Lasagne
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
900g beef mince
125ml (1/2 cup) white wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 x 700g passata
1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
1 chicken stock cube
1 sprig fresh continental parsley
1 dried bay leaf
½ teaspoon sugar
100g (1 cup) coarsely grated mozzarella
70g (1 cup) coarsely grated parmesan
1 x 250g pkt dried lasagne sheets
1 egg lightly whisked
Bechamel Sauce
1L (4 cups) milk
½ brown onion
2 sprigs fresh continental parsley
2 dried bay leaves
6 whole black peppercorns
50g butter
1/3 cup plain flour
½ cup coarsely grated parmesan
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
White pepper
Method:
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft.
- Increase heat to high.
- Add the mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until mince changes colour.
- Add the wine and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste.
- Add the passata, can of tomatoes, stock cube, parsley, bay leaf and sugar. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Meanwhile, to make the bechamel, place the milk, onion, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a simmer.
- Set aside for 10 minutes to infuse.
- Strain the milk mixture through a fine sieve into a large heatproof jug. Discard the onion, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium- high heat until foaming.
- Add the flour and cook stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until mixture bubbles and begins to come away from the side of pan. Remove from heat.
- Gradually pour in half the milk, whisking constantly until smooth.
- Gradually add the remaining milk, whisking until smooth.
- Place over medium-high heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens and coats the back of the spoon.
- Stir in the parmesan. Taste and season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper.
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Combine the mozzarella and parmesan in a small bowl.
- Spread ¾ cup of mince mixture over the base of a 2.5L capacity oven proof dish. Top with one-fifth of the lasagne sheets, ¾ cup of mince mixture and ½ cup of bechamel. Sprinkle with ¼ cup of mozzarella mixture and 1 tablespoon of egg. Top with one-quarter of the remaining lasagne sheets and press down gently.
- Continue layering with remaining mince mixture, bechamel, mozzarella mixture, egg and lasagne sheets, finishing with mozzarella mixture.
- Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until golden.
- Set aside for 15 minutes to stand.
- Cut into portions and serve.
