Tag: dinner

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My Lasagne Version

More-Basic Lasagne

Alternative: Over-Complicated Lasagne

Ingredients

Pasta Sheets – let’s not complicate this!

    • 1 box lasagne sheets, https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/212064

Bolognese Sauce

    • 1tblspn oil
    • 2 large onion, finely diced
    • 1/2 red capsicum, finely diced
    • 1/2 zucchini (frozen works well), thinly sliced then diced
    • 1 broccolini stalk (frozen works well), diced
    • 1/2 packet baby spinach leaves (frozen works well), sliced/diced
    • 6 button mushrooms, well diced
    • 6-12 large garlic cloves, freshly minced
    • 300g middle bacon, diced
    • 1Kg beef mince
    • ~30g dry herbs (e.g. basil, oregano, parsley)
    • ~50g fresh herbs (e.g. basil, oregano, parsley), fresh chopped (frozen paste works too)
    • 250ml red wine
    • 1 qtr. lime (I actually forget this regularly)
    • 50g tomato paste
    • 800g tomatoes, diced (tinned, just don’t choose “crushed” to avoid chunks)

Bechamel Sauce

    • 1 to 2 jars of sauce, https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/758350/dolmio-lasagne-bechamel-sauce

Extras for Baking

  • 1tblspn butter or oil (oops … forgot this)
  • 100g sheep’s cheese (broken up as fine and dry as possible)
  • lots grated dairy cheese to taste

Method

Pasta Sheets

    1. Wash and dry hands well.
    2. Take sheets from packet and determine how many will create 1 x layer
    3. Prepare physically or mentally for about 4 layers of pasta sheets – for my tray and these sheets, it is 2.5 sheets, and I have not yet perfected breaking the half.

Bolognese Sauce

    1. Heat large saucepan to medium-high heat and add diced bacon and cook until the fat softens. (Generally safe to cook bacon and trust the fat will stop it sticking, but know your own pan/s and add oil first if required.)
    2. Remove bacon to a spare bowl for a minute.
    3. Brown onions and garlic. (At this point I also added the dry and frozen herbs)
    4. Re-add bacon.
    5. Add mince and cook until brown.
    6. Monitor the oil/liquid content as it starts too look well done enough. Push meat mix to the side and scoop/drain/use paper towel to minimise oil being kept in the pan. A lovely lean mince may not need this step.
    7. Reduce heat to medium.
    8. Add capsicum and allow to brown/caramelise/roast/cook a little.
    9. Add other vegetables (mushrooms, zucchini, broccolini, spinach, etc)
    10. Add wine, followed by the juice of the lime.
    11. Add tomato paste and tinned tomatoes and combine until there is an even consistency.
    12. Allow to simmer, stirring regularly.
    13. At this point, this is a lovely Bolognese, so I might pop on some spaghetti, and get a full taste test prior to making up the lasagne with it.

Prep for Oven

    1. Preheat oven to 180°. (Note: Skip this step if having Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner)
    2. Grease glass baking dish using extra butter or oil. (ooops – I have forgotten this a bit.)

Bechamel Sauce

    1. Open jar. Yes, this needs a step. Especially if you need to call in reinforcements and/or violently attack the jar to get it open.

Combine Parts and Bake

  1. Keep regularly stirring Bolognese until thick and consistent (usually around 40 minutes total).
  2. Add one layer pasta sheets – for this layer, overlapping is better. Followed by a layer of Bolognese, then ~1/4 of the Bechamel sauce. Ensure that the pasta sheets are completely and generously covered, using extra if you must.
  3. Sprinkle a mix of sheep cheese and dairy cheese. (Note – keep a slightly larger portion for the TOP!
  4. Repeat layers ~ twice more.
  5. For the top layer, make sure the pasta sheet nestles really well into the previous layer of Bolognese well to absorb that moisture while cooking, then coat with the last of the Bechamel sauce.
  6. Sprinkle extra sheep’s cheese/dairy cheese on top.
  7. STOP!
  8. Option 1 – cook TOMORROW! Cover with alfoil, allow to cool for a while and place in the fridge. Make sure the oven is off.
  9. Option 2 – cook NOW! (Or, start here tomorrow!) Place into the preheated oven (180°C), but be aware of the limitations of your dish! A glass dish may shatter going from the fridge temperature to an oven, so allow to rest, or put into a COLD oven and have both warm up at the same time.
  10. Once the oven is at temp, bake for ~40 minutes until the top is lovely and golden.

Once cooked, divide and serve with some fresh salad. Allow the remnants to cool while eating. Divide further (it holds together better when cooler) and place suitable servings in freezer safe containers. (This is a HEAVY dish, so eating a serve before doing the freezer prep gives a better idea of serving sizes required!) Make sure to label with contents and date prepared.

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Lasagne from Scratch

Lasagne that I will never make, but tastes good

Alternative: More-Basic Lasagne

Ingredients

Pasta Sheets

    • 275g plain flour (or fancy-white/pasta-specific/bakers/etc)
    • 50g plain flour (extra for dusting)
    • 3 large eggs
    • Pinch salt (to taste)

Bolognese Sauce

    • 1tblspn oil
    • 1 large onion, diced
    • 6-12 large garlic cloves, freshly minced
    • 300g middle bacon, diced
    • 1Kg beef mince
    • ~30g dry herbs (e.g. basil, oregano, parsley)
    • ~50g fresh herbs (e.g. basil, oregano, parsley), fresh chopped
    • 50-100ml red wine
    • 1 qtr. lime
    • 50g tomato paste
    • 800ml tomatoes, diced

Bechamel Sauce

    • 50g butter (or margarine/spread1)
    • 50g plain flour
    • 50g sheep’s cheese (broken up as fine and dry as possible)
    • 750ml oat milk (or milk1)

Extras for Baking

  • 1tblspn butter or oil
  • 50-100g sheep’s cheese (broken up as fine and dry as possible)

1 Bechamel will thicken much quicker if using cow-based ingredients, but will still work without.

Method

Pasta Sheets

    1. Wash and dry hands well.
    2. Place flour in a pile on a large, clean, hard surface with a large well in the centre.
    3. Crack eggs into the well, sprinkle salt on top.
    4. Gently beat eggs with a fork, slowly adding surrounding flour.
    5. Continue incorporating all the flour using fingers until you have a big sticky mess that you could not possibly imagine would form a clean ball of pasta. If dough is not too sticky, add a tablespoon of water.
    6. Form a clean ball of pasta by kneading and squelching until it magically stops being a sticky mess.
    7. Keep kneading, stretching and folding dough for about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and soft.
    8. Form a ball, wrap in cling-wrap and place in fridge for 1 hour.
    9. Remove from fridge and break into ~4 equal portions.
    10. With each portion roll, turn and fold with a rolling pin, dusting with flour, until the dough is a consistent 1mm thickness throughout.
    11. Use a pastry wheel or knife to cut sheets into your preferred rectangular size.
    12. Leave out to dry (perhaps cover with tea-towel and/or dust with more flour) for at least 30 minutes but preferably overnight.

Bolognese Sauce

    1. Heat large saucepan to a medium heat and add oil.
    2. Brown onions and garlic.
    3. Turn to medium-high heat and add diced bacon and cook until the fat softens.
    4. Add mince and cook until brown.
    5. Reduce heat to medium and sprinkle and combine dry then fresh herbs.
    6. Add wine and reduce, followed by the juice of the lime.
    7. Add tomato paste and combine until there is an even consistency.
    8. Add tomatoes, combine and simmer, stirring regularly.

Prep for Oven

    1. Preheat oven to 180°.
    2. Grease glass baking dish using extra butter or oil.

Bechamel Sauce

    1. In a small saucepan on low heat, gently melt butter.
    2. In small batches and removing from heat where necessary, combine butter with flour until a smooth yellow paste (a rue!) is formed.
    3. In small batches, combine sheep’s cheese. Try to minimise lumps, but you can’t be perfect.
    4. In small batches, add oat milk and combine thoroughly, then stir often until mix becomes thick and viscous.
    5. Keep on very low heat until ready to use.

Combine Parts and Bake

  1. Keep regularly stirring Bolognese until thick and consistent (usually around 40 minutes total).
  2. Add a thin layer of Bolognese to the floor of the baking dish, then cover with pasta sheets followed by ~1/4 of the Bechamel sauce. Ensure that the pasta sheets are completely and generously covered in Bechamel, using extra if you must.
  3. Repeat layers twice more, using remaining Bolognese and Bechamel on top layer.
  4. Sprinkle extra sheep’s cheese on top.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes.