INGREDIENTS
500 g white or green lasagne noodles
Meat:
45 ml Clover ghee
500 g lean minced beef
250 g bacon, chopped
2 onions, chopped
3 celery sticks, sliced
250 g mushrooms, sliced
3 carrots, grated
30 ml fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 x 65 g cans tomato paste
5 ml salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
500 ml chicken or beef stock
5 ml dried mixed herbs or
15 ml freshly chopped mixed herbs
100 ml Clover Fresh Cream
Cheese sauce:
200 g Clover MooiRiver butter
200 ml cake flour
2 litres Clover full cream fresh milk
1 ml nutmeg
salt to taste
2 ml cayenne pepper
125 ml (50 g) Clover cheddar, grated
150 ml (100 g) La Campania Pecorino,
grated
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
For meat:
Heat the ghee in a heavy-based saucepan.
Add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté until onion is translucent.
Remove from pan and set aside.
Add the bacon to the same pan and fry until crisp.
Add the mince in batches and fry, stirring with a fork until golden brown.
Add the onion mixture and remaining ingredients except cream.
Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 50 – 60 minutes.
Add the cream and mix through.
For cheese sauce:
Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan.
Remove from heat and stir in the flour.
Stir until butter is absorbed. Return to low heat and gradually add the milk while stirring.
Allow to simmer, stirring with a wire whisk until mixture thickens.
Add nutmeg and seasoning, mix through.
Add half the cheese and stir until cheese has melted.
Remove from heat.
Spoon a layer of mince mixture onto the base of a greased ovenproof dish.
Follow with a layer of pasta.
Add another layer of mince and then a layer of cheese sauce.
Repeat layering, ending with a layer of cheese sauce.
Sprinkle remaining cheese over and bake for 45 minutes.
Serve warm with salad and a crusty Italian loaf.
Tip
Always ensure that there is enough liquid in the meat sauce. This will ensure that the pasta sheets have enough liquid to absorb during the cooking process.
Variations
• Replace mince with roasted mixed vegetables for a vegetarian variation and reduce cooking time to 30 minutes.
• Replace mince with 500 g chicken livers and reduce simmering time to 10 minutes.
CLOVER INGREDIENTS USED IN THIS RECIPE