Lasagne
05 July 2010
from Jamie's Food Revolution, serves 4-6
For the Bolognese Sauce
2 slices of smoked bacon
2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
olive oil
2 heaped teaspoons of dried oregano
1 pound of good-quality ground beef, pork, or a mixture of the two
2 x 14-oz. cans of diced tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a small bunch of fresh basil
2 oz. Parmesan cheese
For the lasagne
8 oz. dried egg lasagne sheets
2 cups of creme fraiche or 2 cups thick sour cream
4 oz. Parmesan cheese
1 large ripe tomato, sliced
To make your Bolognese sauce
Finely slice the bacon. Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Place a large casserole-type pan on a medium to high heat. Add 2 lugs of olive oil, your sliced bacon, and the oregano and cook and stir until the bacon is lightly golden. Ad the vegetables to the pan and stir every 30 seconds for around 7 minutes or until softened and lightly coloured. Stir in the ground meat and the canned tomatoes. Fill one of the empty cans with water and add to the pan. Stir in a good pinch of salt and pepper. Pick the basil leaves and place in the refrigerator for later. Finely chop the basil stalks and stir into the pan. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer with a lid on for 45 minutes, stirring every now and again to stop it catching.
To finish the sauce
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the Bolognese sauce from the heat. Finely grate the 2 ounces of Parmesan into the sauce. Tear and stir in any larger basil leaves, keeping the smaller ones aside for later. Have a taste of the sauce, and season with a little more salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
To make your lasagne
Grate your 4 ounces of Parmesan. Boil some water in a pan, then add all your lasagne sheets with a drizzle of oil and blanch (slightly soften) for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the sheets in a colander and carefully pat them dry with some paper towels to absorb any excess water. Spoon a third of your Bolognese sauce into the bottom of an earthenware ovenproof dish. Follow with a layer of lasagne sheets. Dollop over a third of your creme fraiche and smooth it out to cover the lasagne sheets. Sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and pepper and a third of your grated Parmesan. Add another layer of lasagne, and repeat the layers twice more, finishing with a layer of creme fraiche and the remaining Parmesan. Top with some slices of tomato, scatter over the small basil layers, and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil, place in the preheated oven, and bake for 20 minutes. After that, remove the aluminum foil and cook for a further 35 minutes until the lasagne is bubbling and golden.
For the Bolognese Sauce
2 slices of smoked bacon
2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
olive oil
2 heaped teaspoons of dried oregano
1 pound of good-quality ground beef, pork, or a mixture of the two
2 x 14-oz. cans of diced tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a small bunch of fresh basil
2 oz. Parmesan cheese
For the lasagne
8 oz. dried egg lasagne sheets
2 cups of creme fraiche or 2 cups thick sour cream
4 oz. Parmesan cheese
1 large ripe tomato, sliced
To make your Bolognese sauce
Finely slice the bacon. Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Place a large casserole-type pan on a medium to high heat. Add 2 lugs of olive oil, your sliced bacon, and the oregano and cook and stir until the bacon is lightly golden. Ad the vegetables to the pan and stir every 30 seconds for around 7 minutes or until softened and lightly coloured. Stir in the ground meat and the canned tomatoes. Fill one of the empty cans with water and add to the pan. Stir in a good pinch of salt and pepper. Pick the basil leaves and place in the refrigerator for later. Finely chop the basil stalks and stir into the pan. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer with a lid on for 45 minutes, stirring every now and again to stop it catching.
To finish the sauce
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the Bolognese sauce from the heat. Finely grate the 2 ounces of Parmesan into the sauce. Tear and stir in any larger basil leaves, keeping the smaller ones aside for later. Have a taste of the sauce, and season with a little more salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
To make your lasagne
Grate your 4 ounces of Parmesan. Boil some water in a pan, then add all your lasagne sheets with a drizzle of oil and blanch (slightly soften) for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the sheets in a colander and carefully pat them dry with some paper towels to absorb any excess water. Spoon a third of your Bolognese sauce into the bottom of an earthenware ovenproof dish. Follow with a layer of lasagne sheets. Dollop over a third of your creme fraiche and smooth it out to cover the lasagne sheets. Sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and pepper and a third of your grated Parmesan. Add another layer of lasagne, and repeat the layers twice more, finishing with a layer of creme fraiche and the remaining Parmesan. Top with some slices of tomato, scatter over the small basil layers, and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil, place in the preheated oven, and bake for 20 minutes. After that, remove the aluminum foil and cook for a further 35 minutes until the lasagne is bubbling and golden.