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By Fine Food Cucina

As seen on Season 6 of Adelady TV, Channel Nine

Serves :: 6-8

Ingredients — lasagna sheets

375g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, at room temperature
Extra plain flour, to dust

Ingredients — bolognese sauce

1 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped or grated
1 stick celery, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g lean beef mince
500g pork mince
1 bottle of La Nova passata tomato
1 cup thick Italian tomato pasta sauce (passata)
1 cup chicken liquid stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Ingredients — assembling the lasagna

Fine Food Cucina Bolognese Sauce
Fine Food Cucina lasagna pasta sheets
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup fresh parsley

Method
Lasagna sheets

Sift the flour and salt together onto a clean work surface. Use your hands to shape the flour into a circular mound. Make a well in the centre, and place the eggs in the well and use a fork to lightly whisk.

Use your fingertips to gradually blend a little flour into the egg mixture. Working with your fingertips, continue to gradually draw the flour into the centre (being careful the egg mixture does not run out of the well) until the mixture forms a dough.

To check if the dough is the right consistency, press a clean, dry finger into the center of the dough. If it comes out clean without being sticky, it is the right consistency. If not, knead in a little more flour and test again.

Lightly flour the work surface if necessary. Firmly knead the dough by using the heel of your hand to firmly push down into it and then away from you. Lift the dough with your fingertips and fold it back on itself towards you. Turn the dough a half turn and repeat. Continue and repeat. Continue kneading the dough for 6-7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Kneading is an important part of the pasta-making process as it develops the gluten in the flour, giving the pasta a firm, tender texture.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and wrap each portion in plastic wrap or cover with a clean, damp tea towel. This will prevent the dough from drying out. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest. This helps make the pasta more pliable and easier to roll out.

Attach a pasta machine to the side of a workbench and adjust the machine’s rollers to the widest setting. Spread about 4 clean, dry tea towels over the work surface close to the pasta machine.

Unwrap a portion of dough and use the palm of your hands to flatten it into a rectangle. Dust the rollers with flour and roll the dough portion through. Dust again with flour and repeat on the same setting. Fold in the shorter sides of the dough to meet in the centre to form a smaller rectangle and feed through the machine again. Repeat this process 5-6 times or until smooth.

Reduce the width between the rollers by 1 and roll the dough through as before. Repeat the process, reducing the setting each time until the dough is 1-1.5mm thick. The settings on all pasta machines vary. The last setting on some machines may roll the dough too thin, resulting in it sticking to the rollers and tearing, so be careful to only reduce the setting and roll the dough until it reaches the desired thickness.

Spread the pasta sheet over the clean tea towels. When laying out the pasta sheets, they must not touch or overlap each other as the moist pasta will stick together. Repeat steps 3-4 with the remaining portions of dough.

Set the pasta sheets aside for 10-15 minutes (depending on the temperature in your kitchen) or until dry enough not to stick together but pliable enough not to crack. Trim the edges of the pasta. Cut into 14 x 25cm pieces to make lasagna sheets .

Bolognese sauce

Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes, or until tender. Add mince and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until browned.

Add tomato passata, chopped tomatoes, stock, wine, oregano, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Mix well.

Bring mixture to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, uncovered, for 2hrs to 2.5 hrs. until thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 160°C fan-forced.

In a rectangular tray add a layer of Bolognese sauce, place your pasta sheets next, followed by another layer of sauce. Sprinkle layer of mozzarella cheese followed by a layer of parmesan. Repeat for three layers. On top of the final layer (after parmesan), sprinkle fresh parsley.

Cover Lasagna tray with a sheet of greaseproof paper, followed by a sheet of alfoil. Cook for 45 min.

Serve hot with another sprinkle of parmesan and parsley!

Millie Looker

Millie Looker

Writer, Content Creator, Events Manager and Operations sensation, she’s the backbone to ensuring Adelady runs like clockwork.

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