BEEF LASAGNE
February 10, 2009 in Uncategorized
Soooo, hello blogland!! During some of our hottest days this year…..yes, Cape Town is experiencing another heat wave & we are pretty much melting here……..Moo had to make 12 quiches, lasagne and a cake for a 60th birthday that was happening over Friday and Saturday last week…Sjoe!! It was hot, tiring work and I really do admire those who are stuck in blistering hot kitchens every day of the year………apologies to my viewers and commenters for being MIA….and thanx for your patience. Im slowly getting around to all the blogs…so much happens in blogland in a few days 
)
Anyhoo, it went swimmingly and I am happy to report that the feedback has been excellent so browniegirl is happy!!
Chocolate Orange Birthday Cake
I will blog some of the quiches when I can…..I was so busy I didn’t take many photos, funny how you forget those when the going gets tough hehe….but in the meantime, here is my lasagne recipe…..but before I give it to you Belinda…………let me say something………..
Now……..I know there are those out there who will take one look at this recipe and walk away because it seems like a lot of work……….it is if you want to try and knock something up for dinner when you get home from work in the evening……but the recipe can be broken up into parts and prepared in advance. It can also be made when you have the time and frozen before baking……I make this up into 4 loaf sized Huletts trays and I freeze them, wonderful when you need a quick meal….just defrost and bake!! The same applies to the Spinach Ricotta Canneloni recipe that I posted last week. But it really is worth the little bit of extra effort that you put into it………… )
For the Mince layer:
750g Beef Mince (I like to use half beef & half pork)
2 Large Onions – peeled & chopped
4 Garlic Cloves – peeled & finely crushed or grated
2 Large Carrots - peeled & grated
A Large Glug of Olive Oil
2
1 tsp Dried Thyme
1 tsp Dried Italian Herbs
Sprinkle of Cinnamon, Coriander & Cloves
1 Glass Red Wine
1 Can Whole Peeled Tomatoes
1 small Can Tomato Paste
2Tbs Sugar
250ml Hot Stock
Salt & Pepper to taste
For the Cheesy Bechamel Layer
1 Liter Milk
125ml Cream
1 Knorr Onion Cube – crumbled
Grating of nutmeg
50g Butter
80g Flour
½ tsp Hot English Mustard
Salt & Ground White Pepper to taste
1 Cup Mature Cheddar Cheese – grated
1 Pack Lasagne Sheets
Fresh Basil Leaves – layer on top of each other, roll up then slice finely (this is called chiffonading)
Mozzarella Cheese – cut into little cubes
Method:
Saute the onions, herbs & carrots in the oil until limp and translucent
Add the garlic and sauté one more minute
Add the mince and stir fry until all thoroughly coated with the oil & lightly browned
Deglaze pan with the red wine (you can use extra stock if you prefer), scrape loose any bits from the pan at the same time, allow liquid to almost cook away
Add the tomato paste and stir through
Add the whole peeled tomatoes and slice them up, in the saucepan, with a small sharp knife
Add your spices, bay leaves, sugar & hot stock, stir well, half cover, reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring now and again and adding a bit more stock if needed
Season to taste then allow to cool a bit before layering your lasagna
In the meantime make the white sauce
Place the soft butter & flour into a medium sized saucepan & whisk to blend
Add the rest of the ingredients all at once, place over a medium heat and whisk constantly until the sauce thickens. Allow to simmer gently for a few minutes then stir in the cheese just until melted, remove from heat & set aside, covered, until needed
The sauce needs to be quite thick to hold the lasagna together .
(You can make this the day before if you need to…….)
Grease a medium sized ovenproof rectangular or square dish with butter
Spread a little bit of the white sauce over the bottom
Layer with lasagna sheets – break some if you have to fill in gaps
Add a layer of mince
Sprinkle over some of the thinly sliced basil
Dot with bits of mozzarella
Add a layer of white sauce
Repeat until the dish is full ending with a layer of white sauce. Sprinkle with cheese then bake in the oven about 20-30 minutes at 1800C until lightly browned & bubbling
Insert a knife through the lasagna to test if the pasta is cooked
Serve with a fresh garden salad
Enjoy………
browniegirl xxx
