Delicious UK - (01)January 2020

NEXT

MONTH

Cassoulet

Therecipe

SERVES6-8.HANDS-ONTIME 50 MIN,

SIMMERINGTIME20-30MIN,OVENTIME

3 HOURS 45 MIN, PLUS RESTING

MAKE

AHEAD

Assemblethelasagneup

toa dayahead,coverand

chill.Takeoutofthefridge

andbringtoroomtemperature

beforebaking.Freezeforuptoa

monthin1 largeor2-3smaller

freezerproof containers.

• 250g fresh lasagne sheets

FORTHERAGÙSAUCE

• 20gbutter


• 100gsmokeddicedpancetta
  (orBritishfree-range chopped
  streakybacon)


• 1 onion,finelychopped


• 1 carrot,finelychopped


• 2 celerysticks,finelychopped


• 2 fat garlic cloves, crushed

PERFECT A CLASSIC

LASAGNE

It’sa dishthattopssomanypeople’slistoffavourites,yethowmanytimeshave

youeatena lasagnethat’sjustso-so andwhatmakesthedifferencebetweenan

okayoneanda greatone?Thereareseveralsecretstosuccess,themostimportant

being to slow-cook the ragù to glorious meaty richness. Here’s our failsafe recipe

RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING: OLIVIA SPURRELL. PHOTOGRAPH:

MIKE

ENGLISH. STYLING:

DAVINA

PERKINS

Foodteam’stipsforsuccess

lWeuseda mixtureofbeef/vealandporkmince

forsucculenceanda moretraditionalflavour.You

canbuymixedpacksofbeefandporkminceinAldi.

lAddingmilktotheragùaddsa gentlerounded

sweetness.It alsotenderisestheminceandhelps

tokeepthelasagnemoist.

lSlow-cookingtheragùisthekeytogivingthe

finishedlasagnerichdepthofflavour.

lWhenassembling,a littlebechamelorragùon

thebaseofthedishstopsthepastastickingtoit.

lRestingthelasagnebeforebakinggivesthe

flavoursa chancetoinfuseandintensify.

• 200gBritishbeeforvealmince


• 200gBritishfree-range
  porkmince


• 200mlwholemilk


• Freshnutmegforgrating


• 175mldrywhitewine


• 400gtinchoppedtomatoes


• 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

FORTHEBECHAMEL(WHITESAUCE)

• 60gunsaltedbutter


• 60gplainflour


• 700mlwholemilk


• 80gparmesan,finelygrated


• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

YOU’LLALSONEED...

• Largeovenproofpan(onewith
  a lid); 2 litre baking dish

1 Fortheragù,meltthe20gbutter

ina largeovenproofpanover

a mediumheatandgentlyfrythe

pancettaforabout8 minutesuntil

crispandthefathasrendered.Add

theonion,carrot,celeryandgarlic,

thensoftengentlyfor 10 minutes.

2 Addthebeef/vealandporkmince

tothepanandfry,stirringtobreak

upanylumps.Pourinthemilk,grate

overa littlenutmeg,thensimmer

verygentlyfor20-30minutes.Heat

theovento150°C/130°Cfan/gas2.

3 Stirthewine,tomatoesandmost

oftheoreganointothepan,then

season.Coverwiththelidslightly

ajar,thenoven-cookfor3 hours

untilthemeatistenderandthe

sauceisthick.Checkeverynowand

then, adding a little water if needed.

4 Meanwhile,makethebechamel.

Meltthe60gbutterina medium

heavy-basedpanovera medium-

highheat.Addtheflourandstirfor

3-4minutesuntilthemixturestarts

tosmelltoasty.Graduallyaddthe

milk,thensimmer,whisking,for

6-8minutesuntilthickened.Remove

fromtheheat,stirin20gofthe

parmesananda goodgratingof

freshnutmeg,thenseasonwell.

5 Toassemble,spreada littleofthe

bechamelorragùoverthebase

ofthebakingdish,thencoverwith

slightlyoverlappinglasagnesheets.

Spoonovera thirdofthebechamel,

sprinklewitha littleoftheremaining

parmesan,thentopwithhalfthe

ragù.Addanotherlayeroflasagne,

thentopwithhalftheremaining

bechamelandalltheremaining

ragù.Addthefinallayeroflasagne,

thenspreadwiththeremaining

bechamel.Scatterwiththerestof

theparmesan,thensetasidefor

a bit– ideallyovernightinthefridge,

butanhouratroomtemperature

willdo(seeMakeAhead).

6 Whenreadytobake,heattheoven

to200°C/180°Cfan/gas6.Bakethe

lasagnefor40-45minutesuntil

goldenandbubbling.Garnishwith

theremainingoreganotoserve.

PERSERVING(FOR8)491kcal s,

26.8gfat(14.1gsaturated),24.6g

protein,32.3gcarbs(9.7g sugars),

0.9gsalt,2.9gfibre

WINEEDITOR’SCHOICEAnysoft,

ripeItalianredwouldwork,buta

good valpolicella is the top choice.

104 deliciousmagazine.co.uk