delicious

“LASAGNE IS WITHOUT DOUBT THE HEAVYWEIGH­T CHAMPION OF ITALIAN FOOD.”

- – MATT PRESTON

MATT PRESTON’S LASAGNE THAT’S WORTH THE WORK SERVES 6-8

Begin this recipe 4 hours ahead. 1 onion, peeled 4 cloves 6 cups (1.5L) milk 1 bay leaf 80g unsalted butter 120g plain flour 100g parmesan, finely grated 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 375g fresh lasagne sheets 2/3 cup (80g) tasty cheese, grated BOLOGNESE 1/2 cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil 40g unsalted butter 2 carrots, finely chopped 3 onions, finely chopped 4 (160g total) rashers bacon, rind removed, finely chopped 2 celery stalks, finely chopped 1 tbs brown sugar 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1/4 cup (70g) tomato paste 1kg good-quality beef mince 2 cups (500ml) red wine 3 bay leaves Finely grated zest of 1 lemon and juice of 1/2 2 tsp Worcesters­hire sauce 2 x 400g cans crushed tomatoes 2 cups (500ml) good-quality beef stock

For the bolognese, place a large heavybased saucepan with 1/4 cup (60ml) oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add carrot, onion, bacon, celery, sugar, garlic and tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, for 7-8 minutes until vegetables have softened. Transfer to a bowl.

Increase heat to high and add remaining 1/4 cup (60ml) oil and the mince. Cook, stirring occasional­ly, for 8-10 minutes until browned. Add the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, and reduce by half. Stir in cooked vegetables and bacon, bay leaves, zest, Worcesters­hire sauce, tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil, add lemon juice, season to taste and stir to combine. Reduce heat to very low and cook, stirring occasional­ly, for 3-4 hours until thickened. If it gets too thick, stir in a little extra stock. You want it to cook for the full duration because it will intensify the flavours. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C. Stud the onion with cloves and place in a medium saucepan with the milk and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and stand for 15-20 minutes to infuse.

Place butter in a large non-stick saucepan over high heat. When butter begins to foam stir in the flour and cook, stirring continuous­ly, for 6-7 minutes to cook out the flour, making sure you do not colour the mixture. Reduce heat to medium. Remove the onion and bay leaf from the milk and gradually stir in half of the infused milk to the flour mixture until smooth and combined. As the sauce thickens, stir in the remaining milk. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick and smooth. Stir in the parmesan and nutmeg. Season to taste and remove from heat.

Grease base and sides of a large, rectangula­r 4L-capacity ovenproof dish. Spoon a thin layer of bolognese over the base of the dish. Layer 2 sheets of pasta over the sauce, then one-third of remaining meat sauce and one-third cheese sauce. Cover with 2 sheets of pasta. Repeat layering one more time, and finish with a layer of remaining meat and remaining cheese sauce. Scatter lasagne with tasty cheese. Bake for 50 minutes-1 hour or until cooked through and golden. Stand for 15 minutes before serving.

 ??  ?? Lasagne that’s worth the work
Lasagne that’s worth the work
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Australia