Lasagne (Australian-style)
This homemade lasagne frequents our table, especially in winter. Unlike Southern Italian or American-style lasagne, this recipe forgoes ricotta and replaces it with béchamel. It's creamy, warm and delicious. Accompany it with garlic bread to ward off unwanted vampirical exes.
Featured in From the Stovetop Issue 2: Garlic Bread
Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 1 hour | Total time: 1 hour 30 mins | Serves: 10
Ingredients:
1 brown onion
1 tbsp oil (I use olive or rice bran)
1 kg extra-lean ground (minced) beef
140g tomato paste
1 tbsp oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
820g tomato puree (2 Leggo’s cans or a jar of passata will also do)
250 lasagne sheets (1 packet)
2 beef stock cubes
250ml boiling water (1 cup)
15g unsalted butter
50g flour
750ml light milk (3 cups)
350g mozzarella
Method:
Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F)
To make the bolognese: Finely dice onion and set aside.
Put a large pan on a medium heat, pour in half tablespoon of oil and add beef. Break up the beef into small chunks and cook until browned.
There will be excess liquid. Drain with a siv and set the beef aside.
Put the other half of a tablespoon of oil in the pan and add the onion; cook until light brown.
Dissolve stock cubes in boiling water in a jug.
Return the beef to the pan, then add the tomato paste. Mix together.
Add tomato puree, a cup of stock, oregano, salt and pepper, then stir. Turn the heat to low and let simmer. Stir occasionally.
To make the white sauce: In a separate pot, melt butter over medium-low heat.
Once melted, mix in flour to create a roux. It may look like crumbs, this is okay! Keep mixing until combined.
Add a heavy pour of milk (roughly half a cup). Use an immersion (stick) blender to incorporate the roux until smooth.
Add milk in intervals (about a third of a cup at a time). Use an immersion (stick) blender to keep it smooth. The sauce should thicken. If needed, turn the heat up to medium.
When all milk is added, stir until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble: Turn the heat off the beef and pull out the dish you’ll use to bake your lasagne.
Put a thin layer of beef into the base of the dish (roughly 2 ladles). Add the white sauce on top (roughly one ladleful).
Cover beef and white sauce with lasagne sheets (about 3) - break up as needed.
Continue creating layers until you run out of sheets or beef/white sauce. Make sure the last layer is beef/white sauce.
Cover the top with mozzarella and then foil the top (make sure the foil and cheese do not touch).
To cook: Bake covered for 35 minutes.
Remove foil and cook for 10 more minutes, or until the mozzarella has turned golden and bubbly. You can use the broiler for this step; just keep your eye on it!
Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
