Four-Cheese Lasagna

(serves 8)

12 sheets lasagna noodles
2 tbsps olive oil
1 lb/400g ground beef, pork or chicken
6 cloves gar­lic, minced
2 shal­lots, minced
1 28 0z/800g can peeled plum tomatoes

dash red wine
2 tbsp Ital­ian seasoning
4 tbsps butter
2 tbsps flour
1 pint/500ml whole milk
12 0z/340g ricot­ta cheese

8 oz/250g mas­car­pone cheese
sprin­kle nutmeg
pinch sea salt
fresh-ground black pep­per to taste
1/2 c/4 oz/112g grat­ed Pecori­no or Parme­san cheese
1 large ball buf­fa­lo moz­zarel­la, shredded
hand­ful basil leaves, shredded

Begin by boil­ing the lasagna noo­dles till cooked, then drain­ing them and brush­ing them with olive oil to keep them from stick­ing together.

For the meat sauce, heat the olive oil in a large skil­let and begin fry­ing the mince. When it is near­ly cooked through, throw in the gar­lic and shal­lots and fry until they are soft­ened and meat com­plete­ly cooked. Add the toma­toes and Ital­ian sea­son­ing and sim­mer for about 15 min­utes.  Add wine and sim­mer a bit more, till the sauce is not liquidy.

Mean­while, in a large saucepan, melt the but­ter and add the flour: cook togeth­er until bub­bling but before it begins to brown. Whisk in the milk slow­ly, mak­ing sure there are no lumps. Cook until the roux begins to thick­en, then add the ricot­ta, mas­car­pone, nut­meg, salt and pep­per and stir until thor­ough­ly mixed.

To assem­ble, ladle enough meat sauce into a 9x13 inch/23x33 cm glass dish to cov­er the bot­tom. Place 4 lasagna sheets on top of the sauce. Pour over half the white sauce. Lay down anoth­er lay­er of noo­dles and anoth­er lay­er of meat sauce. Sprin­kle with the grat­ed Pecori­no or Parme­san. Fin­ish with the last 4 lasagna sheets, the last of the meat sauce and pour over the rest of the white sauce. Sprin­kle on the moz­zarel­la and top with the basil leaves.

Bake in a slow oven (150C, 300F) for about 45 minutes‑1 hour until the lasagna is bub­bling and top begin­ning to brown.