MAKING THE SAUCE:
Beef lasagna recipe starts with the most important step – making the soffrito! This is the key to a tastier filling so add a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil to a large pot and let it slowly heat.
Next, add the chopped up carrot, celery and onion and leave to cook for 5-10 minutes or until it has started to soften.
Add the mincemeat to your pot and break it down using a wooden spoon while it starts to brown. Leave to simmer and stir every so often until it has started to brown.
Once the mincemeat for your beef lasagna has browned, add the glass of red wine and stir through with a wooden spoon. Leave this to simmer until it evaporates remembering to stir every so often.
Add 1 ½ bottles passata and stir through. Make sure the stove is on a medium-low heat, then cover the pot and let simmer for one hour.
Go back to the pot every now and then and stir the sauce using a wooden spoon.
After one hour, remove the lid and you will notice the tomato has reduced. Add one glass of water at this point and let cook on a low heat. Add more water if you believe it has dried up too much otherwise leave as it is.
The sauce needs another hour to cook with the lid off. Remember to stir it!
HOW TO MAKE THE BECHAMEL SAUCE:
Next, the béchamel! Put the small saucepan on your stove at a low heat and add butter.
Leave to melt slowly then add flour and quickly stir using a whisk. Keep doing this until the flour has disappeared.
Slowly add the milk (around ¼ at first) and don’t stop stirring! Continue adding the milk and stirring – be gentle yet firm. This will avoid it from sticking to the bottom and also from forming lumps.
The sauce should start to become creamy and thick – stop once you have reached your desired consistency.
Turn off the stove and add a sprinkle of salt and nutmeg.
ASSEMBLING THE LASAGNA:
Line the baking tray with extra virgin olive oil or melted butter, using a pastry brush.
Adjust the size of the lasagna sheets according to your dish so they fit nicely just by cutting them to size.
Add a scoop of beef lasagna sauce to the bottom of the try and spread it all over, before laying down the first layer of lasagna sheets.
Next scoop more sauce over the top of the pasta and spread it (using the bottom of a tablespoon or a wooden one) before sprinkling pecorino/parmigiano cheese on top, then add provolone and fresh mozzarella (your desired amount).
Add some béchamel – not too much and spread it slightly.
Add another layer of pasta sheets then repeat step 17 until you create the number of layers you wish – I aim for 5-6!
Add plain basil tomato sauce on top, spreading it all over, edge to edge and in each corner too.
Coverv the beef lasagna with foil and place in a pre-heated oven for 20 minutes at 180°C/350°F (fan forced).
Remove from the oven and take the foil off, before adding a generous sprinkle (all over) of pecorino/parmigiano cheese.
Bake in the oven again (no foil) for another 10 minutes then remove and let cool.
E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!