Carnival lasagne

‘Made for sharing, this is a very flamboyant, fun and incredibly delicious type of lasagne. It’s perfect for a party or a big weekend feast with friends, and guaranteed to make everyone smile from ear to ear.’

SERVES 12 TIME 2 hours

• 1kg dried spaghetti

• 4 cloves of garlic

• 2 fresh red chillies

• olive oil

• 500g minced beef & higher-welfare pork

• 5 large free-range eggs

• 50g coarse stale breadcrumbs

• 1 bunch of fresh basil (30g)

• 150ml Greco di Tufo white wine

• 3 x 400g tins of quality plum tomatoes

• 100g Parmesan cheese

• 250g ricotta cheese

• 10 slices of higher-welfare prosciutto

OLIVE OIL PASTRY

• 1kg tipo 00 flour, plus extra for dusting

• 4 large free-range eggs

• 200ml mild olive oil

• 100ml extra virgin olive oil

1 Make your olive oil pastry (you will need ¼ of it for this recipe). Pour the flour into a large bowl with a good pinch of sea salt. Make a well in the middle, crack in the eggs, then pour in both oils and 120ml of warm water. Use a fork to whip up the wet mixture, gradually bringing the flour in from the outside until it comes together as a rough ball of dough. Tip on to a clean surface and knead for just a couple of minutes, then wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour before use, where it will keep well for a couple of days. Or you can even line pastry moulds and freeze them, ready to cook from frozen.

2 Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions, then drain well. Meanwhile, peel the garlic, finely slice with the chillies, and place both in a large frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Fry for 2 minutes, while you scrunch the meat with 1 egg, the breadcrumbs and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Roll into 2cm balls, adding them to the pan as you go. Cook for 5 minutes, tossing until lightly golden all over. Tear in 20 basil leaves. Pour in the wine and let it cook away. Scrunch in the tomatoes through clean hands, then pour in 1 tin’s worth of water. Simmer for 5 minutes, taste, and season to perfection.

3 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Finely grate half the Parmesan over the drained pasta, add the remaining 4 eggs and 2 tablespoons of oil, toss well, then divide between two bowls. Mix the ricotta into the first bowl. Removing the meatballs to one side, toss the tomato sauce into the second bowl, loosening with a splash of water, if needed.

4 Now for the good bit – the layering. Place half the tomato pasta in a deep 30cm baking dish. Pick over a few basil leaves, finely grate over a little Parmesan, and lay over half the prosciutto. Arrange half the ricotta pasta on top, then the meatballs. Repeat the ricotta pasta layer, add the rest of the basil, Parmesan and prosciutto, and finish with the remaining tomato pasta. Roll out the pastry to 3mm thick, cut into strips and arrange over the pasta, as creatively as you like. Bake at the bottom of the oven for 40 minutes, or until golden. Slice and serve right away.

PER SERVING: CALS 683; FAT 26G; SAT FAT 8G; PROTEIN 33.2G; CARBS 82G; SUGAR 6.8G; SALT 1G; FIBRE 3.8G