Thursday, March 28, 2024

In The Kitchen With Kanta: Classic Lasagne

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lasagne 3

Yesterday I was craving a taste from home…no not Zambia…the UK.  Don’t get me wrong I love a bit of African soul food, but when that gets tiring it’s nice to try something different, or in this case something familiar. Now this dish isn’t exactly a British dish, so I guess “a taste from home” isn’t an accurate way to describe it.  However it is a meal that is regularly eaten in the UK.  If you haven’t already guessed it, it’s delicious mouth watering lasagne.  Lasagne is a classic Italian dish.  It is made from layers of pasta sheets, and minced meat; and sometimes includes a variety of vegetables as well. Many people have their own classic spin on the dish, but the best way to improve your lasagne is by trial and error. But to get you started follow this simple recipe to make your very own Lasagne for the family, it is guaranteed to be a hit.

Prep & Cook time: 2 ½ hrs

 

Serves: 8

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil/vegetable oil
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 carrot about 100g , chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 500g pack of minced beef meat
  • 500g pack of minced pork meat (optional)
  • 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
  • Tomato paste
  • 2 beef stock cubes crushed
  • About 400g dried pasta sheets
  • 50g cheese, finely grated
  • Salt
  • Ground black pepper

For the white sauce

  • 1½ l milk
  • 1 onion thickly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 100g butter
  • 100g plain flour

lasagne 2

Method

First make the white sauce. Put the milk, onion and garlic cloves into a large saucepan and boil gently, on a medium heat; add some salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and set aside for 1 hr for the flavours to infuse.

Heat oil in a large pan; add the onion, carrot and garlic.  Gently cook together until the vegetables are soft. Tip in all the minced meat and using a wooden spoon, stir together and break up the lumps of mince against the sides of the pan. Cook the mince until it is brown and cooked through.  Now add your tomatoes, salt and pepper (to taste), and stir.  Then add your stock cubes, mix well and allow it to simmer.  Cover and cook for a further 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add about 2 tbsps of tomato paste and stir well.  Cook until the mince is tender and the sauce is thick. Taste and season further if need be. If the sauce is too thick, add more water, likewise if it is too thin, keep it cooking until it thickens.

Now finish the white sauce.  Pour the milk into a jug. Melt the butter in the same pan, using a wooden spoon, mix in the flour and cook for 2 mins. Stir in the milk, a little at a time. Initially the mix will thicken to a doughy paste, but keep going, adding milk gradually to avoid lumps, and continuously stirring. When all the milk is in, bring to a gentle simmer, and keep stirring.  Allow it to thicken and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oven to 180 °C. Spread a spoonful of the mince meat sauce over the base of a large casserole dish.  Cover with a single layer of pasta sheets, and then add bit of the white sauce. Add another layer of the meat sauce and scatter a little cheese on top. Repeat the layers as follows; pasta, white sauce, meat and cheese until everything is used. Add a final layer of pasta and the last of the white sauce and cheese.  Place the dish in the oven and bake for 1 hr until it’s bubbling, browned and crisp on top.

Serving

Cut a large slice of the lasagne and serve with a fresh light salad and a cool beverage.  Enjoy!

Kanta Temba is a cake maker and decorator. She is also the owner and founder of Kanta Kakes – cake shop.

You can find her work on www.kantakakes.comFollow her on twitter @KantaKakes and Instagram @KantaTemba.

Baking with Kanta - IMG

 

 

 

 

7 COMMENTS

    • @Stella
      Stop patronising Kanta. She is a very intelligent girl who needs guidance in how to place herself. Helpful comments that will point her to a balanced column. As it is, it’s usually men with tongues dragging across her column giving her sexist comments who normally mock her. Yuck, what modern indecent woman wants that? Self worth, means she has to lead with her talent. Zambians must eat locally sourced foods if we are talking about value additions.

  1. What’s the purpose of this page? Is it to introduce Western food to Zambians or to inform us on your tastes? Who are you publishing to?

    Most of your recipes seem to come out of an Asda store recipes ideas book you get for free at the store. It’s hardly challenging stuff. Also you could try to adapt your recipes to Zambian products…i.e your walnut loaf could also work with locally sourced figs.

    As I have a Diploma in Digital Origination from a UK leading Arts University may I advise you on your personal heading. The two K’s are out of sync with the other words in the line. They can be larger but you need to alter the size better to make it Typographically pleasing. Or choose a different a Font. Adjust your picture sizes so they don’t drag down the page. I am still…

  2. I am still waiting for you to exhibit your artist talent and innovation in Zambian food because Zambia needs that input. This is a share waste of your learning. Also is your title correctly a Chef or Baker/ Confectionary person?

    • Also Western food is laden with multiple fats which they can eat because they have more facilities to exercise and diet advisers to show how to control fat.

      You have, oil, cheese, milk, then the fats from the meat as you have not specified Lean Mince meat. That’s a lot for a nation groaning with obesity.

  3. Patriot Abroad what is your problem ????? We love Kanta’s column . dont visit the page if you are not her target audience . some of us are learning new recipes .

    • Good for you @Gorgeous George, but posting comments is also for those who agree as for those that disagree. I have no problem, but it is worth to comment that the recipes do not support the claim of Food Technology craft. This is an insult to Zambians. You can get these from free Walmart/ASDA supermarket books.

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