Meat Lasagne

Hajj is one of Islam's five pillar's of faith and every Muslim who can afford it has been asked to visit the holy city of Mecca to perform this pilgrimage. After spending 20 days in devotion and reflection during our Haj pilgrimage, it feels wonderful to be back. 

For those of you who are curious about the happenings of the event, I could say that it was the most excellent form of worship that one could offer which has created a sense of renewal within oneself as it helps to provide diverse spiritual needs to us. In other words, it was a totally different world for us and an experience worth keeping.

The last 20 days have been no-cooking days for me. We were served ready food during our tour and also ate out occasionally. Sometimes I would remember and miss cooking. And sometimes I would feel that its great resting from cooking. Either way, we missed pastas, pizzas and so much because we never found their outlets around our vicinity. The most common things we ate were French fries and Shawarmas. We longed to eat our favorites somewhere, but finally got a chance to make and enjoy our homemade food after we returned. Pasta topped my "longing- to- eat" list. Lasagna was what I kept craving for and it was a pleasure digging in it.

If you have ever dreamed of settling in Italy, then lasagna is something that you should look forward to. It seems to be the most standardized form of pasta and when combined with all the meaty flavors decked with shredded cheese, it  produces a rich and wholesome dish which can be the most perfect example for a balanced meal.

It did not take me long to make this dish. I only had to spend time arranging the sheets and the meat in my baking dish. The rest was wonderfully carried out by my electric oven. The recipe is surely a keeper. The dish is a party classic and I promise that your guests will relish it.

INGREDIENTS:

For the meat sauce:

1/2 Kg minced beef or mutton
2 onions finely chopped
3 tomatoes finely chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning or Oregano                                                                                              
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Rosemary
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Olive Oil

For the Béchamel Sauce:

1 tbsp. chopped butter
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp All-Purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp  each Oregano, basil and thyme
A generous pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese or any cheese you have

For the Lasagne:

10 Lasagne sheets
2 cups shredded Mozarella Cheese
1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 tsp Parsley flakes or freshly chopped Parsley 

                                                                                                                                              

HOW TO MAKE:
 
The meat sauce:
 
1) Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and fry till soft. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté.
 
2) Add the minced meat and fry it until the water in it evaporates.
 
3) Then add the tomatoes and the remaining spices and cook till it is thick. You can also add water and cook. The consistency should be a thick meaty sauce in the end.

Meat Sauce

 
The Béchamel Sauce:
 
1) Heat butter in a pan, add the all-purpose flour and sauté till light golden.
 
2)  Add milk and mix well so that no lumps are formed.
 
3) Add salt and the spices and mix well. Tip in the grated cheese.
 
4) The consistency should be thick and flowy. If not you can add more milk to maintain it that way.

 
The Lasagna:
 
1) Heat 4-5 cups water in a deep dish and bring it to boil. Add the lasagna sheets and cook them as per the package instructions.
 
2) Drain out excess water and wash them under cold water so that they do not stick to each other. Keep them aside.
 
Assembly :
 
1) In a rectangle or square oven proof dish, pour some meat sauce as a thin layer. Then place 2-3 lasagna sheets on it .
 
2) On top of the lasagna sheets, pour some béchamel sauce and again some meat sauce. Sprinkle some grated mozarella cheese on this. This way one layer is completed.
 
3) Repeat these steps for up to 3 to 4 layers. Sprinkle remaining cheese on the top layer and cover with foil..

4) Bake this in a pre-heated oven (190 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes or until the cheese has got a slight golden color on top. Serve hot.