A few months ago, my mother-in-law took a cooking class at the Cincinnati Women’s Club taught by a chef from a fancy Italian restaurant in town. She learned how to make a delicious, very gourmet lasagna. Then she made it for us when we stayed with her on our way to Toby’s college homecoming.

You may remember that I don’t usually like lasagna, but I did like THIS lasagna — in part because it has shredded short ribs in it, instead of ground beef (which I do not like if it is not in the form of a hamburger). It also has a thick, creamy béchamel sauce and lots of cheese… but no ricotta (which may make some of you happy).

I decided to make it for Christmas Eve dinner, because while the short rib ragu requires several hours of cooking, that and the bechamel can be made a day or two beforehand, so all you have to do before serving is assemble and throw in the oven.

The short rib ragu does take ages to cook, but there isn’t a ton of work involved — you just need 30 minutes or so to chop everything up (less time if you have better knife skills than I do), but several hours to stay at home and do other things while it hangs out in the oven.

 

The bechamel takes a lot less time. You will need to buy a celery root, though, and they tend to look dirty and gross. It’s OK, though: You’re going to cut the dirty, gross part off.

Then you’re going to assemble a giant tower of awesomeness. Your guests will love you, and you will get to enjoy a delicious hunk of cheesy lasagna as well as some time actually talking to your friends, instead of messing around in the kitchen! Win-win.

Short rib lasagna with celery root bechamel (makes a 9×12 pan of lasagna, which serves quite a few people. Adapted from Enoteca Emilia)
Short rib ragu
4-5 pounds beef short ribs
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
3 cloves garlic, smashed
Olive oil
14.5 ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1/4 to 1/2 bottle of red wine
pinch of red chili flakes
2 bay leaves
bundle of herbs — a few celery leaves, a sprig of fresh oregano, a rosemary stalk, and sprig or two of fresh thyme

Trim the excess fat off the short ribs and cut the meat into 1-inch cubes. Pat dry with paper towels, then season with some salt and pepper and allow to sit on the paper towels while you chop the vegetables.

Pour enough olive oil in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet to cover the bottom of the pan with a very thin layer of oil. Heat the oil on medium-high heat until it starts to smoke, then add part of the meat (it should be in a single layer) and brown it evenly on all sides. Remove the browned meat and allow to sit while you continue browning the rest of the meat in batches. Be careful, as the oil is likely to pop and spatter.

After the meat is all browned, add the vegetables and cook them for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are starting to brown.

Add the meat back into the pan and add the tomatoes (with juice), wine, chili flakes, bay leaves and herb bundle. The liquid should just about cover the meat.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and place in a 300-degree oven for 2.5 to 4 hours, until the meat is very tender and basically falling apart. (Check it after about 2 hours, but you will probably have to cook it much longer than that.)

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then shred the meat (and mash up the vegetables a bit) with two forks or a big wooden spoon. (You can use this immediately or cover and refrigerate it for 2-3 days before assembling the lasagna.

Celery root bechamel
1/2 piece celery root
1/2 sweet onion
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Rinse the celery root and cut off the gross part, then chop the white inside part into 1/2-inch cubes. Peel and chop the onion into small pieces.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the celery root and onion pieces and cook until the vegetables are starting to become tender (about 10 minutes).

Add the flour and stir until the mixture is very thick. Continue stirring as you slowly/gradually pour in the cold milk. Turn the heat up and keep stirring until the mixture comes to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and cook for about 20 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan occasionally to prevent burning.

Remove the bechamel from the heat and allow to cool a bit, then puree it in a blender (or using a stick blender, if you have one) and season with salt and pepper. (You can make the bechamel 2-3 days before assembling the lasagna, just be sure to store it in the refrigerator in an air-tight container).

Lasagna
Several sheets of fresh or no-boil lasagna (one box or package is probably enough – you want enough for 4 layers in your 9×12 pan)
12 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
About 1 cup grated granna padana, pecorino romano or Parmesan cheese (I used pecorino romano)
Optional: Freshly grated horseradish and gremolata breadcrumbs (I didn’t use these)

Preheat the oven to 400F and lightly grease a deep-dish 9×12-inch baking pan.

Spread a thin layer of bechamel on the bottom of the pan, then place a sheet (or two, however many are necessary to cover the pan) of pasta on top. Spread about 1/4 of the remaining bechamel over the pasta sheet, then spread about 1/3 of the ragu evenly over that. Sprinkle lots of mozzerella cheese and a bit of the other cheese over the top, then top with more pasta, bechamel, ragu and cheeses. Repeat once more for a third layer.

For the last layer (if possible), use a layer of pasta followed by the remaining bechamel and a thin layer of the mozzarella and other cheese.

Bake the lasagna for 60-75 minutes, until it’s golden brown and bubbly around the edges and all the cheese is melted in the middle. Allow to stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes, then cut and serve. Garnish with freshly grated horseradish, gremolata breadcrumbs and more pecorino romato, if desired.