Venison Mince Lasagne
- 1 kg venison mince
- 1.5 brown onion
- 1 large carrot
- 2 sticks celery
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp tomato puree
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 bay leaf
- 100 grams plain flour
- 800 grams tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 litre venison stock
- 400 grams fresh or dried pasta sheets
- oil
- 500 ml milk
- 50 grams butter
- 2 cloves
- 25 grams grated parmesan cheese
- 50 grams grated mature cheddar cheese
- For the cheese sauce.
- Add half an onion, the cloves and 1 bay leaf to a saucepan with the milk.
- Bring to the boil and then turn the heat off and keep warm.Melt the butter in a pan, add 50g of flour and mix to form a roux.
- Cook for no more than 2 minutes, then take off the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Remove the onion, bay leaf and cloves from the milk.
- Stir a third of the milk into the roux, mixing continuously until smooth.
- Then add another third of the milk, again stirring until smooth.
- Finally, pour in the remaining milk and turn the heat down.
- Allow to cook for 30 minutes, then add half the cheddar cheese and all the parmesan. Continue stirring well until all the cheese melts, and allow to cool.
- Bring the stock to the boil and then reduce heat to keep warm.
- Heat a little oil in a large saucepan and add half the venison mince.
- Fry off until cooked then remove from the pan.
- Repeat the process with the second half of the mince, then remove the meat and keep to one side.
- Finely chop the carrot, the celery sticks, one onion and the garlic.
- Add the onion and the garlic to the pan that the meat was fried in and sweat off in a little oil.
- Then, after about 5 minutes, add the carrot and the celery.
- Once the veg softens, add the meat and stir well before adding the tomato puree and the herbs.
- Cook for 4 minutes, then add 50g of flour and stir well.
- Then add the tinned tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Finally pour in the hot stock and bring everything to the boil.
- Cook on a gentle heat for at least 90 minutes.
- If the sauce reduces too quickly and becomes too thick then add a little more stock. Correct the seasoning and allow to cool before using.
- Once the meat and cheese sauces have cooled down, spoon a little of the cheese sauce over the bottom of a deep, oven proof dish.
- Place the pasta sheets on top.
- Add enough meat sauce to coat the pasta well, cover with a second layer of pasta and then the cheese sauce.
- Continue layering until you have about 1cm below the lip of the dish.
- Finish with a layer of the cheese sauce and sprinkle the remaining cheddar on top.
- Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees centigrade and place the lasagne onto a baking tray to catch any overflow.
- Cook for 1 hour, checking that the centre is well cooked and piping hot.
