This Lasagna is out of this world and I can't believe the Chef gave me the recipe



INGREDIENTS

2 x packet of fresh lasagna sheets from the section of your supermarket or you can make your own.
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

For the Ragu

• 1 small carrot
• 1 white onion
• 1 small stalk of celery
• 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil
• 400mls of a 600ml bottle tomato passata sauce
• 500 grams minced beef
• 350 grams minced pork
• 250ml ( 1 cup ) beef stock
• salt
• ground pepper

And for the “besciamella” sauce

• 1 liter of milk
• 100 grams (7 tablespoons or a little less than 1/2 cup) of butter
• 80 grams (2/3 cup) plain flour
• A tiny pinch of Nutmeg
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of ground pepper

Make your Ragu​

• Peel the carrot and the onion. Wash and dry the celery. Cut the three of them into tiny pieces. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan or dutch oven , add onion, carrot and celery and cook them over a low heat until they are soft (roughly 5 minutes).

• Turn the heat to medium-high and add the ground beef and ground pork. When the meat has browned and the liquid it releases has evaporated. Add the beef stock, passata, salt, and pepper. Stir again to mix the ingredients and let them cook on a low heat for at least an hour and up to 2 hours stirring regularly.

Make your Bechamel sauce​

Put the ragu aside and get ready to make your bechamel, or as they say in Italy, “Besciamella” sauce.

• Warm the milk in a saucepan, but don’t let it boil.
• In a separate saucepan, cube the butter and melt it over low heat. As soon as it has liquefied take it off the heat and gradually whisk in the flour, making sure that no lumps form.
• Place the pan with the butter and flour mixture back on a low heat and add your warm milk, salt, nutmeg and ground pepper. Stir rapidly with the whisk until it thickens and becomes smooth.

Chef’s Tip: When making a bechamel sauce, don’t stop stirring until you have added and incorporated all of your ingredients – this will help you to keep lumps from forming

4. Time to put your lasagna layers together!​

• Pour a fine layer of besciamella on the bottom of a 20 x 30 cm casserole dish.
• Cover it with a layer of ragu.
• Place your pasta rectangles side-by-side on top of the ragu until you have covered it completely. Don’t allow them to overlap too much – you don’t want any double layers of pasta.
• Add a layer of mozzarella about 1/4 of it
• Repeat the process in the same order as above until you reach 4 or 5 layers of pasta. On the very last layer of pasta place a slightly thicker layer of bechamel and ragù as it is the layer most exposed to the hot air of the oven and tends to dry up a little. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top

Chef’s Tip: In order to ensure that a lasagna holds its shape after it is cut and plated, many Italians alternate the orientation of their pasta with each layer. So if you lay your first layer of pasta lengthwise, you will lay your second layer crosswise, alternating each time. Although this may seem pointless, it’s one of those nonna secrets and we swear by it.

Bake!​

• Place the casserole in a pre-heated oven at 200° Celcius or 180 C fan-forced for about 25 minutes. You will know the lasagna is ready when you can see a golden crust around the outside edges on the top layer.
• Let your gorgeous lasagna rest for a couple of minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

Serve with tossed salad and crusty bread

 

[MarieT]

Sounds delicious, will let you know when I make it!