Prep time: 3 hours
Cooking time: 50 min
Serves 12
This recipe is based on Delia’s and make two large ovenproof dishes measuring about 23cm square on the base and 5cm deep or one large dish and two smaller ones.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 200g sliced smoked pancetta
- 2 fat clove garlic, crushed
- 500g minced British beef
- 500g minced British pork
- 800g tin Italian chopped tomatoes (2 tins)
- 180g jar of sundried tomato paste
- 150ml red wine
- 2 tbsp Salt & black pepper (cornish sea salt)
- 2 tsp nutmeg (you can use freshly grated if you have it)
- 100g fresh basil (2 bunches), chopped
- 300g fresh lasagne sheets
- 400g mozzarella, diced
- 100g Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
For the cream sauce:
- 1700ml milk
- 150g butter, plus a little extra for greasing
- 250g plain flour
- 200ml double cream
- 1 tsp nutmeg (you can use freshly grated if you have it)
- Salt and freshly milled black pepper
Method
First of all take a large frying pan and heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over a medium heat and gently fry the onion for about 10 minutes, moving it around from time to time.
Crush the garlic and chopped the pancetta if needed.
After 10 minutes, add the pancetta to the pan to join the onion, add the garlic and continue cooking the whole lot for about 5 minutes. Now transfer this mixture to the casserole dish.
Then add a dessertspoon of oil to the frying pan, turn up the heat to it highest and brown the minced beef. When the beef is browned tip it into the casserole dish.
Then heat another dessertspoon of oil and do exactly the same with the minced pork. When the pork is browned, transfer that to the casserole dish.
Pre-heat the oven to 120°C
Next place the casserole over the direct heat and give everything a really good stir, then add the tinned tomatoes, sundried tomato paste, red wine, 2 tbsp of salt & pepper, 2 tsp of nutmeg and half the chopped basil.
Stir and allow to come up to simmering point.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and place the casserole in the centre of the oven and leave it to cook for 1 hour, then remove the lid and cook for another 1 to 1.5 hours. What you should end up with is a thick, reduced concentrated sauce with only a trace of liquid left in it.
While it is cooking you can make the cream sauce.
Once ready remove from the overn, taste to check the seasoning then stir in the remaining basil.
To make the cream sauce, place the milk, butter in a medium thick-based saucepan.
Place this over a gentle heat and whisk continuously with a balloon whisk. Once the butter starts to melt add the 150g of the floor. and some seasoning.
Keep whisking until the sauce comes to simmering point and thickens. If the sauce doesn’t thicken, slowly add remaining flour in 50g batches.
Once it starts to thicken. Turn the heat as low as possible, continue to cook the sauce for about 10 minutes stiring all the time. After that remove from the heat, add some more seasoning and 1 tsp of nutmeg, then whisk in the cream.
Now to assemble the Lasagne
Butter your ovenproof dishes.
You’ll nee to cover the top of the lasagne with the cream sauce so don’t use it all up when assembying the lasange.
Spread about a third of the ragù over the base of the prepared dishes. Cover this with a third of the cream sauce, followed by a third of the diced mozzarella, then arrange a single layer of the lasagne over the top, which you can cut to fit the dish. Repeat this process, finishing with a final layer of pasta followed by the reserved cream sauce.
Then cover the whole lot with the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese – and the lasagne is ready for the oven.
All this preparation can be done well in advance (you can keep it covered in the fridge for a few days or freeze it.) Then when you’re ready to bake the lasagne pop it into a pre-heated oven at 160°C for 45-50 minutes or until it’s bubbling and turning slightly golden on top.
Leave it to settle for 5 minutes before serving.