Light But Luxurious Lasagne Food

CLASSIC LASAGNE

Steps:

• First make the bechamel sauce. In a saucepan melt butter. Add flour, stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes. Then add the hot milk, and cook whisking occasionally for 3-5 minutes until thickened and lightly coating the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and set aside. For the meat sauce, in a skillet melt butter. Add onions, carrots, celery and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Then add the smoked ham and cook for another 5 minutes. Add ground beef and pork, and white wine, stir to combine and reduce 1 minute. Add plum tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato paste, bay leaf, oregano, salt & pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9x12x13-inch baking dish with butter. Spread a layer of the meat sauce evenly over the bottom of a baking dish. Then add 1 cup of the bechamel sauce-smoothing it over the meat sauce. Add 1/3 of the lasagne sheets. Continue with 3 more layers. Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling.

LUXURIOUS LASAGNE

Steps:

• Drain soaked mushrooms and then mince. Reserve soaking liquid but strain it through a cheesecloth lined sieve. First make the cream sauce: Heat 4 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy stainless saucepan. When foaming subsides, add the flour and stir continuously with a wooden spoon. Cook for 2 minutes over low heat. Whisk in the reserved mushroom juices and heavy cream and whisk until smooth. Simmer 5 minutes or until velvety and season to taste with salt pepper and nutmeg. Reserve until later. Now make the filling: In a large skillet heat remaining 3 tablespoons of butter along with the olive oil. Add the fresh mushrooms and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the minced soaked mushrooms, prosciutto and saute a moment. Add the wine and evaporate for a minute or two. Lower the heat and cook, covered until the mushrooms are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Cut the pasta sheets into strips 3 to 4 inches wide and long enough to fit into your gratin or baking dish. Boil a few sheets at a time until 3/4 done. Drain and cool on clean cloths. To assemble: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a gratin dish. Cover with a layer of lasagne. Top with 1/4 of cream sauce, 1/4 of Parmesan and 1/3 of mushroom mix. Continue with pasta, sauce, cheese, mushrooms for 2 more layers, finishing with a sheet of pasta. Drizzle any liquid left in mushroom pan over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

LIGHTER VEGETABLE LASAGNE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Put the aubergine, courgette, pepper and onion in a large, shallow roasting tin. Scatter with the chilli flakes and season with pepper and a pinch of salt. Pour the oil over, toss together to coat (you can use your hands for this), then spread the vegetables out in a single layer. Roast for 15 mins, then give them a stir and spread them out again. Roast for another 10-15 mins until softened and turning golden.
• While the vegetables are roasting, make the tomato sauce. Tip the tomatoes into a medium pan, then pour 100ml water into the empty can, swirl it round and pour into the saucepan. Add the carrot and garlic, and simmer gently for 20-25 mins, partly covered with the lid and stirring occasionally, until the carrot is just tender. Stir in the tomato purée and the lentils, season with pepper and simmer for 2 mins more. Remove from the heat, stir in the basil and set aside.
• Tip the spinach into a large heatproof bowl, pour over boiling water, press the leaves into the water and leave for 30 secs. Drain in a large colander and rinse under cold water briefly to cool it down quickly. Squeeze the spinach to remove the excess water, then roughly chop. Beat the egg in a bowl and stir in the ricotta, oregano, nutmeg and some pepper.
• Lay the lasagne sheets, spread well out, in a large shallow roasting tin and pour boiling water over to cover. Move them around with a wooden spoon to make sure they aren't sticking, then leave for 5 mins. ('No pre-cook' lasagne sheets benefit from a brief soaking, which improves the texture and makes them more pliable for layering in the dish.) Drain well and immediately separate them out to prevent them sticking.
• When the vegetables have finished roasting, lower the heat to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Spread a very thin layer of the tomato sauce (about 2 big spoonfuls) over the bottom of an ovenproof dish, about 25 x 18 x 7cm deep and 2 litres capacity. Lay 3 lasagne sheets across the width of the dish and spread over half of the remaining sauce and half of the roasted vegetables. Cover with 3 more lasagne sheets, then spread the spinach over the top and season with pepper. Put the ricotta mixture on top in spoonfuls and spread out over the spinach. Cover with the last 3 lasagne sheets. Spread over the rest of the tomato sauce and then the remaining roasted vegetables. Scatter over the mozzarella and Parmesan to cover the vegetables and sauce as much as possible, then top with the cherry tomatoes. Season with pepper and lay a piece of foil loosely over the top. Can be made up to a day ahead and chilled - allow an extra few mins when baking the next day. Or freeze for up to 1 month and thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Bake for 35 mins, then remove the foil and bake for a further 5-10 mins until everything is bubbling around the edges. Scatter with oregano and basil leaves, and serve with a green salad.

TRADITIONAL LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
• Add the next seven ingredients.
• Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• In a bowl, combine the eggs, parsley, cottage cheese, ricotta and parmesan.
• Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
• Layer with 3 noodles, provolone cheese, 2 cups of cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup of mozzarella, three noodles, 2 cups of meat sauce, remaining cottage cheese mixture and 1 cup of mozzarella.
• Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce and mozzarella (dish will be full).
• Cover and bake at 375°F for 50 minutes.
• Uncover; bake 20 minutes longer.
• Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

NEXT LEVEL LASAGNE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. For the meat sauce, heat the butter in a large casserole dish. Scatter in the pancetta and sizzle gently for 5 mins until just starting to brown, then add the onion and carrot and soften in the pancetta fat for a few mins. Stir in the meat. At first it will look as if it's just steaming, but persevere and the juices will evaporate and the meat will sizzle and start to brown - this will take around 15 mins. When the beef is brown, add the garlic, bay leaf, oregano and some pepper and cook for 5 mins, then add the ketchup and cook to a paste. Season, pour over the wine and the passata, give everything a stir, bring to a simmer, then cover and place in the oven for 2 hrs, stirring occasionally until the meat is really tender. The sauce can be prepared up to three days ahead or frozen for three months.
• For the white sauce, pour the milk into a saucepan with the dried mushrooms, bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and leave the mushrooms to soak for 20 mins. Drain the mushrooms over a bowl, pressing down to release all the milk. Reserve the milk, roughly chop the mushrooms and set aside. Heat the butter in a large, shallow pan until it starts to turn a nutty brown. Add the mushrooms and a bay leaf, and sizzle for a few mins. Scatter the flour over the mushrooms and cook until it's a sticky paste. Gradually add the milk, stirring between each addition, until you have a thick sauce. Add the parmesan rinds if you have them, then simmer for 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, lift out the bay leaf and any rinds, then stir in the mascarpone and a third of the parmesan. Season with salt, pepper and grate in some nutmeg.
• Rub oil onto the base and sides of a large ceramic baking dish. Put a layer of lasagne sheets on the base, then a layer of the meat sauce, followed by a drizzle of mushroom sauce, and then tear and scatter over the mozzarella. Repeat until you have used all the pasta and meat sauce and top with a final layer of pasta. Finish with a thick layer of mushroom sauce and sprinkle with a layer of parmesan, reserving a handful. Scatter the remaining parmesan over a non-stick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake the lasagne in the oven for 40-45 mins or until bubbling and golden brown. For the last 15 mins, put the parmesan tray in the oven on a higher shelf and cook until brown and crisp. Remove both from the oven and leave for 10 mins. Cut the lasagne into squares and let it sit for another 10 mins before serving to keep the layers defined and help it cool. Break the crispy parmesan into shards and serve in a side dish to scatter over the lasagne.

EASY CLASSIC LASAGNE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Use kitchen scissors to snip the bacon into small pieces, or use a sharp knife to chop it on a chopping board. Add the bacon to the pan and cook for just a few mins until starting to turn golden. Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook over a medium heat for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened.
• Add the garlic and cook for 1 min, then tip in the mince and cook, stirring and breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for about 6 mins until browned all over.
• Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 min, mixing in well with the beef and vegetables. Tip in the chopped tomatoes. Fill each can half full with water to rinse out any tomatoes left in the can, and add to the pan. Add the honey and season to taste. Simmer for 20 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. To assemble the lasagne, ladle a little of the ragu sauce into the bottom of the roasting tin or casserole dish, spreading the sauce all over the base. Place 2 sheets of lasagne on top of the sauce overlapping to make it fit, then repeat with more sauce and another layer of pasta. Repeat with a further 2 layers of sauce and pasta, finishing with a layer of pasta.
• Put the crème fraîche in a bowl and mix with 2 tbsp water to loosen it and make a smooth pourable sauce. Pour this over the top of the pasta, then top with the mozzarella. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top and bake for 25-30 mins until golden and bubbling. Serve scattered with basil, if you like.

LIGHT BUT LUXURIOUS LASAGNE

Steps:

• Heat up a big saucepan and add the olive oil. Sweat the onion, celery, carrot and garlic for around five minutes over a medium heat.
• Heat a frying pan up until very hot and cook the seasoned beef, without any oil, in batches. Then add the beef to the saucepan.
• The point of cooking the beef in batches is to get a good colour on it because this adds more flavour.
• When all the beef is in the saucepan, turn up the heat and add the wine.
• Cook until the wine has all been absorbed and then add the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, bay leaf and oregano. Season and simmer for 30 minutes or until rich and tasty.
• Preheat a conventional oven to 180ºC, or a fan-assisted one to 160ºC.
• Heat a griddle pan. Season the courgettes and lightly chargrill or sear on each side, then leave on a plate until assembling time. Drain the peppers and also add to the plate.
• For the cheese sauce: heat the milk up gently with a good grating of nutmeg, some salt and pepper. Mix the cornflour with 50ml of the milk and whisk back into the milk, continuing to cook for two to three minutes until thickened.
• Add the mustard and half the cheese. Check the seasoning and set aside.
• Now for the fun part: Take a baking dish and start layering up the ingredients. Start with a layer of meat, then peppers, then meat, then courgettes, then meat, then pasta and finally cheese sauce.
• Top with the rest of the cheese and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbling.