Lasagne

Directions

1. To prepare the Sofrito, in a large pan, heat about 50ml of olive oil until hot. Add onions, carrots, and celery with a big pinch of salt, and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, stir through, and cook for 1 more minute. Remove the sofrito from the pan and set aside.

2. To cook the meat sauce, place the pan back on the heat and add a little more olive oil. Add pork and beef mince, season with salt, and cook for 3-4 minutes to get some colour on the underside. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon, add red wine, and reduce by at least 80%. Add the sofrito back to the pan with the remaining tomato passata and Parmesan rind. Mix well, bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook covered for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add 100ml milk towards the end and mix well.

3. To make the spinach pasta, blanch baby spinach in boiling salted water for 20 seconds, then plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain well, squeeze out excess water, and blend with eggs until smooth. Pour flour onto a work surface, make a well in the centre, add the spinach mixture and a pinch of salt. Work the mixture into dough, knead until smooth (about 8-10 minutes), and let rest for at least 45 minutes. Roll out dough to about 2mm thick, cut into sheets, blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, then cool in water. Place onto an oiled tray until ready to layer.
4. For the béchamel sauce, melt butter in a pot over medium heat, stir in flour, and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually add 600ml of cold milk in stages, whisking until smooth. Simmer for 10 minutes, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

5. To assemble the lasagne, in a 23 x 30 cm oven dish, layer meat sauce, pasta sheets, béchamel, mozzarella, and Parmesan, repeating until all ingredients are used, finishing with a layer of pasta. Spread remaining passata over the top layer of pasta, cover with foil, and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, discard foil, top with basil leaves, more mozzarella, and Parmesan, then return to the oven for 15 minutes. Finish under the grill until golden brown.

6. Let the lasagne cool slightly for 10-15 minutes, then slice and serve.