Lasagna

This recipe calls for a 21cm square oven-proof glass dish. 

Meat sauce ingredients:

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

300g minced beef

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 bottle of 400g pasta sauce (I use Barilla's  bolognese base)

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 dried bay leave

salt and black pepper

30g milk

Bechamel sauce ingredients:

16g butter

16g flour

200ml milk

Pinch of salt

13g Parmasen cheese

Other ingredients:

Cheese e.g. Mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar

10 lasagna sheets

Method:

1. Make the meat sauce.

Heat oil in wok over medium heat.

Add onion and cook until softened, stirring constantly.

Add the meat and cook until it changes it colour, break up any lumps of meat. Don't overcook the meat. Remove from wok.

Add tomato puree, paste, sugar, oregano, basil, water/wine, salt and pepper to taste.

Return the meat to the wok and mix into the tomato mixture.

Cover with lid and bring to a boil.

Simmer over low heat for an hour. Stir in milk to balance the acidity. Set aside.

2. Make the bechamel sauce. 

Pour milk into saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 4-5minutes until the flour has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Add butter, a pinch of salt and parmasen cheese. Whisk until mixture thickens (thick enough to coat the back of the spoon but not too thick that it won't pour).

If not using the sauce immediately, cover the sauce with a clingwrap, pressing directly onto the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming. Alternatively, give the sauce a stir from time to time to prevent a skin from forming over the sauce.

3. Cook the lasagna sheets.

If the sheet requires cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 1 lasagna sheets at a time and cook until al dente. Remove the cooked sheet from the pot and put in a pot with cold water to stop the cooking. Then lay them on a lightly oiled tray (no overlapping) and cover with a cloth.

4. Assemble

Watch this video. Spread meat sauce into the base of the baking tray. Then add lasagna sheet, followed by meat sauce, bechamel sauce and cheese. Repeat for next 4 to 5 layers of lasagna sheets, ending with bechamel sauce and cheese. 

5. Baking

Preheat oven to 200C (180C with fan). Cover loosely with aluminium foil and bake it in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Remove the aluminium foil and bake for another 10-25 minutes until the cheese has the desired golden brown look.

6. Resting

Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes before slicing. This allows the bechamel to firm up, the layers settle and you will get clean slices instead of the meat sauce running across the plate.