Lasagne: recipe should feed 4 people
Ingredients: Bolognese
500g beef mince (I used 5%fat)
1 box pasta lasagne pasta sheets
1 white onion
I carrot
I stick of celery
3 garlic cloves
¼ bunch fresh thyme
½ tube tomato puree
175ml cheap red wine
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 tblspn of honey
2 tblspn of worcestershire sauce (few good glugs)
Maldon sea salt
Cracked pepper
Olive oil
Ingredients: cheese sauce
50g u/s butter
50g plain flour
600ml milk
200g grated cheddar
2 cloves
I small onion
Bay leaf
Cayenne pepper
Maldon sea salt
Cracked pepper
Method:
To make the Bolognese, finely chop up your onion, carrot, celery and garlic. If you have a food processor this is much quicker. Warm the oil and add the finely chopped vegetables, they need to sweat off and release their natural sweet flavour. Keep stirring the pot and do not allow the vegetables to stick; when it’s stopped steaming this is a good indicator that it’s ready, this process will roughly take around 10-15 minutes. A bigger pot is better for cooking anything like this, as it will give everything room to breathe. Add the beef mince and break it up, so there are no lumpy bits. Brown the mince off and mix well with the vegetables. Add the tomato puree and mix well. Then add the red wine and allow the alcohol to burn off (this is when the alcohol evaporates). At this point, add the rest of your wet ingredients, chopped thyme and season. Leave on a simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
To make the roux (cheese sauce), heat up the milk, with the onion, cloves and bay leaf; do not allow the milk to boil. Let the milk infuse the flavours for 20 minutes. Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour slowly, whisk in to make a smooth looking runny paste. Add the milk through a fine sieve and stir into the roux. Once the roux is smooth, add the grated cheddar cheese and mix till you have a lovely looking cheese sauce. During this process you may need to add a touch of milk if it gets to thick. Add 1 tspn of cayenne, and season to your preference. You are now ready to assemble the lasagne. This recipe allows for two layers of everything. Top with grated cheddar cheese, a sprinkle of dried oregano and cracked black pepper. Cook at 160’C in a fan oven, on the middle shelf for 45 minutes, then turn your oven down to 50’c and leave it to rest for 20-30 minutes.
Top tips when making a lasagne! Choose the appropriate size tray that’s deep enough for the layers. Make sure each sheet of pasta is well covered, the pasta needs moisture to cook through. If you don’t do this you will find the pasta will have not cooked through in parts. Lasagne is delicious the next day! However, if you want to eat it on the day you make it, let the lasagne rest in the oven on a low heat. This makes slicing easier and also ensures you don’t just have a mess on the plate. You want the people eating it to enjoy the layers of your lasagne!!
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