1. This recipe suits a variety of pizza styles, but we think our classic pizza dough is a great fit.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.
Once the butter has melted, mix in the flour. At this point, add half of the milk and mix quickly and continuously to avoid creating any lumps. When the mixture has thickened, add the other half of the milk and continue to mix until the béchamel thickens.
3. Add the parmesan, salt, nutmeg and a pinch of pepper, and then remove the pan from the heat.
Once the béchamel has cooled, cover it and put it into the fridge. After 30 minutes, transfer the béchamel into a pastry bag.
4. To make the ragù, first chop the carrots, onions and celery stalks into small, ½ inch cubes.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan, and sauté the prepared vegetables until they’re soft. Then, brown the ground beef. Finally, add the tomato passata and cook over a low heat for another hour. If the sauce becomes too thick, thin it with a splash of water.
5. Fire up your oven, aiming for 450 to 500°C on the baking stone inside.
Use an infrared thermometer to quickly and accurately check the temperature of the stone.
6. Now it’s time to begin the lasagna pizza assembly.
Start by stretching one of the seven dough balls into a circular pizza base. Place the dough ball on a lightly floured work surface and push the air from the centre out to the edge with your fingers. Work the dough into a 12-inch base, then lay the stretched dough over your lightly floured pizza peel. Spoon on an even layer of ragù, followed by a generous drizzle of béchamel sauce.
7. Slide the pizza off the peel and into your oven.
Cook for 60 to 90 seconds, turning the pizza every 20 seconds or so to ensure an even bake. Once it’s cooked to your liking, set the pizza aside on a serving board. Repeat the process for all the remaining dough balls, stacking each pizza on top of the previous one to keep everything warm.
8. After that, it’s time to serve.
Slice your pizza stack in half to reveal all the layers, and then decide how you want to eat your lasagna pizza. Keep it elegant with knives and forks, or — as Antonio did it — grab a section with your hands and stuff it into your mouth. Bellissimo!
