Lasagne

I had some inspiration a few years ago to make lasagne. Mind you I had never made it before and had somewhat of an idea of how it was made. Or so I thought. Using no recipe but one could have been easily found. I should also say I should have asked my mother. I was ambitious, overly confident and thought I could pull this off. I should now say, my overly confident persona is way too confident for no particular reason. I do have those moments where it flourishes but it comes crashing down. Then I retreat back into my self critical world, which I find is a much more safer place to be. When my first lasagne came out of the oven, the sheets of pasta were dry and brown, the sauce did not exist and it was deemed that it should not be called lasagna. My husband hated it and when I mentioned that I was cooking lasagne again, it struck fear into his very being and then I assured him "I have a recipe, I have a recipe and I am not using my mind". That did not quell his troubled thoughts and was hesitant about it up to the very point I brought it out on a plate. Also he suggested that I should ask my mother for the recipe

So I revisited the lasagne and found a recipe on Taste called Our favourite lasange. Here is the next chapter of my quest to master the lasagne.

The Family of Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 brown onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

750 grams beef mince

2 by 400 gram cans of diced tomatoes

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/4 cup tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

2 lasagna sheets

1/c cup grated mozzarella

Cheese sauce

4 cups of milk

1 brown onion, chopped

8 whole pepper corns

2 whole cloves

60 grams butter

1/3 cups plain flour

1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

pinch of nutmeg

salt and white pepper

The method

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onion and garlic until they soften. Add the mince and break up any visible lumps while stirring. Cook until brown. Then add the tomato, wine and tomato paste and bring it to the boil. I also added some peas and frozen spinach at this stage. Then simmer, with occasional stirring for 30 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

For the cheese sauce, combine the milk, onion, peppercorns, cloves in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the stove and allow for the mixture to sit for 15 minutes.

Then strain the milk into a jug to remove the soils. Discard solids.

Melt butter in a saucepan until foaming. Add the flour and mix until the mixture bubbles or comes away from the side of the pan. Pour in half of the milk and mix constantly using a balloon whisk until the mixture is smooth. Then add the remaining milk while mixing.

Butter and flour mixture

Addition on milk

Then bring the milk mixture to the boil, while constantly stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens or coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat and add the parmesan and stir until the cheese melts. Then add the nutmeg, salt and white pepper.

Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. Coat a rectangular 3L ovenproof dish with olive oil. Spread one quarter of the bechamel sauce over the base. Then array a layer of lasagne sheets over the sauce. Place one third of the mince mixture layer, then one third of the bechamel sauce and then a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat until you finish with a layer of lasagna at the top. Layer with the remaining bechamel sauce and mozarella.Place it in the oven for 40 minutes, until the cheese melt. Remove from the oven and allow it to stand for 10 minutes to set.

Adding the layers

Layering completed

I did not take a picture of the cut up lasagne as it collapsed on me. So just use your imagination and imagine that it came out nicely and looked a treat. Yes dazzling and tantalizing.

I would definitely make it again but I would have left it to set for longer after removing it from the oven. As I tried to cut it up, it fell apart and the cheese just did not want to part from itself. So every time I tried to pick up a slice of lasagne the cheese would stretch and then bring the whole thing down. I eventually used a knife to make a clear cut and I ended up angry at the lasagne. So yes imagine a perfectly formed lasagna that is it just heavenly.