Lasagne- Classic & Vegetarian Recipes

We are slowly moving round the world to discover new recipes. Today I would like to share with you formula for a delicious dish that is known and appreciated all over the planet.

Lasagne is usually known as a traditional Italian dish.  However there are a few different theories about origin of this meal. Some of the theories show the connections between lasagne and several ancient Greek recipes, borrowed afterwards by Romans.

But British also claim their contribution to create world famous recipe. According to this theory Lasagne is a development of the 14th century English recipe "Loseyn" as described in The Forme of Cury, a cook book in use during the reign of Richard II. This claim has been made due to the similarities in both the method described in building the dish and the two names. Perhaps the British actually did have the good sense to layer cheese, meat, and pasta.

However the recipe couldn’t have been complete until arrival of tomatoes, which were introduced to Europe after Columbus reached America in 1492. The earliest cookbook featuring tomato recipes indeed comes form 16^th century Italy. So whether you consider the use of tomatoes to be fundamental in Lasagne or you are swayed by British arguments, you will definitely enjoy the product of this European co-operation.

Ingredients I- Classic lasagne

1 lbs minced meat (beef)

1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic

1 can of peeled tomatoes

2 Tbsp tomato puree

2 tsp mixed herbs or Italian herbs

Lasagne pasta sheets

Grated cheese
Breadcrumbs

Red cooking wine

(or grape juice for non-alcoholic version)

Ingredients II- Vegetarian lasagne

1 medium-sized onion- chopped

3 cloves of garlic

2 bell peppers

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

Broccoli

Mushrooms

1 can of spinach leaves

1 can of peeled tomatoes

2 Tbsp tomato puree

2 tsp mixed herbs or Italian herbs

Lasagne pasta sheets

Grated cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

For Béchamel Sauce:

40g Butter

20g Flour

425 ml milk

Grated cheese

2 bay leaves        

Onion

Cloves

1. In a large pan (ideally with a large diameter with high sides) fry for a few minutes finely chopped onions and garlic until aromatic. Add minced meat and brown it, breaking up the chunks with a wooden spoon. When cooked, drain of any excess fat.
2. Next, add the red wine and allow most of it to burn off. Add tomato paste, canned tomatoes, all of the herbs and spices.  Allow the sauce to simmer over a low heat until it reduces to a thick Bolognese sauce.  The ideal simmer time is approx. 1-1 ½ hour. Add breadcrumbs to improve texture and consistency of your Bolognese and stir together.
3. While the sauce simmers, preheat the oven to 180 degrees and prepare the béchamel sauce.  (The béchamel only takes about 10 minutes, so wait until the Bolognese is finishing off to start rouxing).

BÉCHAMEL SAUCE

In a heavy-based pan melt the butter and then whisk in the flour, energetically stirring all the time. Once combined and the mixture begins to bubble (don’t let it brown or burn), slowly add the warmed milk in a steady stream, again stirring constantly. Add grated cheese. Continue to stir until the cheese melts and mixture thickens and comes to boil. Add onion, cloves and bay leaves to taste and simmer for a few minutes, until sauce absorbs the flavour.

Now start building lasagne layer. Spread meat sauce at the bottom of baking pan. Spread Béchamel sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese. Layer the pasta sheets in the way they are slightly overlapping. Repeat until lasagne has about 3 layers. Spread remaining béchamel on top and sprinkle with more cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 25- 30 minutes. Serve with garlic bread and salad. 

FOR VEGETARIAN LASAGNE:

1.In a large pan fry for a few minutes finely chopped onions, garlic and carrots until softened. Add the broccoli, bell peppers and mushrooms. Shallow fry for 35 mins, until vegetables are softened and lightly charred. Add tomato paste, canned tomatoes, all of the herbs and spices.  Allow the sauce to simmer for a while over a low heat.

2. Prepare the Béchamel sauce.

3. Layer the lasagne in sequence of roasted vegetables- spinach leaves- béchamel- cheese- pasta. Spread remaining béchamel on top and sprinkle with more cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 25- 30 minutes. Serve with garlic bread and salad. 

TIPS:

If for any reason you do not consume alcohol in your diet, you can replace the red cooking wine with a grape juice. I never used to add cooking wine to my meals as I run halal kitchen at home. However browsing various websites I found tips how to replace wine while cooking. Juice is often an alternative for those who want a sweeter dish. It still helps to achieve fruitiness, acidity and adds flavour depth to a dish. If you want to get rid of a sweet flavour you can dilute it with a tablespoon of flavoured vinegar.