Today I had my first solo Valentine's Day in almost 5 years. I know a lot of you are rolling your eyes right now, but maybe you'll feel a bit sorry for me if I told you that I have had more than my fair share have failed romantic entanglements in the past.
As with any situation that threatens to trigger an emotional breakdown I was craving something hot, stodgy and smothered with cheese. Lasagna ticks all those boxes. Delicious Bolognaise sauce layered with my favourite carbohydrate after bread, pasta of course, and a velvety smooth Béchamel sauce. All of this generously covered with cheese.
If emotional eating is what you're in the mood for then look no further. My lasagna will take away any lingering heartache.
Lasagna
Serves 6 hungry people
Bolognaise
500 g ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 big can of tomatoes/2 normal cans
1 can of tomato paste
1 cup of beef stock
1 tsp of sugar
1 small glass of red wine (optional)
Italian herb mix
Origanum
Heat up some oil in a medium saucepan. I like to use Canola instead of olive oil as it stops everything from sticking. Start off by browning the ground beef to make sure any funny liquids are cooked off. Season with salt and pepper. Once the meat is browned, add the onion and garlic. The mix will start to smell amazing at this point. Once the onions have turned translucent, add the tomatoes and beef stock. I like to slice up the tomato so they cook away into the sauce faster. Add the sugar to remove the sour edge the tomato will inevitably lend to the sauce. Add the wine if you are using any. Let all of this simmer covered with the lid slightly open so the Bolognaise is not too juicy. The longer your Bolognaise can cook the better, at least an hour. Add the herbs half an hour before your Bolognaise is finished so they don't become bitter.
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cake/corn flour
750 ml milk
Salt and pepper
½ cup of cheese
Melt the butter over a low heat in a small pot. You can use margarine but the end result will not be the same. Once the butter has melted, whisk in your flour with that funny flat whisk (I have no idea what its real name is). Add the milk. I have no idea how long it usually takes, but at some point the mixture will start to thicken up. Make sure to whisk in any clumpy bits that get stuck to the bottom. Once the sauce starts to thicken, add the cheese as well as the seasoning. Don't let the sauce get too thick, remember that your lasagna still has to bake.
Assembling your masterpiece
A lasagna starts off with a layer of Béchamel, then pasta sheets, then Bolognaise. You continue with this until you have run out of Bolognaise and have enough Béchamel to finish the dish off with. Cover the Béchamel with cheese (what kind and how much is entirely up to you). Bake in an oven at 200 degrees for about half an hour. The cheese should form a nice crust on the top. If it looks like this, you have achieved your goal.
This is the difficult part. Allow the lasagna to sit for 5 minutes so everything can solidify a bit. Otherwise you will end up with a plate full of lasagna soup. I know that sounds delicious, but we are aiming for the traditional version here.
Serve with a crispy salad to banish any guilt you might feel.
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