A Christmas Lasagna
Writing to you from bed this morning. Sometimes it’s where my most creative ideas form. I’m not sure if that will be the case today as I’m horizontal after shooting the last 18 dishes for my next book over the last two days. I’m wiped, but equally enthused about finishing up this project and eventually sharing it with you all. Spring 2026 could not come fast enough!
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Last week, the Hudson crew traveled down to the city for a festive holiday dinner at Rolf’s. Oddly enough, my (no longer married) parents used to walk from Lamaze class to dinner there whilst pregnant with me 47 years ago. Rolf’s used to decorate the place ridiculously over the top not only for Christmas, but Valentine's Day too. Needless to say, but I've been going for a long time… These days it’s Christmas 365 days of the year and the food has rapidly declined over the last 20, but that’s not really why we were there - getting into the holiday spirit was and it did do the trick. Speaking of German food, next week’s newsletter will feature the lovely and her new book Classic German Cooking, which I am very taken with. If anyone can do Christmas, it’s the Germans.
After Rolf’s we proceeded to hit up four Irish pubs for cocktails, expertly executed by our ring leader and arbiter of good taste . She went on to host a beautiful Christmas party over the past weekend, which left me couch-bound all of Sunday. Well done! If you haven’t already, please watch Black Doves - it’s so good! That’s what our day entailed along with some frozen dumplings from Nom Wah, a cure all.
I myself am very ready to be tucked in and cozy for the upcoming holidays. As usual, we will decamp to Helen and Dan’s for a few days for Feast of the Seven Fishes, Chad’s Christmas Day lasagna, and bacon sarnies on Boxing Day - I cannot wait.
I was extremely excited when Rummo pasta asked me to create a lasagna (our true Christmas tradition!) dish for them, which I’m thrilled to share with you here. It’s truly so good and I hope you have the chance to make it. You can watch me answering the “Pasta Hotline” and making it here. I’ve included the recipe for you below as well. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo to do it justice, but we all know what a lasagna looks like don’t we?
In other lovely Italian news, I was honored to do some work with designer Alison Hoeltzel, who lives in Bologna and created the line Officina del Poggio. The brand is inspired by timeless craftsmanship and creates gorgeous leather accessories and footwear. I truly love what she is doing and my bucket bag is now a forever bag. If you’re looking to treat someone (or yourself) to something special and support a small, woman-owned business, do. Please feel free to use my link and type in Colu15 to get 15% off your purchase. It's a very good bag.
Without further ado, here is our recipe!
A Christmas Lasagna
Serves 8 to 10
INGREDIENTS
For the sauce:
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon fresh sage (optional)
Kosher salt
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
⅓ cup tomato paste
1 cup whole milk
A pinch of fresh nutmeg
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups beef stock
1 24.5 ounce jar of passata
For the lasagna:
1 pound fresh mozzarella
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1 cup creme fraiche
⅓ cup grated Pecorino, plus more for topping
1 pound Rummo lasagna noodles
METHOD
In a food processor pulse together the onion, carrot, and celery, until finely chopped.
In a large, deep-sided skillet, heat the olive oil and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the sage, if using, and cook for 1 minute more. Season with salt. Add the pork and the beef, breaking the meat up with the back of a spoon and cook until it is no longer pink, about 7-9 minutes. Add the tomato paste and toast for a minute or two and then stir to incorporate with the meat. Season with salt.
Add the white wine and cook until it evaporates, about 5 minutes, add the milk and repeat, about 5 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and stir everything together. Turn heat to low and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours adding small splashes of water, if needed, to ensure the sauce doesn’t dry out. Taste and adjust seasonings with more salt if needed.
Assemble your lasagna:
Heat the oven to 400F.
Finely grate ¾ pound of the mozzarella, setting aside the rest to tear into pieces and top the lasagna with.
In a bowl, stir together the grated mozzarella, ricotta, creme fraiche and the pecorino cheese and season with a bit of salt (the pecorino is salty) and freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Set aside.
In a large pot of well-salted boiling water boil your lasagna noodles for 3 minutes. Transfer to a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil to prevent them from sticking.
In a large baking dish, ladle in some of the sauce and spread to cover the bottom of the dish. Top with a layer of the noodles, followed by some more sauce and ⅓ of the cheese mixture. Repeat with remaining noodles, sauce and cheese. The final layer should be sauce. Top with the torn mozzarella and about two more tablespoons of pecorino.
Tent with foil (this will help the cheese from sticking to the top) and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until everything is warmed through and the cheese is beginning to melt. Uncover and cook for 20 to 25 more minutes until the edges of the lasagna become crispy and golden and the cheese does too. Allow to cool slightly, slice and serve.
If you do make it, please let me know! Also, please drop your holiday traditions in the comments, I’d love to read them.
Until next week and with love,
Colu
#FreeLuigi xx
My favorite holiday tradition: doing 7 fish dinner at my Nana & Pappy’s every single year. There is too much food, everyone is being too loud, and we all stay way too long. wouldn’t change a single thing ❤️
When does the beef stock go in? Am I skipping past it in my read through??