Feeds: 6 adults
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Each time I cook this dish I am reminded of my first glorious visit to my spiritual home, Italy. Walking down the narrow little lanes of Genoa where cobbled paths meander up to the cutest colourful front doors to houses that I have ever seen. My bestest best friend Caroline & I found a beautiful little family ristorante serving lasagne with parma ham and pesto, not a dreaded tomato to be seen (I despise tomatoes). This dish is always the first thing my youngest son Keith orders when we are in Italy, like his mam he is not a lover of tomatoes but this is one of his favourite dishes. Somehow the ragu sauce is not as tomatoey - if thats a word. Read on for the secret to making this happen. Shhhh...
I have spoken to many Italians from different regions of Italy about their recipe for lasagne, including our beautiful friend Andrea who came to visit earlier this year. Because of the tips & tricks they have shared with me, this recipe is a mixture of some of their dishes and my own little twists. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
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Ingredients
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Method
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Local Suppliers
Serves 6
Ragu
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 2 cloves of crushed garlic
- 3 tblsp olive oil
- 2 tin chopped tomatoes.
- 2 medium carrot chopped finely
- 4 sticks of celery chopped finely.
- 1 cup of stock
- 1 cup milk
- Pinch of salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Oregano.
Meat
- 500g good quality mince beef.
- Pinch of salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1 packet of pancetta.
Pasta
- 12-14 sheets of lasagne pasta.
Sauce
- 1 litre of milk
- 1 Pinch Nutmeg
- 8 tblsp of real butter
- 8 tblspn of plain flour.
- 2 tblspn Parmesan cheese
- 2 tblspn chopped Parsley.
- Pinch of salt & freshly ground black pepper
Let your smile change the world,
Tracey
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in large frying pan.
- Finely chop onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Add to pan, cook gently for 15-20 minutes.
- Add milk, tomatoes, stock, oregano and seasoning .
- Heat a second pan and add olive oil, In a bowl, add seasoning to mince, make large marshmallow sizemeatballs and fry gently in oil. Toss frequently to brown all sides. Add in pancetta to meatballs.
- In a large saucepan boil water, add in salt. When water comes to the boil , add in 4-5 sheets of lasagne for approx 5 minutes per batch, Remove and place on greaseproof paper separately.
- Place the meatballs and pancetta into the ragu sauce and using a masher break up the meatballs. Place in the oven at 160 degrees Celsius covered for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
- To make béchamel sauce melt butter, add in flour and cook it out for approx 5 minutes on a low heat. Gently add in milk stirring all the time to avoid lumps , add in parmesan and a pinch of nutmeg. Continue to stir until it reaches a creamy consistency.
- Now after all of that we are ready to construct your lasagne. In a large rectangular dish start layering with meat first then pasta then sauce continue until you finish with sauce. Put an extra sprinkling of cheese on top and bake for 15 minutes, when golden remove from the oven.
- Do not cut straight away leave to settle for at least 15 minutes. You can use this time to mix crushed garlic, butter and seasoning together, spread on a cut baguette and place under the grill for 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve with a nice chilled glass of Pinot Grigio.
- To find out more about my favourite part of Italy check out Lido Di Camaoire, Tuscany.
- Minced Beef from Joey Kavanaghs Butchers, Main Street, Scarriff, Co. Clare.
- Vegetables from Teds Fruit & Veg, Main Street, Scarriff, Co. Clare.