Baked Lasagne

Serves 4
Prep Time 45 mins
Cooking Time 2 hrs 15 mins
Ingredients

For the meat sauce

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 1 celery stick, chopped finely
• 1 carrot, chopped finely
• 100 g/3 ½oz pancetta or rind less streaky bacon, chopped finely
• 175 g/6 oz minced beef
• 175 g/6 oz minced pork
• 100 ml/3 ½ fl oz dry red wine
• 150 ml/ ¼ pint beef stock
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• salt and pepper
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 150 ml/¼ pint boiling milk

For the Bechamel Sauce

• 55 g/2 oz unsalted butter
• 55 g/2 oz plain flour
• 500 ml/18 fl oz milk
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Rest of the ingredients

• 400 g/14 oz dried lasagne verdi
• 140 g/5 oz mozzarella cheese, drained and diced
• 140 g/5 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 55 g/2 oz unsalted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing

Method

• First, make the meat sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan.
• Add the onion, celery, carrot, pancetta, beef and pork and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.
• Add the wine, bring to the boil and cook until reduced.
• Add about two-thirds of the stock, bring to the boil and cook until reduced.
• Combine the remaining stock and tomato puree and add to the saucepan. Season to taste.
• Add the clove and the bay leaf and pour in the milk. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 1 ½ hours.

Next, make the bechamel sauce.

• Melt the butter, add the flour and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and gradually stir in the milk. Return the saucepan to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth.
• Add the bay leaf and simmer gently for 2 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaf and season the sauce to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside.
• Unless you are using lasagne that needs no precooking, bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the lasagne sheets, in batches, bring back to the boil and cook for about 10 minutes, until tender, but still firm to the bite.
• Remove with tongs and spread out on a clean tea towel.
• Remove the meat sauce from the heat and discard the clove and bay leaf.
• Lightly grease a large, ovenproof dish with butter.
• Place a layer of lasagne in the base and cover it with a layer of meat sauce.
• Spoon a layer of bechamel sauce on top and sprinkle with one third of the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, continue making layers until all the ingredients are used, ending with a topping of bechamel sauce and sprinkled cheese
• Dot the top of the lasagne with the diced butter and bake in a preheated oven, 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6, for 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling.

Equipment

• Large heavy based saucepan
• Oven dish

Shopping List

• Olive oil
• Onion
• Celery
• Carrot
• Pancetta or rindless streaky bacon
• Minced beef
• Minced pork
• Dry red wine
• Tomato puree
• Garlic
• Bay leaf
• Milk
• Unsalted butter
• Plain flour
• Nutmeg
• Dried lasagne verdi
• Mozzarella
• Parmesan cheese