Classic beef lasagne: layers of pasta and delicious tomatoey mince mixture, smothered in a creamy sauce, all topped with cheese.

SERVES 8 // COOKING TIME 200 min

INGREDIENTS
For the mince
250g bacon, chopped
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
1 kg beef mince
2 carrots, grated
2 × 410g tin chopped tomatoes
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
1 sprig rosemary
2 tbsp origanum
For the béchamel
1 onion
4 cloves
1L milk
2 bay leaves
80g butter
1/3 cup flour
Pinch of nutmeg
To assemble
12–16 lasagne sheets
2 cups grated cheddar

METHOD
For the mince
1. Dry-fry bacon until golden. Remove and set aside. In the bacon fat, fry onions until soft.
2. Add garlic and peppers, and fry for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
3. Heat a little oil and brown mince. When all extra liquid has cooked out, add bacon, onion and peppers.
4. Add the remaining ingredients. Leave to simmer on low heat for 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper.
For the Bechamel
1. Stud onion with cloves.
2. Place milk, onion and bay leaves in a pot and bring to the boil. Switch off the heat and let the milk sit for 15 minutes. Strain.
3. In a separate pot, cook butter and flour for 3–5 minutes. Add milk slowly, whisking constantly. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
To assemble
1. Soak the lasagne in boiling water for 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 180˚C.
3. Layer ingredients in a 20 × 20 cm dish: one fifth béchamel, 3–4 lasagne sheets, a quarter mince. Repeat 3 times – end on a layer of béchamel.
4. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 40 minutes