Lasagna
Lasagna. The king Al Forno. The one with The Two Sauces. The one with whom no choice is necessary. Where else could we go from here really?
Organic Ingredients: Serves 6
1 Packet Lasagna Pasta, 454g/1lb either the pre-boil kind or ready to bake kind both work
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Cup Shredded Italian Cheese, I’m using a mix of unsmoked Provolone, Asagio and Mozzarella
For Bolognese Sauce
1 Lb Grass Fed Minced Beef
1 x 18oz/520g Jar Crushed Tomatoes
1 x 6oz/170g Can Tomato Paste (or approx. 4 heaped tbsps.)
1 Large Onion, peeled and finely diced
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and crushed
1 Cup Water
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for cooking
Celtic Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper to taste
Bechamel Sauce
4 Tbsps. Pastured Butter
4 Cups Milk, A2 preferably for better digestion
4 Tbsps. Flour
1 Cup shredded Cheddar Cheese, or your favorite sharp Italian Cheese
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Tsp. Ground Nutmeg
Celtic Salt to taste
Cracked Black Pepper to taste
Method
Resting time for Lasagna is essential. Plan your time so that you have 2 hours for your Bolognese to cook, 30 minutes for the Lasagna and to rest before baking, and 30 minutes for the Lasagna to rest after baking.
To make your Bolognese, add Olive Oil to a large non stick pot and set to medium high heat. Add Onion and sauté until yellow/translucent. Add Garlic and cook for a minute. Add Meat, mixing in well with Onion and Garlic browning and breaking up with a wooden spoon as you go. Add Salt and Pepper to taste. Once browned, stir in Crushed Tomatoes, Tomato Paste and Water. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer on low heat for 2 hours.
To make your Béchamel, watch this video + follow instructions. Once your Béchamel is done, turn off the heat and add the Cheese and season with Salt & Black Pepper to taste.
Once you’ve got your Sauces ready, gather your Lasagna. If you have oven ready, skip this step, but if you need to boil your Lasagna go ahead and do that per pack instructions. Rinse in cold water once cooked and pat dry to kitchen towels to remove excess water.
In an oven proof casserole dish (mine meausres 10.5 x 6.5 inches on the inside), prepare your Lasagna by layering the Sauces and Pasta as follows:
Bolognaise - Lasagna - Bechamel - Lasagna - Bolognese - Lasagna - Bechamel
The key here for me is to add as many layers of Pasta as possible before running out of Sauce which means thin, even layers of Sauce. If your are using oven ready Lasagna use a little more Sauce as it will help the Pasta cook better.
Depending on the size of your baking dish, you can keep going, as so, until you run out of Sauce or Lasagna. Spread 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese and 1/2 Cup Shredded Italian Cheese evenly over the top.
Leave to rest for 30 minutes before baking. Don’t skip this step.
If using pre boiled Pasta, bake at 425F for 25 minutes. If using ready to bake Pasta, bake per packet instructions and then raise the heat to 425f and continue to cook until the top is nicely browning (approx. 15 minutes more).
Remove Lasagna from oven, loosely cover with foil, and leave to rest 30 minutes before serving. Don’t skip resting! Slice and enjoy!
Cooked Lasagna with Bechamel and Bolognaise
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