Lasagne recipes are a very personal thing. Theo Randall invites you to try his version.
Ingredients
- For the béchamel sauce
- For the ragu di manzo
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110g/4oz unsalted butter
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2 tbsp chopped celery
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2 tbsp chopped carrots
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2 tbsp chopped red onion
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110g/4oz smoked pancetta
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1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves picked, chopped
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1 kg/2lb 2oz trimmed veal or beef flank, finely chopped
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50g/2oz prosciutto, roughly chopped
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1 x 400g/14oz good-quality chopped tomatoes
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125ml/4½fl oz white wine
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110ml/4fl oz full-fat milk
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1 x 250g/9oz pack fresh lasagne sheets
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olive oil, for greasing
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large handful grated parmesan
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Preparation method
- For the béchamel pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, turn off the heat and set aside.
- In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour and hot milk. Whisk rigorously until smooth. Add the bay leaf, cover with a circle of greaseproof paper and cook slowly for 30-40 minutes. Remove the paper and bay leaf and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the parmesan and egg yolks and set aside to cool.
- For the ragu, melt the butter in a large casserole dish until foaming. Add the celery, carrots, onion, pancetta and rosemary and fry for five minutes. Stir in the veal and prosciutto and cook for a further five minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, white wine and milk and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook slowly for 1½ hours – the meat should be broken down into small pieces and the sauce should have a rich thick consistency.
- Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3
- Blanch the pasta sheets in boiling salted water for one minute, then refresh in cold water.
- Rub olive oil into the sides of a baking dish. Place a layer of pasta onto the base of the dish and then add an even layer of beef ragu, followed by a layer of béchamel sauce. Repeat this process until you have used all the pasta and finish with a thick layer of béchamel on top. Sprinkle the top with a generous layer of parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until bubbling and pale golden-brown on top.
- Cut the lasagne into squares and serve.
Source:https://www.bbc.co.uk
