All courtesy that nice Rachel Allen woman
– Classic Lasagne with Roast Garlic Bread
Classic Lasagne with Roast Garlic Bread
This may seem quite basic, but this is an essential recipe to add to your repertoire. Not only is it utterly delicious in its own right, but the two sauces are the building blocks for so many other meals. Once you’ve mastered them, you’ll have the basis for many other simple, classic dishes such as spaghetti Bolognese or dishes requiring a white sauce.
Serves 4-6
For the bolognese sauce
1 small onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
15g (1/2oz) butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or grated
250g (9oz) minced beef or 125g (41/2oz) minced beef and 125g (41/2oz) minced pork
75ml (21/2fl oz) white wine
75ml (21/2fl oz) beef, chicken or vegetable stock
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
Salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
For the béchamel sauce
50g (2oz) butter
50g (2oz) flour
600ml (1 pint) milk
75g (3oz) grated cheese, such as Parmesan or Parmesan and Gruyère
12 lasagne sheets (approximately 200g/7oz, depending on size of dish)
For the roast garlic bread
175g (6oz) butter
6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or grated
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 baguette
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4.
First make the Bolognese sauce. Place the onion, carrot and celery in a food processor and whiz until finely chopped. Put the butter and olive oil in a saucepan on a medium heat and when the butter melts, add the onion, carrot and celery and stir over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and light golden.
Turn up the heat, add the garlic and beef and stir, breaking up the lumps of mince until it changes colour. Then add the wine, stock and tomatoes (and all their juice) and season with salt, pepper and a good pinch of sugar. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to low, simmering with the lid off for about 20 minutes until the Bolognese sauce is quite thick. Finally, add the chopped basil and parsley and season to taste.
Next make the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan, add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes on a medium heat, stirring so the flour does not burn. Take it off the heat for a moment while you gradually add the milk, whisking all the time. Place the pan back on the heat and whisk until the milk thickens. Season to taste and set aside.
To assemble the lasagne, spoon a little Bolognese sauce (about 4 tablespoons), to cover the base of a gratin dish measuring approximately 25cm (10in) square, then cover with a layer of béchamel sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Place sheets of lasagne in a single layer to cover the cheese, then top with Bolognese sauce and continue until you almost get to the top of the gratin dish. Don’t fill it too much, or it will bubble over in the oven – stop about 1cm (1/2in) from the top, finishing with a layer of pasta, then bechamel and finally the cheese.
When you’re ready to eat, place in the oven for about 30-40 minutes until the pasta is cooked and the top is golden and bubbling at the edges.
Meanwhile, prepare the garlic bread. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, then add the garlic and chopped parsley. Cut along the baguette horizontally (or into smaller slices) and generously brush the melted garlic butter over the cut sides. Put on a baking tray and place in the oven for 15 minutes or until toasted and golden brown.
Serve the lasagna with the garlic bread and a green salad.
This has to be one of my favourite desserts – it’s completely divine. The toffee sauce keeps for months in the fridge – so handy for a quick sweet treat. It’s great with ice cream and baked bananas too. I usually make twice this recipe, so that I have some left over to store in the fridge.
Serves 12 / vegetarian
For the toffee sauce
250g (9oz) golden syrup
250g (9oz) light brown sugar
100g (4oz) butter
200ml (7 fl oz) single cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
For the crumble
350g (12oz) self-raising flour
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
175g (6oz) butter, chopped or cubed
175g (6oz) light brown sugar
100g (4oz) ground almonds
For the filling
12 eating apples, peeled, quartered, cored and cut into 2cm (3/4 in) chunks
50g (2oz) butter
To serve
Softly whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or Crème Anglaise
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4. Put all the ingredients for the toffee sauce into a saucepan over a medium heat and boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly until smooth. Set aside. Next, make the crumble topping. Place the flour and lemon zest in a bowl, rub in 75g (3oz) of the butter, leaving it a little rough and uneven. Stir in the sugar and ground almonds. Place the crumble in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Melt the remaining butter in a wide saucepan or frying pan, add the chopped apples and toss on the heat for a few minutes until the apples start to soften. Add 125ml (4fl oz) of the toffee sauce (about half; keep the rest for serving) and continue to simmer for few minutes longer until the apples are just cooked.
Pour into two 1.25 litre (21/4 pint) pie dishes. Sprinkle the crumble over the top and place in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the crumble is light golden and with toffee sauce juices bubbling up the sides. Serve warm with softly whipped cream and a jug of the remaining warm toffee sauce.
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