The Best Lasagne Yet

I’m very pleased with this Lasagne I made the other night. It may seem like a lot of steps, but I made enough for 3 meals (Of course I froze two)...
Make it early in the day, if you have people coming.
It's all the better for hanging about a bit.
Thought it would be a good entry for Ruth from "Once Upon a Feast"'s
Presto Pasta Night weekly blogging event. Just click here to see all the wonderful Pasta recipes from all over the world.

This week PPN is being hosted by Psychgrad of http://eatfordinner.blogspot.com
The round up will be in the weekend.

So it’s much the same as normal, but with a wee twist.
I make a separate mushroom sauce, as well as a béchamel.
Plus I add an egg to the cheesy sauce, this makes a lovely almost custardy topping.
A moist very tasty lasagne.

I had some Brussels sprouts and hunted out Brussels Sprouts Italian Style on the net.
I felt it may have been more of a French style, with the Dijon mustard, but it was very tasty nevertheless.

See recipe further on.

I made three sauces for the layers
Basic Meat and Tomato sauce
Mushroom Sauce
Béchamel with Grated Cheese

You will also need a packet Lasagne sheets


Basic Meat Sauce
500 gms mince
1 tbs olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbs olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 carrot grated
2 sticks celery finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 heaped tsp oregano
sea salt and black pepper

1 cup wine
2 cans tomatoes
1 cup beef stock
2 tbs tomato puree or ketchup

Brown mince in hot pan with olive oil
Remove and Reserve

Add another tbs oil
Add onions saute till soft
Add carrots, garlic and celery
Saute till soft
Add wine, reduce
Add tomatoes, break up with wooden spoon

Return mince to pan
Add beef stock and simmer about 45 minutes
Check seasoning, adjust if necessary and leave to cool.



Mushroom Sauce
2 tbs butter
250 gms mushrooms small chop
100 mls white wine
1 tsp oregano

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs flour
1 1/2 cups milk

Melt butter in pan
add mushrooms
Toss around and cook till liquid reduced
add wine reduce again
add seasoning and oregano

Add flour
Mix well and cook the flour out
Add milk and stir well
Simmer gently about 5 minutes, till sauce thickened, stirring regularly
If too thick add more milk and cook a little longer
Check seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Set aside and cool
Make Bechamel Sauce

75 gms butter
60 gms flour
1 tsp mustard
Sea salt and white pepper
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

Make a roux.
Melt butter in pan
Add flour and seasoning and mustard
Mix well cook flour out
Heat milk with bay leaf and peppercorns
Strain and add all at once to roux.

Whisk well and cook till thickened
Add cheese
Cool slightly and add egg

Beat well

Now time to layer In a lightly greased dish
put a spoonful of cheese sauce on bottom
Top with lasagne sheets
Next Mushroom Sauce
Lasagne sheets
Meat Sauce
Lasagne sheets

Top with cheese sauce.


Bake 180C for about 30 - 40 minutes until bubbling and golden brown on top

And here is the
ITALIAN-STYLE BRUSSELS SPROUTS *
500 gms fresh Brussels sprouts
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese

Trim the ends from the Brussels sprouts and cut each sprout into halves.
Heat ½ cup water in a medium nonstick skillet.
Add Brussels sprouts.
Season lightly with salt and pepper
Cook till liquid disappears and sprouts are tender
You may need to add a little more water, if they are not tender before the water evaporates.
If any excess drain them first.
Mix mustard, lemon juice, balsamic and olive oil together
Add garlic
Pour over sprouts and toss well
Add shaved Parmesan and serve
Great meal.