Lasagne Rolls with Turkey Ragu Sauce

Adapted from Saveur's Italy Cooks, page ___ and L. Kasper, Splendid Table, pages 165-7.

Making the Ragu:

Over mediium-high heat, warm EVOO in a large, heavy pot. Add onions, sauteeing until soft an translucent but not browned (~4-5 minutes). Add carrot and celery, sauteeing for a few minutes more. Add bacon and tomato paste, cooking down to intensify flavor.

Crumble ground turkey into pot. Break up turkey with a wooden spoon, cooking meat until slightly pink. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Do not let meat fry or brown. Still over medium-high heat, stir in white wine and cook until wine completely evaporates. Turn heat down to medium and add hot milk (warmed in microwave for 1-2 minutes). Stir occasionally until milk has completely evaporated.

In a saucepan, combine chicken broth and pureed tomatoes. Heat over medium-high heat until bubbling.

Add broth-tomato mixture to ragu mixture. Stir. Reduce heat to low. Simmer gently for 2-1/2 hours, stirring from time to time and seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

Making the Bechamel/Balsamella Sauce:

Heat milk in microwave for 3-4 minutes. In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add sifted flour and whisk for 90 seconds. Do not let roux burn. Whisking constantly, gradually add heated milk to roux. Salt and pepper, to taste. Stir constantly until sauce is thickness and consistency of heavy cream (15-20 minutes).

Pasta/Soy Wrappers:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt and EVOO, to taste. Cook pasta for approximately 4 minutes. Soak cooked pasta in cold water to stop cooking and prevent sticking. Preheat oven to 375°F. Drain pasta and remove excess moisture by placing in single layers between paper toweling. If using soy wrappers, do not boil! Simply fold each sheet in half lengthwise (along longer edges to yield longer/narrower rectangles versus shorter/wider rectangles).

Assembly:

If using a single baking dish, place 3 T. / 6 T. EVOO on bottom of ceramic baking dish. Spoon 1 C. / 2. C bechamel over EVOO and spread to cover bottom of dish. Alternatively, if using individual ramekins, place 1 t. of EVOO in each ramekin and spoon 2 T. of bechamel over the EVOO.

To fill/roll pasta or soy wrappers, lay lasagne sheets side by side in a single layer on plastic cafeteria trays or baking sheets. Spoon 2 heaping "literal" tablespoons of bechamel on each sheet and spread in an even layer to cover. Spoon 2 "scoops" (medium serving spoon) meat sauce over. Sprinkle 1-2 "literal" teaspoons parmagiano reggiano over meat sauce. Place 2 slices of mozzarella on each lasagne sheet. Roll up each lasagne sheet and place seam-side down in baking dish or seam-side down in individual ramekins.

Spoon remaining meat sauce over lasagne rolls to cover (so pasta doesn't dry out during baking)--approximately one "scoop" per lasagne roll. Sprinkle remaining parmagiano reggiano over meat sauce--approximately 1-2 heaping "literal" teaspoons per roll.

Baking:

Cover loosely with foil to prevent cheese from sticking. Bake for 40 minutes in 375°F oven. Using a knife, test center for doneness. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.