Serves 6
Ingredients
3 tbsp oil, plus extra for boiling
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
300g beef, very finely chopped or ground (minced)
4 tbsp dry white wine
2 ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and chopped
Salt and pepper
About 10-12 lasagne sheets (fresh if possible)
Butter, for greasing and dotting
475ml béchamel sauce
70g grated parmesan cheese
For the béchamel sauce
2 tbsp butter, plus extra for greasing
2 tbsp plain flour
475ml milk
Grated parmesan, to taste
Method
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the carrot and onion, and cook gently until softened. Add the beef and cook until browned, in batches if necessary. Return all the beef to the pan, pour in the wine, and cook until it has evaporated. Season with salt to taste, add the tomatoes, and simmer for 30 min. Season with pepper.
2. To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the flour and stir well, cooking until the flour has browned lightly. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously. Continue cooking and stirring the sauce for 10 min then remove from the heat, season with a little salt and pepper and stir in the grated parmesan cheese.
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3. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4 and grease an ovenproof dish with butter.
4. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil with 1 tbsp oil, then add the pasta, a few sheets at a time. When they rise to the top of the pan, remove them with a slotted spoon and spread them out on a clean dish towel or baking paper.
5. Line the bottom of the prepared dish with lasagne sheets, spoon some of the meat sauce over them, followed by some béchamel sauce, then sprinkle with some of the grated parmesan cheese and dot with butter. Follow with a layer of lasagne and continue layering until all the ingredients have been used, ending with meat sauce and, finally, béchamel sauce. Bake for 30 min. Let stand for a few minutes, then serve hot.
Tip: It is traditional to add a little milk to the meat sauce as it cooks, making the taste milder and resulting in a softer, more velvety texture.
Recipe taken from Italian Cooking School: Pasta by the Silver Spoon Kitchen, out now, Phaidon