Lasagna

You need

• 500 g minced beef
• 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 jar (700 g) passata or crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 9 dried lasagna sheets (the no-boil kind is easiest)
• 500 ml milk, 40 g butter, 40 g flour (white sauce)
• 200 g grated mozzarella and a handful of parmesan
• salt, pepper, dried oregano

Do this

1. Heat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Fry the onion in a little oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the beef. Break it up and cook until no pink is left.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, passata and oregano. Simmer 20 minutes. Season.
4. White sauce: melt the butter, stir in the flour for 1 minute, then add the milk a splash at a time, stirring, until it coats a spoon.
5. Layer in a dish: meat, sheets, white sauce, repeat. Finish with white sauce, mozzarella and parmesan.
6. Bake 35 40 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Note to self: Resting is a code freeze: do not skip it. It slumps into soup if you cut it straight away. Sauce a bit too runny? The sheets drink it, so it is fine.