Kids are back - that means Lasagna

So tonight our kids will be back from a two weeks stay with their grandparents in Germany. Such a looong time without them... To give them a special treat I´m preparing my Lasagna. They love it. I must admit it´s some work but you can prepare the bolognese sauce in advance (I did it yesterday) or even have it ready in the freezer. I always prepare a huge pot full and freeze it in portions. This always comes in handy if you have kids in the house.

The secret to a good bolognese sauce is simply.....time. I let mine simmer over low heat  and uncovered for three hours. This gives enough time to let all the good ingredients give all of their flavour to the sauce.

Ok, now I have the Lasagna ready to put into the oven , have a fresh green salad sitting here waiting to enlace with the olive oil and balsamico vinaigrette and I´m heading towards the airport to pick up Dani and Lenny together with their 11-year old cousin Nico who will spend the next week with us here.

Here´s my recipe:

click HERE for a printable recipe

Bolognese:

1 kg                     minced meat (can be up to 1/3 pork if desired)

1-2                      carrots

2                         celery stalks

1-2                      ongions

2-3                      garlic cloves

                           oregano

                           salt, pepper (as alway freshly ground)

1                         glass of redwine (0,15 L)

400 ml                 beef stock

2 cans (420ml)     finely chopped italian tomatoes

50 g                     bacon, diced

3-4                      bay leaves (laurel)

2 tablespoons       double concentrated tomato puree

2-3 tablespoons   olive oil

• Peel the carrots and cut into chunks. Wash and cut the celery stalks into pieces. Peel the ongion and the garlic and cut into pieces. Fill all these ingredients into the food processor and cut up really small.
• Heat the olive oil on high heat in a large saucepan. Add the bacon and after 2-3 minutes all the grated vegetables. Let this cook on high heat until it appears to be rather dry. Then add the minced meat.
• When the meat has taken colour pour in the red wine and let it evaporate.
• Then you can add the oregano, bay leaves, tomatoes, tomato puree, beef stock, pepper and a little salt.
• Now you can rest. Let all of this simmer on low heat, uncovered for three hours. Once in a while you can stir it around a little.
• After the cooking time check if it will need any more seasoning.

The Bechamel sauce:

60 g         butter

60 g         flour

1 l            full-fat milk

1             ognion

2             cloves

1             bay leave

               nutmeg

               salt, white pepper

• Heat the butter in a casserole and mix in the flour stirring the mixture for about 2-3 minutes. (Don´t let it get dark.)
• Take the casserole from the stove top and let it cool
• Bring the milk to a boil and add it slowly, with constant whisking, to the cooled butter-flour mixture. Let this come to a boil and add the ognion - fixed onto it the bay leave and the cloves (does anybody know how to say "gespickt mit" in english???).
• Let the sauce simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Stir once in a while. Season with freshly grated nutmeg, salt and white pepper.

Putting everything together:

Ok. We have our bolognese and bechamel sauce ready on the hand. Now we only need about

100 g            freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 package     Lasagne noodle plates

                    Butter

• Preheat your oven to 200C°. Take your casserole dish and butter it. Then start with a thin layer of bolognese sauce. Cover this with noodle plates. Put another layer of bolognese onto the noodle plates and cover this one with bechamel sauce. Ontop of the bechamel sprinkle some parmesan cheese and some freshly ground black pepper. Now continue with the noodle plates, and so on and so on....The top layer should be bechamel sauce and parmesan cheese. Drop some butterflakes over the top and cover the casserole with aluminum foil.
• Let your lasagna be in the oven for 35 minutes. Then take off the aluminum foil and give it another 10-15 minutes to brown ontop.
• During this time you can prepare the salad (a mixture of fresh greens match very well). For the vinaigrette dilute salt and a little sugar with 1 tablespoon of a good quality balsamico vinegar, add pepper and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Slowly whisk in 3 tablespoons of a good olive oil. Cut a shallot into small dice and mix into the vinaigrette. Add some fresh herbs like chives, parsley, cress, basil.... as you like. A hard boiled egg chopped up also is a nice adding to a green salad.

 The only thing left to do now is to set the table and sit down with a nice glass of red wine and await the good things that will be coming out of your kitchen...

©just-cook!