir the yeast into the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer, leave to stand for around 10 minutes before adding the water, oil and biga.
4. Mix with the paddle attachment until blended.
5. Switch to a dough hook and add the flour gradually, kneed until the dough is stringy and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
6. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm, leave to rise for 1 1/2 hours or until at least doubled in size. The dough should be very sticky, supple and elastic when ready, also lots of air bubbles will be seen.
7. Do not knock the bread back, instead gently turn the dough on to a well floured surface and divide into four (or more if you prefer) pieces.
8. Generously flour two (or more) baking trays and place the dough onto the trays. Dimple the bread gently with your finger tips.
9. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise again for 30-40 minutes.
10. Preheat the oven to 220C or the equivalent while the dough is rising.
11. Place the breads in the oven for 20-30 minutes depending on their size.
12. Allow to cool on wire racks.