When it’s comfort food I’m after, only one chef matters: Nigella Lawson. The divine godess of punchy flavourful food with a smirk never fails to deliver. In this recipe from Nigella Express
my old chum chestnut mushrooms are sliced wafer thin and nestled in layers of potato, with creamy garlicky sauce running throughout. A hearty side-dish that goes well with grilled meats and fleshy greens.
Lasagne recipes are like admitting you’re Spartacus. “I’m the definitive lasagne recipe!” “I’m the definitive lasagne recipe!” To that end, I’m not even sure I’ve cooked it exactly the same way twice. It’s one of those things I’ve been cooking forever and therefore patch the method from time to time. Today was no different.
I went bechamel rather than cheese sauce, and used beef stock over a stock cube (a standard step-skipper in my mince recipes). I also tried to overcome my carnivorous lust of piling everything into one layer, and instead went down the traditional route of many layers of pasta.
A word on the bechamel here: I find it’s always unfairly pasted as a difficult thing to do, but it really isn’t. Melt butter, add flour and allow to cook out a little, until it’s the dullest beige. Add milk slowly, allowing it to absorb each time (much like risotto). Keep going until it reaches the desired consistency. If things look awful, turn up the heat and whisk like mad. At this point it’s ready to take on all the flavours that you want. In this case, grated nutmeg, a smear of English mustard, black pepper and smoked sea salt. I also had some mascarpone left over in the fridge so I doled that out into it to lend a slightly tart, creamy edge.
There’s so mush to adore about lasagne (I suppose this is technially lasagne al forno, but this is the dish all English people picture when you say ‘lasagne’): tender yet chewy pasta, engorged with flavours from above and below, sweet and savoury meaty sauce, creamy and slick white sauce, and crunchy and tangy cheese crust.
Below I’ve detailed what I did this time, though it will be different next time… and the time after that… and the time after that… I’ve yet to try Carmela Soprano’s one, with an additional layer of basil leaves… yum.
Lasagne:
For the beef ragu:
450g beef mince
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 tins/cartons chopped tomatoes
500ml beef stock
250ml red wine (pinot noir in this case)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
For the bechamel:
75g butter
Plain flour
Milk
2 tablespoons mascarpone
Nutmeg
Smoked sea salt
Black pepper
1/2 teaspoon English mustard
For the final dish:
12 dried lasagne sheets
Grated parmesan
Grated cheddar
In a large casserole pan, fry the onion and garlic on a low heat until soft and translucent, about ten minutes.
Turn the heat up, add the mince and fry until browned.
Add the stock and bring to the boil, then add the tomatoes.
Lower the heat, add the other ingredients and leave to simmer while you prepare the bechamel. Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
In another pan, melt the butter. Add enough flour until you get a chalky, plasticiney consistency. Continue pushing this round the pan until you get a pale nut colour. (this calms the floury taste down)
Gradually add milk until it is absorbed. Add the bay at this point too.
Keep adding milk until it reaches a custardy texture.
Add the other bechamel ingredients and continue to stir.
Now take a large ceramic oven dish and start to layer the ingredients. I went for: pasta, mince, white sauce, pasta, mince, pasta, white sauce.
Top with cheese, and decorate with tomato slices and basil leaves. Put in the oven.
Cook until bubbling on top.
For best results, allow to sit for a couple of minutes before serving. The white sauce and cheese will set slightly, and making cutting through it much easier.
A lightning fast pasta dinner. All those wonderful tasty ingredients coming together in a dish that allows you to taste each element yet come together as a varied and interesting whole. Fresh peas, salty prosciutto, meaty artichoke… lovely.
Spaghetti with prosciutto and artichoke:
250g spaghetti
5 slices of prosciutto, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
250ml white wine
250g artichokes, cut into rough chunks
2 tablespoons mascarpone
Grated zest of 1 lemon
A handful of frozen peas
2 teaspoons of finely chopped parsley
Put the pasta on to cook according to the packet instructions.
Fry the garlic and prosciutto in olive oil until edges of the meat is curled and browning.
Add the white wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add seasoning.
Add the lemon zest, peas and artichokes until warmed through.
Add the mascarpone and allow to bubble a bit. Add a splash of water from the boiling pan to slacken if necessary.
Add the drained pasta and season to taste. Sprinkle with parsley.
I happened on these totally by accident. The ever-readable Jo of Jo’s Kitchen put out a plaintive Twitter plea for a quick post-work cookie recipe. I was sure Nigella would have the answer, and sure enough, she did. I suggested them, alas peanut butter is not her thing. Bloody is mine though, Reese’s Pieces and Peanut Butter Cups send me giddy with delight – it’s the clash of salt and sweet that makes it.
It’s riotously simple – peanut butter, egg, chocolate, sugar – but the texture is utterly amazing, just like a real cookie. Crisp on the outside, crumbly inside, with the smooth salt-sweet flavour that coats the mouth. I’m definitely doing them again, possibly this week to lift the spirits in the office. THough this time I’d use quite a sweet milk chocolate, perhaps CDM, and make them smaller, and bake them a minute or two less. Gorgeous!
