Lasagne: My Favourite Food Ever
"Lasagne is an endless topic of conversation, just like love and war. It's an institution, like the Vatican." - Andrea Camilleri
How to make a lasagne for 4 people
Ingredients for lasagne
Ingredients for the Ragu:
1 x packet of beef mince
2 x shallots, peeled and finely sliced.
3 x slices smoked bacon
2 x cloves garlic, thinly sliced.
4 x mushrooms, I use chestnut, finely sliced.
1 x large tin of chopped tomatoes
1 x tbsp tomato puree
1 x dash Worcestershire sauce
200ml x good stock (either pork or beef)
Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for the bechamel sauce (the white sauce for lasagne):
50g x unsalted butter
2 tbsp x plain flour
300ml x milk
50g x grated cheese (I use cheddar, but you can use mozzarella for goo, or an italian hard cheese)
Salt and pepper to taste
For the lasagne layers:
Ragu
Bechamel sauce
Slices of cheddar cheese to coat the top
Lasagne pasta sheets (the type that don’t need pre-cooking)
How to make the Beef Ragu:
Pour about a tbsp of olive oil into a deep saucepan on a medium heat.
Add the bacon and cook through.
Add the shallots but keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Sweat them off until they are soft
Add the garlic and allow that to soften.
Add the beef mince, add it a bit at a time, you may need to turn the heat up as the meat will cool the saucepan.
Brown the beef mince, making sure there are no raw bits remaining.
Once the beef has cooked, add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the mushrooms and cook until softened.
Add the tomato puree and stir in.
Follow this with the tinned tomatoes and the stock. Add the Worcestershire sauce and then stir thoroughly.
Bring back to the boil and then simmer for around 20 minutes on a low to medium heat while making the bechamel sauce.
How to make the white sauce for the lasagne:
In a non-stick pan (or one you trust not to stick!) add in the butter and melt over a medium heat.
Once the butter has melted and foamed a little (DON’T LET IT BROWN) add in the plain flour, sprinkle it into the saucepan and then stir it into the butter. You should end up with a dough with both butter and flour properly combined, if it seems a little wet then add more flour.
Cook the roux (your butter/flour dough) for a minute or two, keep it moving and don’t let it burn or stick.
On a low to medium heat start stirring in the milk, add it a little at a time and keep stirring until it starts to thicken. Once it has thickened add the next amount of milk, until eventually all the lumps have gone, and you have a creamy, silky sauce. You will really need to keep your eye on it, as it will stick or burn in a moment if you get distracted (such as trying to film while cooking!!).
Add the grated cheese and stir in until it’s combined and melted. Set aside and get ready to assemble the lasagne!
How to layer lasagne:
Use a large ovenproof dish with plenty of depth for your filling.
Start by spooning a layer of beef ragu (Beef Bolognese) over the base of the dish, make sure it’s even and not too thick (don’t want to use it all at once!)
Layer your lasagne sheets over the ragu so that it is completely covered. Push down very gently on the sheets so they sit in the sauce rather than on it. I’ve found this gives a more even cook.
Spread your lasagne white sauce over the top of the lasagne sheets.
Now repeat, ragu over the bechamel, then lasagne sheets over the ragu then more white sauce. Do this until you have used all the ragu/white sauce up.
The top layer should be lasagne sheets, white sauce and then your slices of cheddar/mozzarella/cheese of choice. Don’t be shy with the cheese, make sure it coats the whole lasagne.
Then pop in the oven for 30-35 minutes (check the directions on your packet of lasagne sheets). Until the pasta is cooked and your cheese is browned and awesome!
How long to cook lasagne?
Lasagne usually takes around 30-40 minutes, but it depends on your oven and your brand of lasagne pasta.
Do you precook lasagne sheets?
This is entirely up to the brand of pasta you’ve bought. I always buy the type that don’t need precooking, and it’s clear on the packet how you are supposed to use them.
The benefits of using lasagne sheets (you have to pre-cook) is that they then don’t go all chalky in the lasagne when you pop them in the oven. But frankly the time benefits of using the cook-as-you-go ones vastly outweigh the negatives.
Is this a traditional lasagne recipe?
It’s traditional to my family, who are English through and through and have absolutely no roots in Italy! So no, probably not – but it tastes amazing, so who cares!