DECONSTRUCT


Giorgio Locatelli’s lasagne This recipe uses 10 sheets of fresh pasta, but if you’re using dried sheets, you’ll need about 20 — and you should add a splash more milk to the bechamel to keep it moist. TAKES: 3 HRS SERVES: 6-8


INGREDIENTS 10 sheets fresh egg pasta (approximately) 4 tbsp parmesan, grated


FOR THE RAGU 2kg minced pork, preferably neck 5 tbsp olive oil 2 carrots, finely chopped 1 celery stalk, finely chopped 2 onions, finely chopped sprig of rosemary and sprig of sage, tied together


2 small garlic cloves, peeled 1 bottle of red wine 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 litre tomato passata 200ml chicken stock (optional)


FOR THE BECHAMEL 1.5 litres milk a pinch of nutmeg


90g butter 90g plain flour


METHOD Start with the ragu. Take the meat out of


the fridge and lay it on a tray, then press it down and let it come to room temperature. Heat the oil in a wide-bottomed


saucepan, then add the vegetables, herbs and whole garlic cloves and sweat over a high heat for 5-8 mins without allowing it to colour (you’ll need to keep stirring). Lightly season the meat with salt and


pepper, then add to the vegetables, making sure the meat is covering the base of the pan. Leave for 5-6 mins, so the meat seals underneath and heats through completely before you start stirring. Take care that the vegetables don’t burn — add a little more oil, if necessary, to stop this happening. Stir the meat and vegetables occasionally


for about 10-12 mins until the meat starts to stick to the bottom of the pan. Pour in the wine and let it reduce right


down to virtually nothing, then add the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.


Add the tomato passata and 250ml water.


Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for about 90 mins, adding a little of the chicken stock, if necessary, from time to


time until you have a thick sauce. 7 Meanwhile, prepare the bechamel. Put


the milk and nutmeg in a pan with a pinch of salt and pepper and bring to the boil, then take off the heat. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then gradually add the flour and cook, stirring, over a low-medium heat for a couple of minutes. Slowly add the milk


mixture and whisk until it has thickened. 8 Heat oven to 190C, 170C fan, gas 5. Blanch


the lasagne sheets in a pan of salted, boiling water for a couple of minutes, cooking them two or three at a time and ensuring they don’t stick together. Drop them into cold water, then lay them on a cloth to dry. Spread a thin ladleful of bechamel over


the base of a 30 x 20cm ovenproof dish. Add a layer of pasta sheets, then cover with a ladleful of ragu, followed by a ladleful of bechamel and a sprinkling of the parmesan. Repeat this pattern to build five layers, finishing with the plain bechamel and lots of parmesan. Cook for 30-40 mins, then leave to rest for 20-30 mins before serving.


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