Ingredients
Method
Bolognese Sauce
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan at a medium heat, sweat the onions for a few minutes and add the garlic and continue to cook for about 10 minutes total, don't brown them, just sweat baby sweat.
- Turn the heat up to medium high and add the mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon/spatula/potato masher/weapon of choice and brown, turning to make sure there is no burning, just browning.
- Turn the heat up to high and mix in the tomato paste, once it's sizzling add the red wine, deglaze the pan and turn back down to medium, once the alcohol has burned off (all the while stirring).
- Add the tomatoes and the stock, stir leave to bring up to temperature.
- Once it is bubbling add the herbs, pepper and salt, stir in and then after five minutes add the milk and sugar and stir again.
- Turn down to a simmer and leave it to develop flavour, for at least 30 minutes, but if you have time up to 1½ hours (if doing a longer simmer use a lid for the first ⅔ of the time), topping up with stock when needed (if it's looking dry)
- Remove from the heat and prepare to assemble
Bechamel
- Approximately 15 minutes prior to the Bolognaise being ready melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, once gently bubbling add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon constantly for about a minute.
- Once thick and golden, don't worry if it seems too thick, add the milk 250ml at a time, each time stirring and allow it to thicken.
- Once you have the desired consistency simmer on a medium low heat for about 5 mins, stirring constantly
- Add the cheese stir and and turn off the heat
The Assembly
- Take a deep ceramic dish about 20cm square (whatever you've got, you can make work as long as it's not too big), spoon a thin later of the meat sauce on the bottom of the dish, then lay your first layer of lasagne sheets, if they don't fit exactly, cut them to size, (roughly is good enough, we are not looking for Michelangelo here).
- Top the Lasagne sheets with meat sauce and then a layer of the cheese sauce and then lasagne sheets and then meat sauce then cheese sauce and so on until you have no meat sauce and no lasagne sheets left. There is no way to explain the amounts to use for each layer, you're on your own there, but if you've got this far, I believe in you!!!
- The top layer should be lasagne sheets topped with the cheese sauce and then the other grated Mozzarella/Tasty Cheese
- Bake in the oven for 30 mins @ 185℃/365℉, until golden and bubbling and oozing greatness.
- Cut into squares, serve with some grated parmesan cheese (just in case you don't think there is enough cheese), you can put some salad on the side if you feel that you need to balance things out, but it's not necessary. Enjoy!
