Lasagne has been one of my favourites since I was a kid. When I left the Parental Nest, it quickly became one of my staples. I haven’t made it for quite a while, so I thought I’d give it a go since I’ve have quite a bit of time on my hands lately. It also helps to have an appreciative audience. This will serve about 6 people.
MEAT SAUCE
1kg Kangaroo mince (I highly recommend this, but experiment! Beef is fine, but a combination of minces works really well too.)
Diced Carrot, Zucchini, Celery, Onion, Garlic (finely minced), 100g brown mushrooms (duxelle/finely diced)
100g brown mushrooms quartered
1L Beef Stock
1 cup Red Wine
1 Bay Leaf
Salt & Pepper
800g Tinned Tomatoes
1 Teaspoon Tomato paste
Balsamic vinegar
Anchovy fillets (to taste! Otherwise it’s optional!)
1 Tablespoon of Pesto
Lasagne Sheets (I use Barilla purely for convenience.)
BECHAMEL SAUCE
Milk
Flour
Butter
Cheese (Tasty/Parmesan)
Fry the carrot, onion, celery, zucchini, mushroom duxelle and garlic in a large pot. While you are waiting for the vegetables to soften, fry batches of the kangaroo mince in a separate frypan on high heat.
Once the vegetables have softened, add the mince and stir through. Add salt and pepper.
Add wine and simmer rapidly for 20 mins until the wine has evaporated.
Add the rest of the ingredients for the meat sauce and cook for 1-2 hours.
To make the Bechamel, melt the butter in a saucepan and combine with equal amount of flour. Stirring constantly, gradually add the warm milk to make a smooth paste. Once you have reached your desired quantity/consistency, add cheese to taste.
To assemble the lasagne, smooth a layer of bechamel at the bottom of a rectangular baking dish. Layer your lasagne sheets next, followed by a layer of meat sauce. I follow this by another layer of lasagne sheets, then bechamel, then meat sauce. Finish with a layer of bechamel and cover with cheese.
Put on the top level of a preheated oven at 220˚C for at least 20 mins or until the cheese has melted and formed a golden crust.
I served this with Potato salad, made with some chives, mayonnaise mixed with a bit of pesto, crispy bacon and boiled baby potatoes (please excuse my photo of reheated day old lasagne, I have an atrocious habit of forgetting to take photos of my cooking). ENJOY!
