Lasagna

Ingredients

• Parmesan cheese
• 3-4 handfuls Emental cheese
• Dry mozzarella cheese
• 1 litre Fresh Bolognese sauce or store-bought sauce
• Béchamel sauce or ricotta lasagna filling
• Lasagna pasta sheets

Method

Lasagna is built in strata: a thin sauce base, alternating layers of pasta, béchamel or ricotta, and Bolognese, finishing with béchamel topped with cheese. The principle is straightforward — the starch from the pasta sheets absorbs moisture from the sauces during oven-baking, binding them together into a coherent dish rather than a loose assembly. Start by spreading a quarter-centimetre slick of Bolognese across the base of a large, deep baking tray. This prevents the pasta from sticking and keeps the bottom layer from drying out.

Lay down a single sheet of lasagna pasta (dried sheets work best; fresh pasta collapses into mush). Cover it with a quarter-centimetre of béchamel or ricotta — the thickness matters because too little leaves dry gaps, too much and the top becomes gluey. If using béchamel, add the Emental now, folding it through; ricotta works as-is. Scatter a modest pinch of Parmesan across the béchamel layer. Lay another pasta sheet and spread a quarter-centimetre of Bolognese. Repeat this cycle — pasta, béchamel (or ricotta), Parmesan; pasta, Bolognese — until the tray is nearly full, aiming for six or seven layers total. The final layer must be béchamel or ricotta, never sauce, so it can brown. Pre-heat the oven to 175°C whilst you assemble.

Grate dry mozzarella over the top layer of béchamel and cover tightly with foil. The foil traps steam, which drives the pasta softening and helps the sauces meld without the top charring. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until you hear a gentle hiss beneath the foil — this indicates the Bolognese has released moisture and is steaming. Remove the foil and bake for a further 8–10 minutes until the mozzarella and Parmesan colour to burnt amber and the edges pull slightly from the tray. The surface should look bubbled and bronzed, not blackened.

Rest the lasagna under fresh foil for 10 minutes. This resting-after-cooking period allows the layers to set slightly so they don't collapse into each other when you cut. Without it, you'll get a slump. Serve directly from the tray in thick wedges — a palette knife works better than a spoon for maintaining structure.