Classic North Italian Lasagna Recipe - Lasagne alla Bolognese

Lasagna, like everything else in Italy, varies considerably from region to region; in much of the South you'll find it made with tomato sauce and ricotta (a simpler American version), or tomato sauce and meatballs, but you can also find it made with fish, or made with greens and vegetables, and in this respect Liguria's refreshing summer lasagna with pesto sauce comes to mind.

In Emilia Romagna and Tuscany, however, Lasagna is winter comfort food, made with Sugo alla Bolognese and béchamel sauce, and an abundant dusting of grated cheese before it goes into the oven.

A couple of words on the pasta: Time was you could choose between fresh and dried sheets of pasta, both of which required a brief boiling before being used to assemble the lasagna. You can now find pasta that doesn't require pre-boiling -- you simply build your lasagna with it, and it softens by absorbing moisture from the sauce as it bakes -- but I find the texture of lasagna made with this kind of pasta inferior. So here we used commercially prepared dry egg noodle pasta sheets, boiling them before putting them into the pan.

Last thing: Lasagna alla Bolognese improves with age, so, if you can, make it a day ahead and refrigerate it; the flavors will meld beautifully, and then you need only reheat it gently in the oven before serving it.