Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 x beef cheeks (approx. 800g-1kg)
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 celery stick, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 2 x tins chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup beef stock
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 75g butter
- ½ cup flour
- 3 cups milk
- Good pinch nutmeg
- 2 ½ cups grated cheese (we used a combination of tasty and parmesan)
- 1 x 250g packet lasagne sheets
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 160C. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over a high heat. Brown the beef cheeks on all sides then remove from the pan and set aside (you may need to do this one cheek at a time depending on the size of your pot).Add extra oil if required and over a medium-high heat fry the onion, celery, carrot and garlic until soft. This will take about 10 minutes.
Return the beef cheeks to the pot then add in the tomatoes, wine, stock, rosemary and salt. Put on the lid and cook for 4–4 ½ hours or until the beef cheeks are falling apart and the sauce has thickened up.
To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over a medium-high heat. Add in the flour, whisk it into the butter and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the milk slowly, continuing to whisk as you go to avoid lumps. Cook for a further 3–4 minutes or until thick. Add in the nutmeg and two thirds of the cheese and stir again until smooth.
Turn the oven up to 180C. To assemble the lasagne, start by putting a third of the beef mixture into the base of an oven-proof dish. Layer over the lasagne sheets followed by a layer of cheese sauce. Repeat again then put on the last layer of lasagne followed by the remaining cheese sauce.
Sprinkle over the remaining cheese then put the lasagne into the oven and cook for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. Serve with seasonal vege or a crisp green salad.
