Lasagne -

Lasagne

Ingredients

8-10 lasagne sheets, green or white
75g/3oz/1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and ground black pepper
Sprigs of flat leaf parsley, to garnish

For the meat sauce

45ml/3 tbsp olive oil
500g/1¼lb lean minced (ground) beef
75g/3oz smoked bacon or pancetta, diced
130g/4½oz chicken livers, trimmed and chopped (optional)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
150ml/¼ pint/⅔ cup dry white wine (optional)
30-45ml/2-3 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
2 x 400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes
45ml/3 tbsp single (light) cream

For the white sauce

600ml/1 pint/2½ cups milk
1 bay leaf
1 small onion, sliced
50g/2oz/¼ cup butter
40g/1½oz/⅓ cup plain (all-purpose) flour
Freshly grated nutmeg

Details

Serves: 6

Method

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and blanch the pasta sheets, a few at a time, for at least 2 minutes, taking care to keep them separate. Stir the pasta during cooking to stop it sticking. Drain the blanched sheets and set them aside in a bowl of cold water.

2. Make the meat sauce. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the minced beef and cook, stirring, until it is evenly browned. Add the bacon or pancetta and chicken livers, if using, and cook for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes more, until the onion has softened slightly. Stir in the wine, if using. Bring to the boil and cook until well reduced.

4. Stir in the tomato purée and tomatoes, with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Stir in the cream, if using, and set aside.

5. While the meat sauce is simmering, make the white sauce. Pour the milk into a pan and add the bay leaf and sliced onion. Heat gently until the milk is just below boiling point, then remove the pan from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain the milk into a jug (pitcher) and discard the bay leaf and onion.

6. Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then gradually whisk in the milk until the mixture boils and thickens to a smooth sauce. Season and add nutmeg to taste.

7. Drain the pasta sheets and pat them dry on a clean dishtowel or with kitchen paper. Lay them out to prevent them from sticking together.

8. Spread some meat sauce on the base of a rectangular baking dish. Top with a single layer of pasta sheets. Trickle over some white sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat the layers until all the ingredients have been used, finishing with a layer made by swirling the last of the two sauces together. Sprinkle liberally with Parmesan.

9. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5 and bake the lasagne for about 30 minutes until bubbling and golden brown. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve garnished with flat leaf parsley.

Energy 586Kcal/2457kj; Protein 40.5g; Carbohydrate 39.8g of which sugars 11.2g; Fat 30.7g of which saturates 13.5g; Cholesterol 175mg; Calcium 343mg; Fibre 1.6g; Sodium 606mg

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