Entrée: Lasagne verdi
Chef: Marco Canora, Insieme

For Insieme’s Marco Canora, Christmastime means gathering his clan and assembling this homemade lasagne “that gets a lot of hands involved. It’s ritualistic and very family-oriented.” This is also a dish that requires patience. “It takes time and effort to roll out the pasta, make the sauce and layer the food,” he hazards. The payoff comes in stuffing yourself with this “perfect cold-weather food: rich, warm and filling,” the chef says, adding, “the lasagna makes totally good leftovers, too.”

Bolognese

6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ cups minced red onion
¾ cup minced celery
¾ cup carrot
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 1/3 cups tomato paste
⅓ pound pancetta, minced
1½ cups whole milk
2 cups red wine
2⅔ cups canned tomatoes
4 cups meat stock

Pasta

½ pound fresh spinach, stems trimmed
Kosher salt
2 large eggs
1½ cups all-purpose flour

Béchamel

6 tablespoons butter
3 cups milk
4½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
1½ cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano


To make the Bolognese: Combine butter and olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot, then season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables soften and begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, then the beef and pancetta. Cook, stirring occasionally until the meat is browned, about 25 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add the milk and simmer actively until the milk is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until the pan is almost dry. Add the tomatoes and stock, adjust the heat so the sauce simmers gently and cook for three hours.

To make the pasta: Blanch the spinach in boiling salted water and shock it in ice water. Drain the spinach, squeeze it dry, then chop it.

Combine eggs, flour and blanched spinach in a food processor. Add a pinch of salt and pulse until the dough balls up. Transfer it to a lightly floured board and knead until soft and pliable, about 15 minutes.

Divide the dough into thirds then stretch and thin it using a pasta machine. Cut it into sheets the size of the baking dish (11 inches or so).

To make the béchamel: Combine butter, milk and flour in a saucepan and bring to boil, then stir and adjust the heat so it’s actively simmering. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 25 minutes. Season the béchamel with salt, pepper and nutmeg and keep warm over low heat; strain immediately before using.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To assemble the lasagne: Moisten the bottom of a medium baking dish (a 9-by-11-inch dish will work) with sauce. Spoon thin layer of béchamel over the sauce and top with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cover with two pasta sheets and repeat. Build about nine layers and end with Bolognese, béchamel and grated cheese. Bake until bubbly, about 25 minutes.




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Cocktail: Haute hot chocolate
Mixologist: Junior Merino (Rayuela)

Cheese and charcuterie
Stinky Bklyn

Appetizer: Chestnut soup with candied chestnuts and morcilla
Chef: Alex Ureña (Pamplona)

Dessert: Sweet potato custard with Grand Marnier meringue
Chef: Jerome Chang (Dessert Truck)