Crispy Braised Beef Lasagne
Serves 8
Prep: 1 hour
Cook: 4½ hours
Ingredients
1kg braising steak
2 medium onions
2 carrots
2 celery sticks
2 bulbs garlic
50g tomato purée
250ml dry red wine
2 × 400g tins chopped tomatoes
400ml beef stock
1½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried oregano
70g unsalted butter
70g plain flour
800ml whole milk
½ tsp nutmeg
350–400g fresh lasagne sheets
570g Parmesan
10g fresh chives
Method
1. Braise the beef
Heat the oven to 160°C fan.
Cut the beef into roughly 4–5cm chunks and season generously with salt and black pepper.
Peel and finely dice the onions and carrots, then finely dice the celery. Separate the garlic bulbs into cloves, peel them and finely grate.
Heat a little oil in a large ovenproof casserole over a high heat. Sear the beef in batches until deeply browned on all sides, transferring each batch to a plate as you go.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to colour.
Add the garlic and cook for around 1 minute, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for another 2 minutes.
Pour in the red wine, scrape up everything stuck to the bottom of the pan and simmer until reduced by around two-thirds.
Add the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and oregano. Return the beef and any resting juices to the pan.
Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven for 2½–3 hours, until the beef pulls apart easily.
2. Finish the ragù
Lift the beef from the sauce and transfer it to a board or large bowl.
Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Place the casserole over a medium-high heat and simmer the sauce until noticeably reduced and thickened.
Shred the beef into chunky strands, then return it to the pan.
Continue cooking until the ragù is rich, concentrated and almost sticky. It should be considerably thicker than a normal pasta sauce so the finished lasagne holds together when sliced.
Taste and adjust the seasoning, then set aside.
3. Make the béchamel
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat.
Add the flour and stir continuously for around 2 minutes.
Gradually add the milk, whisking well between additions to keep the sauce smooth.
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring regularly, until thick enough to generously coat the back of a spoon.
Grate in the nutmeg, season with salt and black pepper and remove from the heat.
4. Build the lasagne
For the sliced version, line the loaf tin with baking paper, leaving enough overhang to help lift the chilled lasagne out later.
If you are making a classic lasagne instead, use a normal baking dish and skip the baking paper.
Trim the lasagne sheets as needed to fit your chosen dish.
Spread a layer of ragù over the base of the tin, followed by pasta, more ragù, béchamel and some of 420g of the Parmesan.
Continue layering pasta → ragù → béchamel → Parmesan until the dish is nearly full.
Finish with pasta, béchamel and the last of the 420g Parmesan.
5. Bake
Heat the oven to 180°C fan.
Cover the lasagne loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for another 10–15 minutes, until bubbling and golden.
For the sliced loaf-tin version
Leave the lasagne to cool completely in the tin.
Once cold, refrigerate it overnight in the tin. This firms the layers enough for the whole lasagne to be lifted out and cut into clean, thick slices.
Continue from step 6 when you are ready to serve.
For a classic lasagne
There is no need to chill it.
Scatter the remaining 150g Parmesan over the top for the final few minutes of baking, or place it briefly under a hot grill once cooked.
Leave the lasagne to stand for 15–20 minutes before cutting into portions and serving.
6. Slice
Lift the completely cold lasagne from the loaf tin using the baking paper.
Carefully peel away the paper.
Cut the loaf crossways into 8 thick slices.
7. Reheat
Heat the grill to medium low.
Lightly grease a baking tray and arrange the lasagne slices on it, sitting each one flat on one of its cut faces.
Cook until piping hot all the way through and then take the lasagne out for the time being.
8. Grill
Turn the heat up on the grill to the highest setting.
Finely grate the remaining 150g Parmesan over the exposed cut faces of the lasagne slices.
Place under the grill for 2–3 minutes, watching closely, until the Parmesan is deeply golden, the béchamel is bubbling and the exposed pasta edges are crisp.
9. Finish
Finely slice the chives.
Transfer the hot lasagne slices to plates with the crisp Parmesan face pointing upwards.
Scatter over the chives, finish with black pepper and serve immediately.
Serve with Cheesy Garlic Tear & Share