Traditional lasagne

Using a combination of our free-range pork, beef mince and pancetta lardons gives our lasagne a richer and heartier flavour, which is traditional to Northern Italy. Topped with ladles of onion, sage and clove infused béchamel and a generous sprinkling of parmesan, it would be hard to turn down second helpings!

3 hours 15 mins

4-5

Medium

For the meat sauce:
• 140g Field & Flower pancetta lardons
• 450g Field & Flower beef mince
• 500g Field & Flower pork mince
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 celery sticks (finely chopped)
• 1 onion, finely (chopped)
• 1 carrot (finely chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
• 200ml milk
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 beef stock cubes
• 500ml red wine
• 400g dried pasta sheets
• 50g parmesan (finely grated)

For the béchamel:
• 1.5L milk
• 1 onion (thickly sliced)
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 cloves
• 100g butter
• 100g plain flour
• Grating of nutmeg

1. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

2. First, make the béchamel sauce. Put the 1.5L of milk, sliced onion, bay leaves and cloves into a large saucepan and bring very gently up to the boil. Turn off the heat and set aside for 1 hour to infuse.

3. For the meat sauce, put the oil, celery, onion, carrot, garlic and pancetta in another large saucepan. Gently cook together until the vegetables are soft but not coloured.

4. Add the beef and pork mince, the 200ml of milk and chopped tomatoes to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, stir together and break up the lumps of mince against the sides of the pan. When the mince is mostly broken down, stir in all the herbs, the stock cubes and the red wine, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to stop the mince from sticking to the pan.

5. After 1 hour of simmering with the lid on, uncover and gently simmer for another 30 minutes-1 hour until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick, then taste and season accordingly.

6. To finish the béchamel sauce, strain the infused milk through a fine sieve into a jug. Melt the butter in the same pan then, using a wooden spoon, mix in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.

7. Stir in the strained milk, a little at a time (the mix will thicken at first to a doughy paste), keep adding milk gradually to avoid lumps. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly (if you have lumps, give it a quick whisk). Gently bubble for a few minutes until thickened then season with salt, pepper and a good grating of nutmeg.

8. Spread a spoonful of the meat sauce over the base of a baking dish (approx. 3.5 litre capacity). Cover with a single layer of dried pasta sheets, snapping them to fit if needed, then top with a quarter of the béchamel, a third of the meat sauce and a scattering of the parmesan.

9. Repeat the layers – pasta, béchamel, meat and parmesan – two more times to use all the meat sauce. Add a final layer of pasta, the last of the béchamel and remaining parmesan. Sit the dish on a baking tray to catch spills and bake for 1 hour until bubbling, browned and crisp on top.