Lasagne is comfort food of the highest order. This baked pasta dish with chillies has a lovely browned crust when it comes out the oven. When served, it oozes a great tasting cheesy white sauce over wonderfully browned mince meat with fantastic flavour. This dish is one that your friends and family will beg you to make over and over again
Ingredients
For the lasagne
Lasagne pasta sheets – approx. 300 grams
Chilli flakes – one teaspoon
Parmesan cheese – two tablespoons
For the meat sauce
Minced beef – 500 grams
Bacon lardons – 250 grams
Tinned plum tomatoes – 2 tins
Onions 2 medium (diced)
Garlic – 2 cloves (, finely chopped)
Beef stock – one cup
Red wine- one small glass
Bay leaves 3 to 4
Fresh oregano - one tablespoon ( see note)
Fresh red chillies- 2 to 3) (finely chopped)
Salt – ½ teaspoon
Pepper one teaspoon
Ground nutmeg – ¼ teaspoon
For the white sauce
Full fat milk – 750ml (3 cups)
Leeks – 2 large (finely chopped)
Black peppercorns – ½ teaspoon
Whole cloves – 4
Butter – 75 grams
Plain flour – 50 grams
Mozzarella cheese (shredded) - one cup
Cheddar cheese – 50 grams
Instructions
For the meat sauce
Fry the lardons in a skillet with the olive oil until the fat has rendered.
Add the onions and fry until translucent.
Add the bay leaves, oregano and garlic.
Fry for a couple of minutes
Add the mince, salt and pepper and cook until all pinkness has disappeared and is beginning to brown.
Sprinkle with nutmeg and tomato paste
Stir in
Add the tomatoes and stock.
Allow to simmer for about an hour.
Add the lardons and stir
For the white sauce
Heat the butter in a pot
Add the bay leaf and cloves. Stir for 30 seconds
Add the leeks and fry for two to three minutes, stirring continuously
Add the flour. Stir and combine with flour. Allow to become a slightly light brown nutty colour
Add the milk. The sauce will begin thickening. Add the peppercorns
Using a blender, blend the sauce until smooth (whilst still in the pan)
Now add the mozzarella and cheddar.
Stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is entirely thick
To assemble
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius ( conventional)
Using a ladle, scoop a layer of the meat sauce into an oven to table dish
Next, cover the meat sauce with lasagne sheets.
Now scoop a layer of the white sauce over the sheets.
Continue creating layers in this fashion, ending with a layer of white sauce
Sprinkle parmesan cheese and chilli flakes over the top layer.
Place in preheated oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes until browned.
Remove and serve
Notes
This recipe yields 6 -8 portions ff about 400 to 500 grams
Keyword: Spicy lasagne with chillies
If using dried oregano, add only after meat has browned and reduce quantity to a teaspoon (step 5)