ENGLISH MUM: never knowingly undercatered

Little Italian interlude today then.  Hubby’s away so we’ve been stuffing ourselves with pasta (which he hates) and all thoughts of a Sunday roast were quickly discarded as we were all suddenly overtaken by an inexplicable need for lasagne.  This, by the way, contains #1’s tried, tested and patented recipe for tomato sauce, which is the only one that his brother will eat, considering that English Towers enforces a strict ban on sauces in a jar (ew).

#1 is a bit of a whiz in the kitchen.  Being older, his problem is less the safety aspect (#2 is permanently trying to separate his digits from his hands) but more his penchant for odd ingredients.  Still, if you don’t mind the odd peanut butter, chocolate and jelly baby muffin for breakfast, you’re quids in.  I’m keen that by the time they have to fend for themselves, they’re more than capable of making a few basic recipes in order to stave off any yearning for Pot Noodles.  #1 is a big pasta fan, and taking into account his little brother’s hatred of lumpy sauces, has created this easy sauce: which works for everything from pouring over penne, to making pizza.  You can even add some vegetable stock and a couple of cans of butter beans or chickpeas and make it into soup.

For the ‘bolognaise’ sauce:

1 large onion

1 clove garlic

1 tin good quality tinned tomatoes

Handful of basil leaves

Generous pinch of dried chilli flakes

Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

So first slice the onion, finely chop the garlic and fry gently, along with the chilli, in a pan with a splosh of olive oil, adding a sprinkle of salt until soft and slightly golden.  Leave to cool while you open the tin of tomatoes, then blitz them until smooth in the blender.  Add your onion and garlic mixture, plus the basil leaves and blitz again.  Of course, if you’re normal and don’t care about lumps you can omit the blending bit and add the meat straight into the onions.  Back to the pan, then, bung in a little olive oil and then add your mince, frying until brown.  Then add back the blitzed tomato sauce and add salt and pepper and sweeten to taste with the sugar.  Let this bubble away while you make the cheese sauce.  If it seems a bit thick you can always add a bit of beef stock (remember the pasta will absorb some liquid).

For the cheese sauce:

1 fat slice butter (about 1oz should do it)

About the same quantity of flour (a heaped tablespoon I’d say)

1/2 to 3/4 pint milk

Handful grated Wexford mature cheddar

Handful grated Grana Padano (my current fave) or Parmigiano Reggiano

Plus, obviously, a pack of dried lasagne sheets

Melt the butter on a low heat and add the tablespoon of flour.  A little whisk is indespensible here - whisk it until it makes a lovely smooth paste.  Now you can start gradually adding your milk, stirring all the time to make a smooth bechamel sauce.  The amount of milk you need will depend upon how thick you like your sauce.  Just judge it by eye.  Now add all but a little smidge of your cheeses (reserve a bit to sprinkle on top). 

Now gather up all your bits and pieces (steady) and in your lasagne dish (deeper is better than wider, I find, as you can create more layers).  The trick here is to start with a thin layer of cheese sauce, then just layer it up with lasagne sheets, then cheese sauce, then bolognaise, then lasagne, then cheese sauce, then bolognaise.  Finish with a thin layer of cheese sauce and sprinkle on your reserved cheeses.  Bung it in the oven at around 180 degrees for about 20 minutes and serve with a fresh green salad, some garlic bread and a big smug grin.