Lasagne - a labour of love.

When I think of lasagne, I think of comforting home cooked food that you can make in just a few steps. Especially when you buy those little jars of ready made tomato and bechamel sauce. I have to confess I've never used them before or in fact made lasagne at all, always choosing the lazy option and gone with spaghetti bolognese. However, knowing its a favourite dish of my other half, I thought I would make an effort and give it a go. The trick is keeping is simple and taking your time, from the slow cooked bolognese to the simple creamy bechamel sauce and then layering it up in to a delicious meaty tower. I researched a few recipes, some saying to cook the meat in milk, some suggesting ricotta sauce instead of bechamel but after all I decided for the first try I had better stick to the basics.

Lasagne alla bolognese
serves 4-6

1 onion, finely chopped
2 small sticks of celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 handful of mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sprigs rosemary and thyme finely chopped
500g beef mince
100ml red wine
400ml passata or 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 pinch of sugar
1 beef stock cube/pot and about 200ml water
1 tsp salt

50g butter
50g plain flour
600ml milk
grating of fresh nutmeg
pinch salt and pepper

9 sheets of dried lasagne leaves or however much you need to fit your dish

First start with the bolognese. Fry off the meat until browned then take out the pan and put to one side, then fry the onions in the beef fat, add the celery and carrots. Saute until soft. Add the garlice and mushrooms and continue to cook for a couple more minutes. Take the red wine and add to the pan so you deglaze the nice brown bits on the bottom. Add the beef, herbs, tomatoes, sugar, beef stock and salt. Cook on a low simmer for about 1 hour, 2 if you can wait that long. 

Next the bechemel, melt the butter in a pan and then whisk in the flour. Slowly add the milk, continuously whisking to prevent lumps. Once all added simmer for 2 minutes to thicken and then add the nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

Lastly assemble the lasagne. Take a deep ovenproof dish and spread a thin layer of the meat sauce over the bottom, then bechemel and then top with pasta. Repeat this process twice more and then top the pasta with the last of the bechemel. Grate over some parmasan cheese and put in to a preheated 180 degree oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown on top. Serve after resting for 15 minutes.