Rich Fabulous Lasagne

I am fond of making lasagne and I saw Lidia make her version, on her programme "Lidia's Italian Table". Food TV.
This sauce is the slow cooking, tomato, meat ragout. The first time this kind of beautiful sauce passed my lips was in 1968 in Paris staying with our new best friends Roy and Jeanne Nunn. We met them in Venice whilst camping at the Lido. We were very impressed with them... in particular for all of the canned food they had in their car. A direct quote from my Letter to Sandy dated October 1968
"We met some Americans who kindly put us up in Paris.
We lived like Kings with them there, also or with them camping as he works at the US Embassy and they can shop at the PX… need I say more. America cans everything, and they had it all in the boot of their car. Chili Con Carne. Cobs of Corn vacuum packed Well!!"

When they did kindly put us up in Paris, Jeanne (of Italian descent) cooked her Grandma's (I think it was) Ragout. It cooked for hours and was amazing. married to the lovely Wendy.

So Lidia's sauce is up there with it. By the way the dish got a big thumbs up from the grandchildren, on the Thursday night Dinner.

Below Roy and Jeanne with Dale in Rome, we traveled down from Venice with them and spent our time in Rome, on the Camping Ground at the beach. Managed to fit in a bit of sightseeing.

 So onto the lasagne.


First the sauce
2 large onion peeled and sliced
Olive oil
500 gms beef mince (you can use a mix of pork and mince)
2 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch Red Chili flakes
2 bay leaves
Good sprinkle oregano
White wine
2 cans good tomatoes

1 pottle tomato paste (140 gms)

Soften onions in olive oil
Season S & P
Remove, set aside add beef mince and brown
Season
Put onions back in
Add garlic stir through
Add herbs and chili flakes
Good slosh of white wine to deglaze

Pop tomatoes through food mill or pulse them in food processor
Into pot
Add tomato paste
Check seasoning and adjust if necessary
Leave to simmer at least 1 1/2 hours even up to 2 hours
If it gets too thick add a little water.

You will also need
Lasagne sheets
300 gms ricotta
1 egg
Parmesan
Mozzarrella
This Mozzarella works really well. Good product

I haven't put the quantities of the Parmesan and Mozzarella
Just have plenty on hand

Plus you need to make a Bechamel sauce
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1 cup milk (warm)
1 bay leaf
Sea salt and pepper
Nutmeg (freshly grated)
Parmesan Cheese

Melt butter and stir in flour

Cook out for a few minutes
Season S & P
Add warmed milk and bay leaf
Stir till thickened
Add grated nutmeg to taste
Remove bay leaf and add a good handful of grated Parmesan

Meanwhile beat egg and add to ricotta


NOW, after all that
To assemble
Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of your dish
Place lasagne sheets to cover
Then plenty sauce and sprinkle grated Parmesan
Lasagne
Ricotta Mix and more Parmesan

Lasagne
Slices of Mozzarella

A drizzle of the sauce
More Parmesan

Lasagne
Final layer of sauce

Then top with Bechamel sauce

If you want to freeze this... cook at 180C covered with foil for about 25 minutes
Cool and Freeze
To finish, thawed is best and then it will need about another 20 minutes covered
And about 15 minutes, uncovered to bubble the top.
It is best to let it rest at least 30 minutes, before serving, it is easier to portion and once again
Piping hot food is not the best way to get flavour.

If you want to cook straight away
40 minutes covered in foil
20 minutes uncovered
Either way a winner.