Layers of lasagna

42 layers, to be exact. Get the recipe and make it at home.

Q. The lasagne at Louie Bossi’s is great, perhaps the best I have ever had. I know it's a classic iteration with béchamel and no ricotta, but perhaps you can entice the chef to share his magic formula? — Richard Pachter, Boca Raton

A. His magic is actually a collaboration of his-and-her magic. Louie Bossi, executive chef/partner of Louie Bossi’s Ristorante, Bar and Pizzeria, and Lisabet Summa, corporate culinary director and chef partner of Big Time Restaurant Group, share the spotlight for their rendition of this classic Italian favorite.

Summa and Bossi have been colleagues since Summa hired Bossi into Big Time Restaurant Group (bigtimerestaurants.com) 18 years ago. When the pair united talents and developed Louie Bossi’s Ristorante, Bar and Pizzeria in 2015 (1032 E. Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, 954-356-6699; 100 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, 561-336-6699, louiebossi.com), their goal was to create a contemporary dining experience that offered authentic Italian cuisine using old-world tradition and technique. Neapolitan-style pizzas being pulled from a wood-burning oven and dry-aging beef on display demonstrate their devotion to authenticity. In addition to the pasta, charcuterie, bread, gelatos, pastries and cookies all are freshly prepared in-house daily.

Summa is one of a few women in the U.S. restaurant industry that claims the title of corporate culinary director and chef partner. She, Todd Herbst and Bill Watson formed Big Time Restaurant Group in 1993. The portfolio also includes City Oyster & Sushi Bar, Big City Tavern, City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill, Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar and Grease Burger Bar. Summa is responsible for the company’s culinary concepts, from development, to brand execution, to implementation.

Louie Bossi seemed destined to become a chef. His earliest cooking memories take him back to his mother’s kitchen at the tender age of 8. A love for pizza as a teen encouraged him to work his way up from dishwasher to cook at the local pizzeria. In 2000, Bossi left New York for Florida and started as a grill cook for Big Time Restaurant Group. He earned his stripes at various locations until landing the executive chef title at Big City Tavern. Bossi continued polishing his skills mastering the art of charcuterie and receiving the distinction of certified master pizza maker from The Scuola Italiana Pizzaoili in San Francisco.

Louie Bossi’s Lasagne is available only on Wednesdays. Other daily specials are Eggplant alla parmigiana, Gnocchi Sorrentino, Veal chop alla parmigiana, Lobster fra diavolo, Filetto con tortellini and Chicken alla parmigiana.

Summa describes the lasagne recipe as “a lighter, multi-layered fresh pasta dish, comprised of three separate sauces, three types of cheeses and totaling 42 layers in all its glory. Yes, we were inspired by the nowfamous 100-layer lasagne at Del Posto in New York City. We call it the ‘Godfather’ and rightly so. This casserole is a behemoth of layers; fresh semolina pasta sheets made at the restaurant, San Marzano tomato sauce, Bolognese sauce, béchamel sauce, shredded mozzarella, grated Parmigiano

Reggiano, and fresh basil. Then served hot and bubbling out of our wood burning oven, topped with fresh mozzarella, more San Marzano sauce and a ladle of béchamel. All in all, a true masterpiece.”

How can you argue with that?

MIKE STOCKER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The 42-layer lasagne from Louie Bossi's Ristorante, Bar and Pizzeria.