Lasagna

Easy, simple and comforting. Is there anyone who doesn't like a lasagna?

Serves: 4 persons.

Ingredients: 

• 500g minced beef
• 250g grated mozzarella
• 6 sheets of dried lasagna 
• For the tomato sauce:
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 bay leaf, whole
• 3 cloves, whole
• 50ml white wine
• 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp cumin
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Equipment: my ovenproof dish is 29 (L) x 19 (W) x 5 (D) cm.

Method:

1. Make the tomato sauce:
1. Fry the onion, garlic, bay leaf and cloves in olive oil for 10 min.
2. Add the wine and simmer until absorbed.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano and cumin and let it simmer for 15 min.
4. Remove the bay leaf and the cloves and blitz to a pulp.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and more oregano/cumin if desired.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Whilst the tomato sauce simmers, fry the meat in a little olive oil until it is all brown and any water that was shed is evaporated. It is important that the meat cooks through before being added to the tomato sauce or else you'll end up with soggy meat.
   
3. Add the meat to the tomato sauce.
   
4. Coat the bottom of the ovenproof dish with the sauce, making sure not to leave any meat behind. This step's sole purpose is for the lasagna sheet not to stick to the bottom.
   
5. Place 3 sheets of lasagna on the bottom followed by meat sauce and mozzarella. Make sure the meat sauce coats all the lasagna sheets as it's the sauce that will re-hydrate the pasta and allow it to cook.
   
   
   
6. Another 3 sheets of lasagna followed by meat sauce and the remaining mozzarella.
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Bake for 30 min at 180°C until bubbly and golden.
   
   
   

Bon appétit!