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Lasagne

Great version of a classic recipe ... takes a while to make!
Prep Time1 hr 30 mins
Cook Time1 hr 30 mins
Total Time3 hrs
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Recipe Type: Beef

Ingredients

Infused Milk

  • 900 ml Milk Use whole milk
  • 1 Onion sliced
  • 1 Carrot sliced
  • 1 stalk Celery
  • 6 Black Peppercorns

Meat Sauce

  • 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Onion finely chopped
  • 1 Carrot finely chopped
  • 2 cloves Garlic crushed
  • 50 g Streaky Bacon
  • 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 125 g Mushrooms chopped
  • 450 g Minced Beef
  • 350 g Tomato skinned and chopped
  • 3 tbsp Tomato Puree
  • 150 ml White Wine
  • 150 ml Beef Stock
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 225 g Lasagna Sheets

Bechamel Sauce

  • 125 g Butter
  • 75 g Plain Flour
  • 75 g Parmigiano Reggiano
  • Nutmeg

Instructions

Preparing the milk

  • Put the milk into a pan and add one sliced onion, one sliced carrot, the celery stalk chopped and the peppercorns.
  • Bring slowly to the boil, and then remove from the heat and allow to infuse for 30 mins.

Making the meat sauce :

  • Heat 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and bacon. Turn down the heat and sweat this for 10 mins.
  • Turn up the heat and add the smoked paprika and the minced beef, cook for 5 mins and then add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  • Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, wine, stock and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 35 mins.

Cook the lasagne

  • Cook the lasagne, several at a time, in a large pan of fast-boiling salted water, for about 12 mins for dried pasta or 3 mins for fresh.
  • Drain and rinse in cold water. Lay out on a clean cloth.

Making the Bechamel Sauce

  • Strain the milk. Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour, add some grated nutmeg and cook gently for one minute. 
  • Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the milk. Gently bring to the boil and cook until it thickens. Season to taste.

Putting it together

  • Grease a large 2-3 litre ovenproof dish. Spoon in half the meat sauce. Cover with half the lasagna and then half the sauce. Repeat that and then sprinkle with the cheese.
  • Cook in an oven at 180 C for 45 minutes.

Notes

You can make this recipe truly amazing if you replace the mince with leftover smoked brisket