Wednesday 15 February 2012

Tuesday Tasters....Lasagne.

Well I realise that this post is being published a day late even before it gets off the ground but you can lay out the best plans ever and something will come along to up-skittle them which is exactly what happened to me yesterday. For this I give my apologies and hope it was worth waiting for!!


I am not a person who very often uses a recipe...or follows instructions when I cook. Occasionally when making a totally new dish I will use a recipe and method as a guide and then after that I adapt it to my own and my families tastes. The ingredients that I add often vary depending on what I have in the cupboard and what my mood is so this is just one version of many that you could adapt to your liking if you chose to make it.

Firstly I took one white and one red onion, roughly diced them and crushed a whole bulb of garlic into a pan with some olive oil to soften.
Once softened I added the mince.

Whilst the mince was cooking I took a large tin of plum tomatoes and emptied them into a pan and blended them.
To this I added a good dollop of tomato puree, a good handful of basil and about an ounce of plain flour.
Bought to the boil and simmered.


meat in sauce for lasagne
Once the mince was cooked through I strained it and added it to the sauce.
I then used the mince pan to fry off some mushrooms and added the the sauce and mince.
Then I grated two large carrots into the pan and left to simmer.(above)

At this point I always have a taste and when I made this I then added some salt and pepper to taste and a teaspoonful of marmite for richness.

I then made 3/4 pint of cheese sauce which I decided to use today instead of white sauce.(I have also used bread sauce and parsley sauce in the past).

All that's left to do then is put it all together. I use fresh pasta sheets bought from the store as I don't have a pasta press to make my own.


soaking pasta ready to use
Remember to soak your pasta sheets in a boiled water with a little oil before using to make them soft and moist.

Homemade Lasagne ready to be cooked
Then it's down to layering. Pasta, white sauce, mince...and repeat. Finish off with just a pasta and sauce on top. As you can see I have grated some cheese on mine too. I also grated cheese between the layers.


Then it's just a case of putting it in the oven. This is a great dish to make the night before and keep in the fridge until you decide to cook it. Equally smaller Lasagnes can be made in freezable pots and frozen for later. The lasagne I made fed four of us a little too well..lol!!

Homemade Lasagne ready to eat
I served my Lasagne with a little salad and the plates were nicely clean at the end of the meal so I guess the family approved.

I cooked this for about an hour in the middle of the oven on gas mark 5. However I mostly play it by ear. If your lasagne has been in the fridge or not been heated straight away then obviously cooking will take longer as the dish will need to warm up before cooking.


Many adaptations can be made to this...depending on mood I like to put in some chilli's, I also often half the amount of mince and put more veg in...or just go for all veg. The possibilities are endless if you are prepared to do a little experimenting and use a little imagination!!

Also the mince and sauce can be used for Spaghetti Bolognese...or the sauce on it's own could be poured over pasta and baked in the oven.

The possibilities with doing the dish in stages are endless!!

.


15 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks, I always have a problem dishing up Lasagne Jo...it never wants to seem to sit nice once sliced...but it tasted great!!

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  2. I am sorry if this shows twice. Anyway the lasagna looks yummy. It is especially good when you can use items from your own garden. Thank you for the recipe.

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    1. The Lasagne tasted great, I do love it when I can use my own produce...unfortunately that is running low now...can't wait for the seasons to change so I can grow inn earnest again!!

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  3. oh yum...this is comfort food all the way!! I have never tried this with carrots...next time! thanks!!
    I am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can!

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    1. Thanks for visiting momto8. Glad you like the sound of it with carrots....I always find grating veg into things like this a great way to 'hide' things from picky children.

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  4. It sure looks good and that's how I cook too.

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    1. Improvisation always gives a dish your own stamp and makes it extra special Ann.

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  5. I love pasta - not sure I'd dare use a whole bulb of garlic in anything though - were people avoiding you today!

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    1. To be honest I don't see that many people and I really don't mind them avoiding me...however there is a way to make your garlic taste good and be odourless...I'll show how in another Tuesday Taster.

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  6. Dear Tanya, I am not sure if my comment earlier took? Therefore, I am leaving another. I just said that this is what cooking is all about, making it your own. This does look delicious and comforting. Blessings my dear, Catherine xo

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    1. Catherine...don't worry if you comment twice...blogger is being a little temperamental at the moment and I will just publish one if that happens again. It was a lovely meal on a cold day.

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  7. Dear Tanya,
    Would you happen to have a good recipe for mince meat pie? I looked it up in an American cookbook and there it said to go out and buy a jar/can of ready-made mincemeat filling! But that is not available here in Sweden. What is in it? Can it be made from scratch?

    Thank you for your efforts.
    Best wishes,
    Anna

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    1. Hi Anna...thanks for dropping by. I am presuming you mean the savoury mincemeat and not the meat?? I will do this for my next Tuesday taster for you.

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  8. Lasagna is one of my favorites. I don't even try to make it, but my sister does a wonderful job. I usually just buy the frozen kind and try to remember how the good homemade stuff tastes.

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keep it clean...keep it relevant...I look forward to reading your comments!!