Lasagna

Ingredients

For the flavour base paste:

Three small white onions

Two sticks of celery

Two small carrots

Handful of fresh basil leafs

Handful of fresh flat leaf parsley leafs

Three quarters of a teaspoon of smoked paprika

Half a teaspoon of ground cumin

One and a half teaspoons of dried oregano

A teaspoon of salt

A teaspoon of ground black pepper

A tablespoon  of extra virgin olive oil

Two tablespoons of tomato paste

Four cloves of garlic

Use a mini blender or food processor to blend into a smooth paste

For the bolognese:

400g Good quality steak mince (10%% fat is best)

650-700g Passata

One glass of red wine

One desert spoon brown sugar

Generous dash of Worcester sauce

For the Bechamel sauce:

One heaped desert spoon of plain flour

approx 35g of butter

approx 500ml of semi skimmed milk

Pinch of fried oregano

Pinch of nutmeg

50g grated cheddar

10g grated Parmesan

To complete the dish:

A packet of dried lasagna sheets

Approx 125g grated cheddar cheese (medium is best)

Approx 25g grated Parmesan

Equipment required:

A mini blender/chopper

A deep non stick frying pan

A deep oven dish

A saucepan to make the bechamel

A colander to drain the browned mince

Get cooking!

1. Start by browning the mince in the frying pan over a medium heat, once browned tip the mince into a colander to drain the mince of the excess fat. Set aside.
2. Next add the paste to the pan and fry over a medium heat, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes. You want to cook the paste through to release all its wonderful flavours. If the paste sticks to the pan loosen with a little water rather than adding any extra oil.
3. Tip the mince back in and stir well until the mince and paste are combined, fry for a further minute or so then add the passata, the red wine, a desert spoon of brown sugar and a generous dash of Worcester sauce. Stir well and heat through to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Now make the bechamel sauce. Start by melting the butter over a medium heat then add a heaped desert spoon of plain flour. Stir well to form a smooth paste then start adding the milk and as it heats the sauce will thicken. Once half the milk (approx 250ml) is added sprinkle in a pinch of oregano and nutmeg along with a little ground black pepper. Keep adding the milk and bringing it to a simmer until the sauce does not thicken any more. The sauce should be of the same consistency as a batter. Tip: is best to add a little at a time as it is easier to keep the sauce smooth. It is vital to keep stirring to keep the sauce smooth and to prevent the flour sticking to pan bottom and burning. If the sauce does become lumpy use a whisk to make it smooth again.
5. Once the sauce is ready add 50g grated cheddar and 10g grated Parmesan and stir through the sauce until it has melted, this will give the sauce a creamy cheese taste, perfect to balance the rich bolognese.
6. Pre heat your oven to 180॰c/170॰c fan assisted.
7. Now to assemble the dish: layer the bottom of the dish with pasta sheets, cut them to size if required. Then spoon a generous layer of the bolognese (use approx half) over the pasta. Now add a layer of pasta sheets on top of the bolognese then spoon a generous layer of the bechamel sauce on top. Add a further layer of pasta, then spoon the rest of the bolognese on top before adding a layer of pasta sheets on top. Pour a generous layer of bechamel on top then sprinkle a good covering of grated cheddar and Parmesan on top.
8. Add to the centre of the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes until the dish is bubbling and the cheese on top has turned golden. Remove from the oven, it is best to let the dish sit for at least 30 minutes before eating if you can wait that long!
9. Serve and enjoy!