BEEF LASAGNE

Preheat oven to 180C

Heat olive oil in a pot, add pancetta, onions, celery, garlic, chilli flakes and rosemary and cook for 15 minutes or until pancetta and vegetables are soft. Add the beef mince and cook for a further 5 minutes before adding the tomato paste, tinned tomatoes, bay leaves, wine, vinegar and 1L of water. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and cook for over low to medium heat for 1½ hours or until sauce is nicely rich and thick

For the béchamel, heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to the boil, and then reduce heat, set aside. Melt butter in a second saucepan over medium heat, add flour and whisk continuously until sand-coloured (2-3 minutes), then gradually add heated milk, whisking continuously. Season to taste with nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Whisk occasionally until thick and smooth (12-15 minutes)

To make up, spread a third of the beef sauce over the base of a 3 litre-capacity ovenproof dish, then spread a third of the béchamel and a third of the parmesan then top with four overlapping pasta sheets. Repeat twice, without the béchamel, but finish with the remaining two-thirds of the béchamel sauce, and scatter with mozzarella and parmesan, on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden

Quick Tip: A great lasagne requires a little time and good quality pasta! The key is allowing the meat sauce flavours to develop