This is the richest, most impressive lasagne I’ve been able to devise. May not be compatible with diets.
Serves: 8
Takes: 6 to 24 hours
You will need
For the Bolognese sauce
- 2 onions
- Fresh garlic
- 1kg beef mince
- ½kg pork mince
- Lardons, pancetta, or a pack of cooking bacon cut up small
- Oyster mushrooms
- A glass of red wine
- 3 tins of tomatoes
- Tomato puree
For the white sauce
- Butter (real butter, not fake)
- Bread flour or plain flour
- Gold top milk (or full fat if you can’t get gold top, but definitely not skimmed) or single cream
- A selection of Italian style herbs.
For the final assembly
- Lasagne pasta, dry, about 18 sheets (depending on your dish and the size of the sheets)
- Mozzarella, shredded
- Parmesan, ground
Preparation
In advance
Chop the onions up and fry them slowly in olive oil. Add in some fresh garlic. Once they’re starting to brown, add in the bacon and cook until it’s released any water. Add the beef, pork and mushrooms, mixing it all up, and giving it time to cook in and release steam. Add the red wine, then when that’s been absorbed, the tomatoes. Simmer gently over several hours to reduce.
Melt a knob of butter with a spoonful of flour in the bottom of a saucepan, and mix them. You need to get the proportion right, so it’s neither dry nor wet; add a little more until it’s right. Add half a pint of milk or cream and mix thoroughly along with plenty of the herbs. Slowly reduce over a low heat until it’s thicker, stirring regularly to make sure it doesn’t clump up.
Assemble three of four layers of meat sauce and dry pasta in your dish, making sure each pasta layer fully covers the surface. It’s okay if the pasta overlaps. After the last pasta layer, pour the white sauce over the top, spread it evenly, then sprinkle over the shredded mozzarella and the Parmesan.
Leave it to stand for a few hours or even a day.
On the day
Cook in the oven at 180°C for 45 minutes. The result should hold together as a solid brick of lasagne, and be full of flavour.