Lasagne by Charlotte!

My son and step-daughters have always asserted that no-one (absolutely no-one) can make lasagne as good as mine!  Well, I don't know about that ... but I do know I make a pretty decent one!  And today, my granddaughter Charlotte took the cooking "reins" and made a stonking lasagne all by herself ... to Grandma's recipe, of course!

While she's staying here, Charlotte is creating her own recipe "book" (with photos) to take home and, as it's her Mum's all-time favourite food, I think she will be asked to make this dish many, many times in the future ... before long it will be as much second nature to her as it is to me!

The meat sauce was simply fried onion, steak mince and seasonings (black pepper, Italian seasoning, Lea & Perrin's, beef stock), cooked until brown, then a box of passata added (or a tin of chopped tomatoes).  This was then simmered gently while we made the cheese sauce.

The cheese sauce was made using a simple roux method (melt a large knob of butter in a saucepan, add a tablespoon or so of flour and cook gently until absorbed, stirring out any lumps), then gradually adding up to a pint of milk (depending on how thick you want the finished sauce to be), stirring constantly then bringing to the boil (still stirring!).  Season with black pepper and add plenty of grated cheese, then leave to simmer for a few minutes to thicken.

To put it all together, we layered it all into a greased ovenproof dish, as follows: meat sauce, lasagne sheets, cheese sauce, repeated - finishing with the second layer of cheese sauce.  We topped it with a little extra grated cheese and cooked it in a med/hot oven (180) for 20-25 minutes.  (Actually, on this occasion, we added an extra layer of lasagne sheets between the first layer of cheese sauce and the second layer of meat sauce, as the cheese sauce was thin enough to warrant it.)

My top tip for serving lasagne is to let it stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.  This will allow it to "solidify" a little and be easier to serve, whereas attempting to serve it immediately will result in a sloppy mess all over the plates!  Alternatively, make it in advance and re-heat thoroughly to serve, as this has the same effect ... it also freezes exceptionally well.  Serve how you like, but we opted for a lovely salad and a couple of garlic bread slices.  Absolutely scrumptious!!

V Yes, yes, yes ... make up a gorgeous mix of roasted Mediterranean vegetables (chopped quite small), add the tinned tomatoes or passata and use this instead of the meat layer.  I've made it loads of times and it's absolutely delicious, enjoyed by vegetarians and carnivores alike!