friends and lovers of the blog will know my inherent hate of mince meat. i wasn't fed it very much growing up, and it wasn't until i learned what (could possibly be) was in it that i was suuuuper glad that mother withheld it from my regular diet. now, don't get me wrong, i didn't grow up on caviar and smoked salmon, but yeah, my mum cooked proper dinners every night. and very occasionally, they included mince meat.
of the three mince dishes in my repertoire, this is the trickiest and most time consuming, but definitely the most rewarding... not to mention delicious, and keeps boyfriend happy for another month!
what you'll need:
600g lean mince meat
tinned tomatoes
tomato paste
lasagne sheets
cheddar//mozzarella cheese
basil leaves
spring onion
garlic//chillis
portobello//button mushrooms
milk//flour
how you'll make the mushrooms:
*preheat the oven* 1. chop chillis up really small, mince garlic, combine with olive oil in a small bowl 2. scoop a small amount of the mixture into each of the portobello mushrooms 3. dice up or grate cheddar and sprinkle over the top 4. put aside and allow to 'marinade' until 10 minutes before serving the meal.
how you'll make the lasagne:
1. chop up mushrooms, spring onions, garlic and chilli, and heat in a big pan in olive oil 2. after about five minutes on medium heat, add the mince meat 3. once the meat has mostly browned off, add the tomatoes and paste, and mix through 4. turn the heat down and simmer while you prepare the beschamel sauce.
how you'll make the beschamel sauce:
1. grate three handfuls of cheddar (two for the sauce, one for you) 2. place a tablespoon of butter in a small pot on a low heat 3. allow to melt 4. stir a tablespoon of flour into the melted butter, then a few splashes of milk to make a liquid 5. place a handful of grated cheese into the liquid, once melted add the second handful - thin the sauce by adding more milk (add small amounts at a time so that you don't make it too thin).
how to build your lasagne:
1. layer the bottom of your dish with lasagne sheets (*snap the corners off your sheets to make them fit better) 2. put a third of your meat on top of the sheets, and spread until all of the pasta is covered 2. place fresh basil leaves on the meat 3. zig zag the cheese sauce over the meat (don't go craaaay) 4. place mozzarella balls/bits of mozzarella on the gaps of cheese 4. place more sheets on top, and repeat the steps until you're out of meat 5. make sure you finish with cheese on top! 6. place in the oven at 180^ for 10 minutes or until cheese is golden and crispy (put cheesy mushrooms in now too!)
serve with a fresh salad and a garlic bread (aka the sides that disguise the mince meat when all the cheese fails my taste buds), and enjoy!
how are you liking my recipes? helpful? lame? horrible? tell me, and i'll stop. or keep going. whichever is the consensus.
