Lasagne alla Bolognese

The green-pasta lasagne recipe was deposited with the Bologna chamber of commerce in 2003 (proclaimed May 28, deposited July 4 at the Palazzo della Mercanzia) by the Italian Academy of Cuisine's Bologna San Luca delegation. The 1982 notarized deposit was the ragù bolognese, not the lasagne. The dish itself is older: layered pasta dates to medieval Bologna, but the spinach pasta and béchamel layering became Bolognese standard in the early 20th century. The pasta is green, not yellow — this is non-negotiable in Bologna.

Codified by the Bologna chamber of commerce in 1982 — recipe deposited with notary Paolo Cassoli. Pasta is green spinach, never yellow; ragù is equal beef and pork, white wine (not red), and a little milk near the end to bind fat into emulsion. No mozzarella anywhere.

A square of green spinach pasta — eight to ten layers — with thin slicks of slow-cooked ragù and white béchamel between each, baked until the top edges curl and brown. No mozzarella anywhere. Sliced cleanly with a knife; if it slides apart into a wet pile, there's too much sauce per layer. The proper version is structural — a slice holds its shape on the fork.

The ragù is the load-bearing element: primarily coarsely ground beef with pork pancetta, cooked several hours with a base of that pancetta, mirepoix, white wine (not red — Bologna tradition), tomato paste, and a small amount of milk near the end. Milk's casein binds the meat fat into emulsion and softens acidity. Béchamel is thinner than French — it's a moisture buffer between dry meat layers, not a featured cream.