Meats Recipes - Lasagne Verdi Al Forno

Ingredients

• 50g/2 oz/1/4 cup butter

• 50 g/2 oz/1/2 cup fat ham, finely diced

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 1 carrot, finely diced

• 50 g/2 oz/1/2 cup button mushrooms, thinly sliced

• 225 g/8 oz/2 cups minced (ground) beef

• 100 g/4 oz/1 cup chicken livers, finely chopped

• 15 ml/1 tbsp tomato puree (paste)

• 150 ml/2/3 cup dry white wine

• 300 ml/1 1/4 cups beef stock

• 5 ml/1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 450 ml/3/4 pt/2 cups milk

• 25 g/1 oz/1/4 cup plain (all-purpose) flour

• 1 bay leaf

• 8 sheets no-need-to-precook green lasagne (verdi)

• 50 g/2 oz/1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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Method:

1. Melt a quarter of the butter in large saucepan. Fry (sauté) the ham, onion and carrot for 3 minutes.

2. Add the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef and chicken livers and cook, stirring, until brown and all the grains are separate.

3. Stir in the tomato puree, wine, stock, sugar and a little salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes until a rich sauce is formed, stirring occasionally.

4. Meanwhile, blend the milk with the flour in a saucepan. Add 25 g/2 tbsp of the remaining butter and the bay leaf. Bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time until thickened. Season to taste.

5. Discard the bay leaf. Put a thin layer of the meat mixture in the base of a large shallow ovenproof dish, greased with the remaining butter.

6. Top with a layer of white sauce, then a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat the layers until all the ingredients are used, finishing with a layer of white sauce.

7. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan and bake in the oven at 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 for 40 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.