I am a strong believer in the philosophy that the heart of a family can be found in the kitchen. This tried, tested and ever so slightly tweaked lasagne recipe will take you on a culinary journey, combining traditional Italian with just a hint of South African flavour (and a pinch of my own magic).
Hold onto your pacemakers, because this one is definitely not for the faint of heart! This recipe uses 800 grams of cheese and a bunch of bacon, so if you're concerned about your cholesterol levels, you may want to give it a skip.
If you want to keep things authentic, your first step will be to go and check out Claire's Traditional Authentic Italian Spaghetti Bolognese.
For those of you in the mood for something a bit more decadent, and especially if you are like me and like to make EVERYTHING BETTER with bacon, keep reading and follow the steps below for my very own bolognaise recipe.
Once your Bolognese (traditional Italian) / bolognaise (South African or Australian) is ready, the rest of the steps for the béchamel, layering of the pasta and the sauces and the baking procedure will remain the same.
The Bolognaise
Ingredients:
- 250g diced bacon
- 500g ground beef/ mince (please don't use lean mince or fat-free bacon. It brings sadness).
- 4 large onions
- 4 large tomatoes
- 2 large green bell peppers
- Garlic (a whole head, finely chopped, or 4-6 large tablespoons of crushed garlic).
- Olive oil
- mixed herbs (fresh basil, rosemary, parsley and oregano are recommended if you have them available) about two tablespoons
- Rose Wine 400ml
- Stock 200ml (instant stock dissolved in water is fine, but if you can make your own in advance using bones from roasts etc., it's just better).
- Black Pepper
- Salt
- Tomato Paste
It's always good to get the chopping over with 1st, so chop your onions, green peppers, tomatoes, garlic and bacon and set aside
heat about 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan (I love my electric frying pan for this)
Add the onions, garlic herbs, salt and pepper 1st, allow to brown slightly and then follow with the bacon and the green peppers.
When it comes to seasoning and use of herbs, let your instincts guide you. No one wants to chew on mouthfuls of dried herbs like a goat, but flavour is so important. I recommend at least two big tablespoons of herbs in total, and a teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
Once that is all sizzling and browning nicely, you can add the mince. Be sure to use a fork or wooden spoon to stop the mince from clumping.
Now you can add the chopped tomatoes, the tomato paste, the wine and the stock.
Secret Ingredient: for a uniquely South African Flavour, now is the time to add in 3 table spoons of Mrs Balls Fruit Chutney (but any chutney will actually do fine)
Turn the heat down and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally and ensuring there is always sufficient liquid. Remember that this is a sauce that you will be using to make layers with. It needs to be a bit runnier than you would normally make it for spaghetti bolognese. Add an extra dash of wine or water if you see your sauce is reducing too much.
You should allow the simmering process at least two hours. The longer you let it simmer, the more time the flavours have to combine.
The Béchamel
Arguably the most important part of the Lasagne, this step is often replaced by store bought cheese sauce or white sauce or whatever powdered stuff in a packet. While I normally side with easy hacks for mums on the run, in this case, you have already committed to making the real deal, so take the time to make the béchamel properly.
Ingredients
- 750ml full cream milk
- 1 1/2 cups of flour
- 4 Table spoons of butter
- garlic, herbs and salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups of grated cheese /200g - I use a mozzarella and cheddar mix. Fabulous for pizza and lasagne. The perfect combination for melting and flavour.*
Heat the butter in a saucepan on a low/medium heat and add the herbs, garlic, salt and pepper
While the butter is simmering slowly, measure the flour into a jug and slowly add the milk, stirring constantly and vigorously with a fork between each glug to ensure you end up with no lumps. Keep going until you've added all the milk.
Add the smooth, lump free milky floury mix to the butter.
STIR CONSTANTLY. Now is not the time for bathroom breaks. If you stop stirring, before you know it, the mixture at the bottom will solidify and you WILL end up with lumps. If you do though, don't cry. You can zap them out with a handheld blender or a stick blender, (but you didn't hear that from me).
Once you can see your sauce thickening up nicely, toss in the cheese and continue to stir. When the cheese is melted, set the pot aside and switch off the plate.
Making Lasagne and the unbreakable rules of layering
You now have everything you need in terms of sauces. The Bolognese and the béchamel. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius while you get busy with layering. You will now need the following:
- 500g lasagne sheets
- 600g grated cheddar/ mozzarella mix
- a very large baking tin
- Béchamel Sauce
- Bolognese Sauce
GOLDEN RULES OF LASAGNE LAYERING
- Béchamel, lasagne, Bolognese,
Béchamel, lasagne, Bolognese,
Béchamel, lasagne, Bolognese,
and end with a layer of béchamel. If you run out of anything, don't let it be bechamel because no matter what, you MUST start and end with it.
- Do not ever allow lasagne sheets to overlap. You can break the
lasagne in your hands to fill gaps if you really need to. - Do not be skimpy with the sauce otherwise the lasagne will not cook and no one likes uncooked pasta sheets. Ew.
- This is a marathon, not a race. You need to set aside at least five hours of your life for this to be perfect: longer if you want neat slices that don't fall apart (you'll have to let the lasagne cool down substantially at the end to set - possibly even overnight). You can even make this the day before and pop it in the oven to warm when the extended family comes around for Sunday Lunch.
Hungry Faces of @MerenLudick and @Matthew-Williams
Once you're done layering, place the baking dish into the oven and let it cook for an hour, checking occasionally that the top is not burning.
ONLY NOW do you remove the baking dish from the oven and set on the stovetop or a heatproof surface and top it with the 600g of cheese. If you put the cheese on too early, it will be tough and wont have that perfect crispy but stringy consistency we all die for.
Bake for another 40 minutes to 1 hour, checking occasionally to ensure the cheese does not burn.
Your lasagne will now be ready, but will also be NUCLEAR hot, so if you'd like to be able to taste anything at all after this, I recommend letting it cool for at least 30 minutes - longer of you want neater slices
Serve with a side salad if you want to lie to yourself about balance, or serve with garlic baguettes, or even both!!
Buon Appetito!!!
Disclaimer: These final images were taken the day after, when the lasagne had had time to rest. On the actual, night it was just glorious stringy cheesy lava, delicious but not very photogenic 🤣🙈
