Fresh Lasagne Bake

frying pan, saucepan, pasta machine or rolling pin, 2lt/4pt oven dish and mixing bowl

FRESH PASTA DOUGH
160g Doves Farm Organic Pasta and Pizza Flour
pinch of fine salt
2 eggs
flour, for dusting
oil, for oven dish

TOMATO SAUCE WITH MEAT OR VEGETABLES
1 tbsp olive oil
400g minced meat or mixed chopped vegetables
1 garlic clove
400g chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp mixed herbs
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper

CHEESE SAUCE
500ml milk
50g butter
50g Doves Farm Organic Plain White Flour
75g cheese, grated
salt and pepper

180°C, Fan 160°C, 350°F, Gas 4

Fresh Pasta Dough

1. Put the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
2. Make a depression in the middle of the flour.
3. Break the eggs into the middle and beat them, allowing a little flour to be incorporated each time you stir.
4. Continue stirring as the flour mixes in, eventually forming a dough.
5. Gather the dough together and knead it for 100 presses to make a smooth ball of dough, adding a little flour only if needed.
6. Cover and leave the dough to rest for 15 minutes.

 Lasagne Sheets Made Using a Rolling Pin

1. Sprinkle flour over the table and rolling pin.
2. Cut the pasta into four pieces and roll each piece into a rectangle, turning it over regularly and dusting lightly with flour.
3. Take one rectangle and cut that into four pieces.
4. Roll each piece into its own rectangle 1mm/1/32” thick.
5. Repeat with the remaining pieces of pasta.
6. Dust the pasta lightly with flour to stop it sticking and lay it out for an hour to dry.
7. Uncooked lasagne sheets can be chilled for up to 24 hours before using.

Lasagne Sheets Made Using a Pasta Machine

1. Dust the pasta machine and the table liberally with flour.
2. Cut the dough into four pieces.
3. Flatten each piece of dough and pass it through the widest, flat roller of a pasta machine to make a rectangle.
4. Fold the rectangle in half and pass it through the roller two more times.
5. Lay the pasta on the table and cut it into 4 small rectangular pieces.
6. Decrease the roller width 3 or 4 notches and pass each rectangle through a couple of times, to make longer rectangles. If the dough seems sticky, dust it with flour and lay the rectangles on a floured table.
7. Reduce the roller width again and roll each pasta sheet into a thinner rectangle.
8. Repeat with all the pieces of dough until they are 1mm/1/32” thick.
9. Dust the uncooked pasta with flour to stop it sticking and lay it out for an hour to dry.
10. Uncooked pasta can be chilled for up to 24 hours before using.

 Tomato Sauce with Meat or Vegetables

1. Put the oil into a frying pan over a medium heat.
2. Add the meat or mixed chopped vegetables and cook for a few minutes.
3. Finely chop the garlic and add it to the pan with the chopped tomatoes.
4. Stir in the tomato purée, herbs, pinch of sugar, salt and pepper.
5. Cover and cook gently for 20 minutes then set aside.

Cheese Sauce

1. Put the milk, butter and flour in a saucepan over a medium heat and stir as the sauce thickens.
2. Allow the sauce to bubble for a minute while stirring then remove from the heat.
3. Stir in the grated cheese.
4. Season with salt and pepper.

Assembling the Lasagne

1. Pre-heat the oven.
2. Rub some oil generously around the inside of a 2lt/4pt oven dish.
3. Divide the lasagne into four piles.
4. Arrange a quarter of the lasagne sheets in the bottom of the dish.
5. Spread a quarter of the cheese sauce over the lasagne.
6. Spoon a third of the tomato sauce on top of this.
7. Repeat the process twice more; of a quarter of the lasagne sheets, a quarter of the cheese sauce and a third of the tomato sauce.
8. Arrange the final layer of lasagne on top and cover it with the remaining cheese sauce.
9. Bake for 50-60 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.