Directions: |
Directions:To make the Bolognese sauce:
1. Finely slice the bacon, peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots and celery – don’t worry about
technique but try and make all the veg a similar size
2. Place a large saucepan on a medium to high heat and add 2 lugs of olive oil, your sliced bacon and the oregano and cook and stir until the bacon is lightly golden
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the veg to the pan, stirring occasionally. Simmer for around 15 minutes, or until softened and lightly coloured. Stir in the minced meat and the tinned tomatoes. Fill one of the empty tomato tins with water and add to the pan. Stir and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper
4. Pick the basil leaves and place in the fridge for later, then finely chop the stalks and stir into the pan. 5. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer with a lid on and slightly askew for 1 hour, stirring every now and again. Then remove the lid and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ensure you keep an eye on the sauce as it's cooking and if you think it’s starting to
dry out, add a splash of water
Meanwhile, weigh out the ingredients for the white sauce
To cook the pasta:
1. Boil some water in the kettle and pour it into a large pan, then add your lasagne sheets with a drizzle of oil and blanch (slightly soften) for 3 to 4 minutes making sure they don’t stick together – cook them in batches if necessary. Drain the sheets in a colander and carefully pat them dry with some kitchen paper to absorb any excess water – leave to one side until you’re ready to build the lasagne
To make the White Sauce
1. Peel and slice half an onion and then add the onion, milk, parsley, nutmeg and black peppercorns and bay leaf (if using) to a pan on a medium heat and gently bring to the boil – keep a close eye on it as milk can boil suddenly. Then strain the milk through a sieve, discarding anything left behind
2. Melt the butter in another pan on a medium-low heat and then mix in the flour. Slowly start adding the strained milk, a ladleful at a time, stirring each lot in before adding more. When you have a smooth white sauce, bring the whole lot to the boil then simmer for a couple of minutes. Take off the heat and finely grate in most of the Parmesan cheese, mixing well. Then season with a pinch of salt and pepper
To finish the Bolognese Sauce
1. Remove the Bolognese sauce from the heat, then tear and stir in any larger basil leaves, keeping the smaller ones aside for later. Taste the sauce and season with a little more salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
To make the Lasagne
1. Spoon a ⅓ of your Bolognese sauce into the bottom of an earthenware ovenproof dish (approximately 25cm x 35cm), then follow with a layer of lasagne sheets and another ⅓ of your Bolognese sauce and then spoon over a ⅓ of your white sauce.
2. Top with another layer of lasagne sheets, spoon over the rest of the Bolognese sauce and another ⅓ of the white sauce . Finish with a final layer of lasagne sheets and top with the rest of the white sauce and finely grate over the remaining Parmesan. Top with some slices of fresh tomato, scatter over the small basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Cover with foil, place in the preheated oven at 375ºF and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and cook for a further 20 minutes until the lasagne is bubbling and golden.
Serve at the table with a fresh green salad and let everyone help themselves. |
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