Lasagne

Serves 6, 20 minutes preparation, 2 hours 40 minutes cooking

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus a little for greasing
• 750g lean beef mince
• 90g pack prosciutto
• ½ quantity tomato sauce 
• 200ml hot beef stock
• a little grated nutmeg
• 300g fresh pack lasagne sheets
• ½ quantity white sauce
• 125g ball mozzarella

Method

Homemade Tomato Sauce 

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan. Add the 2 finely chopped onions, 2 garlic cloves, sliced and 1 carrot, roughly chopped. Cook for 5-7 mins over a medium heat until softened. 
2. Turn up the heat a little and stir in 2 tbsp tomato purée. Cook for 1 min, pour in 200ml white wine, then cook for 5 mins until this has reduced by two-thirds. 
3. Pour over 3 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes and add 1 handful basil leaves. Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 mins. Leave to cool, whizz in a food processor.

Homemade White Sauce 

1. Melt 85g/3oz butter in a saucepan, stir in 85g/3oz plain flour, then cook for 2 mins. Slowly whisk in 750ml/1¼pt milk, then bring to the boil, stirring. Turn down heat, then cook until the sauce starts to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
2. Sauce can now be cooled and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for 3 months.

Make the Ragu or Meat Sauce

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then cook the beef in two batches for about 10 mins until browned all over. Finely chop 4 slices of prosciutto, then stir through the meat mixture.
2. Pour over the tomato sauce and stock, add the nutmeg, then season. Bring up to the boil, then simmer for 30 mins until the Ragu looks rich and is well coated in sauce.
3. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. 

Assemble the Lasagne

1. To assemble lasagne, lightly oil an ovenproof serving dish (30 x 20cm). Spoon over a third of the ragu sauce then cover with lasagne sheets. Drizzle over about one quarter of the white sauce. Repeat until you have 3 layers of pasta. Cover with the remaining half quantity of white sauce, making sure you can’t see any pasta poking through.
2. Tear the mozzarella into thin strips then scatter over the top. Arrange the rest of the prosciutto on top. Bake for 45 mins until the top is bubbling and lightly browned.