Lasagna Stew with Whipped Ricotta

Heat oven to 300° F. 

Brown the beef and sausage in a large dutch oven over medium heat. While the meat is cooking, blend the fennel, celery, carrots, onion, and garlic in a food processor until they are very finely minced, nearly ground to a paste. Once the meat has browned, add the vegetables to the pot, stir them in, and bring to a simmer. Bring the heat to medium low and cook, stirring regularly, until nearly all the liquid has evaporated, around 25-30 minutes. Break the tomatoes apart and add them and their juice to the pot. Bring to a simmer while stirring occasionally. Transfer the pot, uncovered, to the oven. Cook in the oven for 1-5 hours, depending on how much time is available. Check every hour, adding water 1 cup at a time or lowering the temperature of the oven to 250° F if the sauce gets too dry. 

While the stew cooks in the oven, make the bechamel and the whipped ricotta.

For the bechamel: Heat butter over medium low heat in a small saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook until the raw flour smell is gone. Raise the heat to medium and begin adding the milk a few tablespoons at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition until the sauce has thickened, before adding more. Continue adding the milk and whisking, lowering the heat if the sauce begins to simmer too strongly, until all the milk has been added. Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (if desired) to taste. 

For the whipped ricotta: whisk ricotta, milk, and salt with a mixer for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. 

Remove the pot from the oven, stir the stew from the bottom to redistribute the contents. Transfer to a burner over medium low heat and bring to a steady simmer. Add 1-3 cups of beef broth or water, depending on how long the dish was in the oven. Please refer to the guide below. 

Once the stew has begun to simmer steadily, add the Sfoglini Reginetti. Gently stir in the pasta and simmer, stirring occasionally and slowly, until the pasta is cooked, around 20-25 minutes. Add the whole basil to the pot and turn the heat off. Remove the basil after ten minutes and stir in the Parmesan cheese, then the bechamel. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

To serve, transfer the stew to a serving bowl and dollop the whipped ricotta on top. Sprinkle with thinly sliced basil.

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Chef's Note: The longer the meat sauce cooks, the deeper and more complex the flavor will be. That being said, the stew is delicious after the sauce simmers for just one hour. 

Beef broth can be very salty, so if using it instead of water in the stew after the braise, don’t add salt until the very end. It works best to make a half-strength broth by using beef base, bouillon cubes, or a container of beef stock or broth and cutting it with water in order to have more control over the flavor. 

Regarding the amount of water or broth to add after the stew has come out of the oven and before adding the pasta, please use this chart:

This stew can also be made as a more brothy soup. To do this, stir in 2 additional cups of broth or water before the pasta cooks. 

Pasta Swaps: This recipe would also work well with Whole Grain Reginetti, Cavatelli or Radiators.