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variation today, there’s a local lasagne tradition that will suit every palate. The best-known lasagne variation, and the one from which most Italian-American versions draw their inspiration, is the South- ern Italian iteration from Naples. Lasagna Napoletana, also known as Lasagne di Carnevale due to its traditional role as a celebratory meal eaten during Carnival season, is nothing short of a glutenous delight. Sheets of rippled lasagna noodles (lasagne ricce) are layered with hunks of sausage; hard-boiled eggs; a tomato- heavy, pork-laden sauce; fluffy ricotta and — wait for it — meatballs. Because when you’re trying to really blow it out before Lent, go big or go home, right? In Northern Italy, though, the lasagne — specifically, the type that hails from around Bologna — is a bit less focused on stuffing everything-and-the-kitchen-sink into the dish and, instead, is keen on the integrity of a few key details: the pasta itself (which often includes spinach), a well-made béchamel sauce and a beefy ragu (or Bolognese) that’s created using a whole garden’s worth of minced vegetables. For Nick Lama of Avo in New Orleans, it’s this pared-down, Northern Italian style of lasagna that’s served as inspiration for his über-popular riff. “A lot of people make their lasagna with ricotta cheese like in Southern Italy, and most of the classic Creole-Italian places in New Orleans do this, too, because of their Sicilian [Southern Italian] roots. But with my lasagna, I decided to go with a Northern Italian béchamel, then elevate it by adding in braised short ribs instead of the traditional ground meat Bolognese. Lasagna takes on so many different shapes and forms, and there are so many different ways they make it across Italy, that it really ends up being about what kind of ingredi- ents are available and what’s fresh in the region,” Lama explains. Maybe it’s time each of us starts experi- menting a little bit more with all the varia- tions Italian lasagne has to offer, whether it’s trying out the prosciutto, liver and truffle- flecked variety from the Marche region, or going green with the fresh pesto-layered lasagne from the town of Liguria. And don’t worry: No matter how many of the diverse Italian versions we try in our home kitchens, lasagna as we know it in the U.S. will always be there, the Adele of Italian- American dishes: single-named, notorious and proud in the spotlight.

CLASSIC LASAGNA Serves 6-8 WHAT YOU WILL NEED 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound ground pork 1⁄4 cup tomato paste 2 (28-oz.) cans whole peeled tomatoes, puréed 1 tablespoon sugar, more if you like a sweeter sauce Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1⁄4 cup flour 2 cups milk 3 cups ricotta cheese 2 1⁄2 cups grated mozzarella cheese 1 pound dry lasagna sheets 1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese HOW TO PREPARE Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium- high. Add the garlic and onions and cook, stir- ring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 medium onions, finely chopped 2 pounds 80% lean ground beef

the beef and pork and cook until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes longer. Add the tomatoes and sugar, and simmer until thick, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium- high. Add the flour and cook 2 minutes. Gradu- ally add milk, whisking constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper and continue cooking, stirring constantly until béchamel thickens, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly, then combine with the ricotta, half the mozzarella, salt, and pepper. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add lasagna sheets and cook, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick to each other, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and lie flat in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, separated by parchment or wax paper. Heat oven to 375°. Drizzle some oil in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Lay three sheets of lasagna on the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon 1 cup of béchamel over pasta and 2 cups of meat sauce, spreading in an even layer with a small offset spatula. Top with 3 more sheets of pasta and repeat the layering with bechamel and meat sauce. Once you get to the final layer, top with remaining 1 cup of meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Shake on the parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and change oven to broil. Cook lasa- gna until bubbling and top is browned and crisp around the edges, about another 5 minutes, and remove from oven. Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before serving.

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