Lasagne

Lasagne is the ultimate comfort food. It is made by layering white sauce, bolognaise sauce and lasagne sheets and baking it until the pasta is soft. Click here for the recipe for Spaghetti With Bolognaise Sauce.

Bolognaise sauce
30 ml butter
1 – 2 cloves garlic, crushed
175 ml finely chopped onion
125 ml finely grated carrot
125 ml finely chopped celery (optional)
15 ml sunflower or olive oil
250g chopped mushrooms (optional)
500g lean beef mince
5 ml mixed dried herbs
2.5 ml salt
30 ml cake flour
1 x 410g tin peeled whole tomatoes, liquidised
15 ml tomato paste (optional for a good red colour)
175 ml boiling water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
15 ml chopped parsley

White Sauce
125 ml cake flour
45 ml canola or sunflower oil
5 ml salt
800 ml milk
100 g grated cheese

1. Grease a rectangular ovenproof dish with 2,5 liter capacity with non-stick cooking spray. Make sure that the lasagne sheets will fit in the dish! Set the dish aside.
2. To make the bolognaise sauce, heat the butter in a small saucepan and add the garlic, onion, carrot and celery.
3. Fry gently, stir from time to time until vegetables are tender and golden. Remove from heat.
4. At the same time, heat the oil in a large shallow saucepan and add the mushrooms and meat.
5. Stir-fry over moderate heat for 10 minutes or until the meat is browned and crumbly.
6. Add the fried vegetables, herbs and salt and turn up the heat slightly.
7. Cook until almost dry, stirring from time to time. Stir in the flour and cook gently, stirring for 5 minutes more.
8. Add the liquidised tomato and tomato paste if used. Stir well and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
9. Season to taste with salt and pepper and adjust the consistency by gradually stirring in as much of the boiling water as necessary.
10. The mixture should be thick and moist, not crumbly or runny. Stir in the parsley and simmer 5 minutes more. Set it aside.
11. To make the white sauce, combine the cake flour, oil and salt in a medium saucepan.
12. Add a little of the milk to the flour mixture in the saucepan and mix with a spatula to prevent lumps. Continue adding small amounts of milk while stirring.
13. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens.
14. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese has melted. Set the cheese sauce aside.
15. To assemble the lasagne, spoon a thin layer of the cheese sauce into the dish and place a single layer of lasagne sheets on top of the cheese sauce.
16. Spoon enough of the bolognaise sauce on top of the lasagne sheets to cover it with a thin layer.
17. Spoon a thin layer of cheese sauce on top of the bolognaise sauce.
18. Place a single layer of lasagne sheets on top of the cheese sauce.
19. Continue in this manner until the two sauces are used up. Be sure to end off with the cheese sauce.
20. The lasagne can be prepared up to this step and refrigerated until ready to bake.
21. Bake the lasagne for 40 minutes or until the lasagne sheets are soft and the lasagne is heated through.

6 to 8 servings.