Lasagna al forno

lasagna

Peter Penguin says...

Top shit, bruv.

Ingredients

Serves 6

  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to cook the pasta
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
  • 500g chuck steak, cut into small dice (or 500g minced beef)
  • 50g chicken livers, trimmed and finely chopped
  • 100ml red wine
  • 400ml passata
  • Grated nutmeg
  • 50g butter
  • 50g plain flour
  • 600ml whole milk
  • About 9 sheets dried egg lasagne (depending on the size of the sheets and your dish – you’ll need 3 layers of pasta)
  • 100g grated parmesan

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan and gently fry the onion until softened. Add the carrot and continue to cook for 5 minutes, then add the celery and cook for another 2 minutes.
  2. Turn up the heat, add the chopped beef and cook until browned all over, then stir in the chopped livers and cook for 3 minutes.
  3. Pour in the wine and passata, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of grated nutmeg, then bring to a simmer. Cover partially, turn the heat down, and leave to simmer gently for 2 hours.
  4. Uncover, and simmer for another 30 minutes, or until the sauce is well flavoured and almost dry.
  5. Pre-heat the oven to 200C. To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a medium pan, and then whisk in the flour. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring, then gradually whisk in the milk, and bring to the boil, still stirring. Season and simmer for about 5 minutes until thickened.
  6. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add a couple of drops of olive oil. Blanch the pasta, in batches to stop it clumping together, for 1 minute, then drain, separate and leave to dry on a tea towel or greased plate or board.
  7. To assemble the lasagne, take a deep, wide dish and coat the bottom with a third of the meat sauce, topped with a quarter of the béchamel, and a sprinkling of parmesan, and finally a layer of blanched pasta.
  8. Repeat two more layers, and then top the last layer of pasta with the rest of the béchamel, and the remaining parmesan. Grate a little nutmeg over the top, and cook for 40 minutes, until golden and bubbling.
  9. Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.