A friend of mine who travels to Italy quite often has tasted many Lasagne recipes and he says this recipe is his favorite. We will prepare this meal in two parts. Firstly we'll prepare the bolognese meat sauce and then the Lasagne.



Bolognese Meat Sauce

Ingredients

1oz butter

4 tablespoons of olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1oz of unsmoked bacon, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely sliced

1 celery stick, finely sliced

4 medium sized mushrooms, sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

12oz of lean minced beef

1/4 pint of red wine

4 fl oz of fresh milk

14 oz of canned plum tomatoes, chopped with juice

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves

salt and ground black pepper for seasoning

Method

Heat a heavy saucepan with the butter and oil in it. Add the onion and gently cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the bacon and cook until the onion becomes translucent. Stir in the carrot, celery, mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables become soft.

Add the minced beef, stirring into the vegetables until the meat loses its red color. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the wine, raise the heat slightly and cook for 3-4 minutes until the mixture thickens. Add the milk and cook until it evaporates.

Stir in the tomatoes with their juice and the herbs. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 11/2-2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Once you have done this you can start to prepare the lasagne.

Baked Lasagne

Method

(serves six)

Ingredients

14oz of dried lasagne

4oz of grated Parmesan cheese

11/2oz or 3 tablespoons of butter

salt and ground black pepper

For the bechamel sauce

11/4 pints of milk

1 bay leaf

4oz of butter

3oz of flour

Method

1- Butter a large, shallow baking dish. Pre-heat the oven to 200degC/400degF/Gas mark 6.

2- Make the bechamel sauce. First heat the milk with the bay leaf in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a separate saucepan.

3- Add the flour to the butter and mix in well with a whisk. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Strain the hot milk into the flour and butter and mix with the whisk. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes adding salt and pepper for seasoning.

4- Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add salt and half the sheets of

lasagne. Cook for 4 minutes.

5- Cover a large work surface with a clean cloth. Take out the lasagne from the pan and drop into a bowl of cold water for about 30 seconds. Remove one by one and lay them out flat on the cloth carefully avoiding any overlapping. Repeat the process for the rest of the sheets.

6- To put together the lasagne have all the ingredients to hand. Firstly spread a thin layer of meat sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Put a layer of pasta over the meat sauce. Cover with a thin layer of meat sauce, then one of bechamel. Sprinkle with a little parmesan.

7- Repeat the layers in the same order finishing with pasta layer coated with bechamel. Make up approximately six layers. Finally sprinkle the last layer with parmesan.

8- Bake the lasagne in the oven for 20 minutes or until it starts browning on top. Take out of the oven, leave for 5 minutes and then serve.

A great accompaniment with this meal would be a fresh green salad with a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar spread over it. Delicious.

And for those with a large appetite why not try some freshly prepared garlic bread.

Enjoy your fresh and tasty "Traditional Italian Baked Lasagne" with meat sauce.