One reason I love to travel is the exposure to different foods, cultures, ideas and people. A case in point is the food discovery from last night at a business dinner in Chicago: short rib lasagne. Wow! It was a blustery, windy, rainy night, and the sadly, the Cubs didn’t win, place or even show in their first World Series appearance in a zillion years, but the kitchen at Bar Siena on Chicago’s near west side was on its A-Game.
Let’s set the stage – the big ballgame was on, the place was packed with hungry and loud Cubs fans, and my dinner hosts were foodies. We ordered a selection of cicchetti (Italian for “little bites” meant for sharing). While the octopus with a chili vinaigrette and grilled shrimp with artichokes were wonderful, the short rib lasagne adorned with roasted garlic béchamel and taleggio cheese was the meal’s most valuable player.
This dish is now pretty high on my Must-Learn-How-to-Make List, and I found the recipe on the first page of Google search results. The owner of Bar Siena is Fabio Viviani from Top Chef, and he shared his recipe with the world on Rachel Ray’s show.
Fabio Viviani’s Short Rib Lasagna (Serves 8)
Ingredients
For the Short Rib Braise
- 4 lb short rib meat, removed from the bone and diced ½‑inch thick
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp sage, chopped
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 3 qt beef broth
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, diced small
- 1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
- 5 bay leaves
- 2 cups red wine
For the Béchamel
- 1 whole nutmeg, freshly grated
- ¼ lb unsalted butter
- 1 cup grated Montasio cheese (substitute Gruyere, Asiago or Fontina)
- 1 qt whole milk
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ lb all‑purpose flour
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Assembly
- 1 lb grated Grana Padano cheese
- 3–4 boxes lasagna pasta, cooked
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 °F.
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over high. Brown the diced short ribs in batches (to avoid steaming), then transfer to a plate.
- In the same pot, sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in bay leaves, rosemary, and sage—cook 1 minute.
- Add tomato paste and cook 4 minutes. Pour in red wine and reduce by about ¾. Return short ribs to the pot with any juices. Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours. Remove and let cool to room temperature.
- Béchamel: In a saucepan, simmer whole milk with a bay leaf and freshly grated nutmeg. In another pot, melt butter, whisk in flour to make a roux. Slowly whisk in the milk. Add Montasio cheese and whisk until thickened. Cook gently 10 minutes more. Remove from heat and cool.
- Layering: In an 8×16″ baking dish, spread a thin layer of béchamel. Cover with pasta sheets (avoid overlap), add a layer of the short‑rib mixture, and top with béchamel and a cup of Grana Padano. Repeat until the dish is full, ending with béchamel and cheese (no pasta on top).
- Cover with foil and bake at 400 °F for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes until golden. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
With the windy weather and the World Series, autumn was in full swing last night in Chicago – and this dish really hit the spot. We’re not quite there yet here in Southeast Texas, but once the chill sets in, I’ll be making this “warm up your bones” dish. If you get to it first, please share the results!
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