Harriet's Amazing Lasagne

Harriet is an amazing cook. Cowie and I popped over to dinner with Harriet and Nick last year where Harriet cooked us a delicious pheasant and mango curry. One day I'd love to prise that recipe out of Harriet's possession... just like I'm hoping she'll give me her mother's lasagne recipe.







Whilst up in the Welsh mountains at Harriet's grandparent's fabulous cottage we gobbled up the best lasagne any of us have ever had. We demolished it. Helped no doubt by plenty of walking and even more booze. It had been ticking over in the oven for quite a while developing more and more flavour by the minute. The key to the depth of flavour is that Harriet throws a bunch of bacon, some celery and crucially some liver into the mince and tops it off with aubergine.

The results taste stunning. This may not be the most visually stunning picture. I just wish my camera could capture taste and smell...



Here's Harriet's amazing lasagne recipe:

Serves 8

Ingredients:

Meat:

Approx 750 grams of mince meat
200 grams of chicken liver
4 rashers of smoked bacon
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
a good few squirts of tomato puree
a dash of Lea and Perins
1 large onion
1/4 pint of red wine
2 garlic cloves
good two handfuls of basil leaves (fresh)
two celery sticks
salt and pepper

1 large aubergine

lasagne pasta sheets

Sauce:

1/2 pint single cream
150 grams of butter
100 - 150 grams of flour (use judgement)
3 pints of milk
salt and pepper
grated chedder cheese - a large block of it!

Oven: fan = 50 min at 170 degrees - or until very hot in the middle!


Instructions:

Meat:

Fry onion and garlic until soft and clear
Add chopped bacon and liver to fry until looks cooked on outside - then
Add mince meat to fry - again until looks brown and not red
Add chopped up celery sticks
then after all the above has been cooking for 5-10 min..
Add tin tomatoes, tomato puree, Lea and Perins, red wine, salt and pepper and chopped basil - cook for approx 30 min until
reduced (don't want it to be too liquidy!)

Mean while:

Chop aubergine into 1/2 cm slices and fry gentle in pan until 3/4 cooked - take off heat

Sauce:

A typical white source with grated cheese added - see any good cook book (Delia!) for instructions)

Putting it together:

Get a large casserole pot or dish:
Add a layer of meat
Add a layer of pasta sheets
add a layer of aubergine
add a layer of white cheesey sauce
add a layer of meat
add a layer of pasta sheets
etc etc etc until all full

On the top - must finish off with layer of white cheesey sauce and then top with grated cheese.

Pop in oven.

Cheese can brown - if getting too brown - cover top with tin foil.