Lasagna - daft questions...

weegie_2

After husband's success last night making spag bog he has declared today that Lasagna is going to be his next attempt. Fab! :-)

I've never actually made it so just want to double check a few things before he attempts. I've had a quick look at the mega indexed thread but couldn't see the answers to my questions. Do I....

make bolognaise. My husband cooked this ever so gently for nearly an hour which was probably why it tasted so good last night! If he is making it to then go in the oven should I get him to cut this time in half?

is 2 or 3 layers usually the norm - and is it ok to use smartprice lasagna sheets or go for something a bit better?

once all in pour over cheese sauce and then put grated cheese on top.

And the one I really need to know...how long do I cook for and at what temp (have a fan assisted oven). And do I cook with tin foil over the top?

Any assistance from the regular OSers much appreciated :-)

DawnW

weegie wrote:

After husband's success last night making spag bog he has declared today that Lasagna is going to be his next attempt. Fab! :-)

I've never actually made it so just want to double check a few things before he attempts. I've had a quick look at the mega indexed thread but couldn't see the answers to my questions. Do I....

make bolognaise. My husband cooked this ever so gently for nearly an hour which was probably why it tasted so good last night! If he is making it to then go in the oven should I get him to cut this time in half?
why not make twice the amount and have half one day as bolognese and half for lasagne next day or freeze for later. It is best to use slightly sloppy bolognese mixture for lasagne, so cooked a bit less time OK I guess, but it doesn't really matter if you are doing a big batch for both.
is 2 or 3 layers usually the norm - and is it ok to use smartprice lasagna sheets or go for something a bit better?
I usually do 3 layers but I guess it depends on your dish! Smartprice lasagne sheets are OK, best wet them under the cold tap before placing them in the dish
once all in pour over cheese sauce and then put grated cheese on top.
you can have cheese sauce/grated cheese in the layers as well if you like
And the one I really need to know...how long do I cook for and at what temp (have a fan assisted oven). And do I cook with tin foil over the top?
No tin foil on the top as you want it to brown, about 30 mins at 200 degrees C, but it will tell you on the lasagne packet, as may vary for different brands
Any assistance from the regular OSers much appreciated :-)

Hope you enjoy it!

callansdad

I got my lasagne recipie from Ready Steady cook website but unfortunately its not there anymore. I will do a search and see if i have it on here.

weegie_2

Dawn - thank you very much indeed!

callansdad

Ingredients

For the meat sauce:
25g/1oz butter
4 celery stalks, sliced finely I dont use this
150g/5oz unsmoked streaky bacon, chopped I don't use this, instead i chop up a few mushrooms and add it in after the onions before the mince
2 medium onions, chopped
500g/1lb2oz beef mince I prefer lean beef steak mince but whichever you have is great
2 cloves garlic, chopped
500g/1lb2oz passata/chopped tomatoes Smartprice Passata
200ml/7fl oz red wine I always use this but you could omit and add a little more stock if you dont have any
bay leaf Not essential but i do use it now and then
1 beef stock cube
mixed italian herbs (ready mixed or use oregano, basil and parsley) I have a big tub of mixed herbs that i use
black pepper
2 tbsp tomato puré e Cheap does just as well
2tsp plain flour I tend to use much more to make it a little thicker, normally works a treat

For the bé chamel sauce:
250ml/8fl oz full-fat milk
2 cloves Never use myself
bay leaf Same as above
50g/2oz butter
60-80g/2-3oz plain flour
150ml/5fl oz single cream I normally forget and end up buying double cream instead but you could just use more milk

9-12 sheets of lasagne, ready-to-cook Asda Smart Price
40-80g/1½-3oz grated parmesan cheese I use Galloway Scottish Cheddar instead, far cheaper
Method

1. Gently fry the celery, onion and bacon in butter until the onion softens and the bacon starts to brown.
2. Add the mince and garlic and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until the beef has browned.
3. Add the passata/chopped tomatoes, wine, herbs and seasoning, stock cube, tomato purée and bay leaf.
4. Simmer uncovered for at least 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce has a high fat content, so add 2tsp of plain flour and stir well to emulsify the oils and thicken the sauce.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the bé chamel sauce. Put the milk, cloves and bay leaf into a small pan and heat gently until the milk simmers. Remove the bay leaf and cloves and set aside.
6. Gently melt the butter over low heat, then add the flour and stir to form a paste. Stir over a low heat for 2 minutes.
7. Slowly pour in the heated milk, whilst whisking. Bring to a simmer, stirring continuously to form a thick sauce. Once simmering, add the cream and heat until it nearly simmers again. Remove from heat and season.
8. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
9. Spread a layer of meat sauce on the bottom of a lasagne dish. Cover with dried lasagne sheets. Spread these with a layer of the bé chamel sauce, then sprinkle with grated parmesan. Repeat these layers three or four times, finishing with the parmesan.
10. Top with some dried herbs and black pepper and put in the oven to heat through and brown for about 15-25 minutes. Serve.


The above is the original recipie but i have tweaked it (i have put it in red) and its fantastic. I pretty much follow the recipe times. Its a good idea to soak the sheets in some warm water or even better put the lasagne together and leave it for a couple of hours before heating in the oven.

HTH

Penelope_Penguin

Hi, as to your question about cooking the meat sauce, I discovered that it's far better for long slow cooking, even for lasane. The acidity in the tomatoes tenderises the meat. This won't happen when the lasagne is assembled.

HTH, Penny. x

Penny-Pincher!!

Ive always been told not to make the mince filling to runny as it slops everywhere and after it has been cooked, let it stand for 20 mins before serving. This firms the lasagna.

Good Luck, we love lasagna

PP
xx

kethry

personally when i'm doing a special lasagne (i.e. not worrying too much about the cost) i cook the meat sauce the day before i'll need it.

I do put in chopped celery and mushrooms, although not bacon bits. I bake the meat sauce in a covered casserole dish in the oven for a number of hours so that the sauce is really thick and gooey, but i *also* put in a tin of stout like guinness. It's not traditional but it does give a lovely flavour to it, and the meat is melt-in-the-mouth tender. However, if you put the guinness in it will be very liquid to start with, so you may need to cook without a lid for the first hour, then pop the lid on. think long slow cooking at a lower temp, tasting every hour or so. when you're happy with taste and consistency, take it out and let it get cold. the flavours develop overnight and you can re-heat it a bit to get warm enough that it spreads out more easily when you need to construct your lasagne.

also, if you do a proper bechemel sauce, i would do the whole heating the milk (with bayleaf, onion, celery, carrot and black peppercorns) before you need to make the sauce up, because it really does add fantastic flavour to the whole thing.

lastly, again, this is a money-no-object, use grated parmesan and grated fresh nutmeg across the top.

keth
xx

Punky

Penny - how do you do your lasagne / bolognaise sauce in the slow cooker? Cheers, Punky x

pudding06

I start by browing the mince ( beef or beef and prok mixed) then put it to one side

then I always make a base of
1 onion diced,
some lardons(thick bacon bits,LOL)
1 diced carrot,
1 stick diced celery
and add 2 cloves chopped garlic after the rest has sweated and softened abit ( dont want burned garlic and none of it should go brown!!)

all fried gently in olive oil


I add mince ( sometimes a mix of pork and beef mince) back to pan

Then add tinned tomatoes, stock powder or cube or leftover veg water
bay leaf
mixed herbs
parsley
and some hot water if not using veg water. season with salt and pepper.

simmer slowly for about 1 to 1 1/2 hrs!!!

to make sauce I always do a quick one

milk heated to boiling
add bit of butter and melt
slake 1 - 2 tablespoons cornflour in little bit of cold water until you have a runny paste

pour into the milk micture stirring constantly until it thickens. If its not thick enough repeat with a little bit more conrflour mixture.

add grate cheese and season with salt and pepper


I do use smartprice lasagne and just sling meat in the bottom, then lasagne then meat agian( if still some left) then lasagne then cheese sauce. cover with grate cheese and put in oven for about 30 mins.

eh voila

pudds

Penelope_Penguin

Punky wrote:

Penny - how do you do your lasagne / bolognaise sauce in the slow cooker? Cheers, Punky x

Sorry, Punky, Don't have a slow cooker, yet! What I have is a Rayburn, which serves the same purpose. We only have it on during the winter, so I'm angling for a slow cooker for the summer months.

I discovered the long and slow method, when I put the sauce into the range in the morning, then went swimming on a coach with DD's class. As the bus passed my house on the way there I got that cold flush, as I'd left the sauce in the range :eek: :eek: :eek: . Nothing I could do, apart from ask the driver nicely, on the way back, to drop me at my house, rather than me go back to school.
The sauce was better than nice, it was lovely and tender, so that's what I always do, now.

Soften onion, garlic, and chilli in olive oil. Add minced beef, and brown. Add chopped veg (mushroom, celery, carrot, sweetcorn, whatever I have, really). Soften them slightly, add tinned tomato, black pepper, herbs. Bring to boil and cook for 3 hours.

HTH, Penny. x