Spicendipity: Recipes for Irish Artisan Spice Mixes, Sauces and Baking Mixes

Lasagna is one of the most popular ready meals out there. Lasagna kits are extremely popular. Although the red sauce is not too bad when bought in a jar, the white sauce is full of chemicals and junk. This home-made version will be in the oven before you’ve been to the shop and back to pick up the ready-made variety. I guarantee it will taste better too. For the super-quick version, leave out the carrots and celery, as the chopping takes some time, nor are they absolutely necessary for flavour. I add them more to get some hidden vegetables into the children than for the sake of taste, but don’t skimp on the onion.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef (or 1/2 pound each beef and pork)
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 carrots diced or shredded (optional)
• 2 stalks of celery, finely diced (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, finely diced
• 1 can tomatoes
• 1/2 large jar passata
• 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
• Dash of red wine (optional)
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2 cups / 16 fl. oz milk
• 2 large handfuls grated parmesan cheese
• grating nutmeg (optional)
• 3-4 balls mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 box lasagna noodles

Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F.

Brown the beef with the onion and other vegetables, if using, in a large saucepan. Once cooked, drain fat and add in the tomatoes, red wine, garlic, seasoning and passata. Allow to simmer while you prepare the bechamel (white sauce.)

Melt the butter in a separate saucepan and slowly whisk in flour. Allow to cook for a minute or two, whisking the entire time. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. The sauce should begin to thicken towards boiling point. Once it begins to boil, remove from heat and whisk in the first handful of parmesan cheese and nutmeg, if using. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon a think layer of meat sauce into an square oven-proof dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles and drizzle with a thin layer of the bechamel sauce. Repeat until all the meat sauce is used up and top with a final layer of bechamel. Slice the balls of mozzarella and lay them on the top layer. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over top.

Bake for 30-45 minutes or until noodles are tender. Allow to sit a few minutes before serving. Serve with some crusty garlic bread.

Home made pizza is really a very simple meal. It is something that can be customised to anyone’s taste buds and as such is a real crowd pleaser. This particular dough recipe is really simple and very tasty. Don’t let a fear of working with yeast put you off. Pizza dough is extremely forgiving and will survive no matter what you do to it. The only issue you may have if the risings don’t go well, is a slightly longer cooking time.

Note on measurements: 1 cup is equal to eight fluid ounces.  It is NOT a weight measure, but a volume measure.  If you have a set of cup measures, be sure they are eight fluid ounces and not ten.  A pyrex jug or plastic measuring jug works fine for cup measurements too.  The only time the weight and fluid ounces match is with butter.  Eight ounces of butter just happens to be a cup of butter.

• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup warm water (hot, but comfortable to touch)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp yeast
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 1/4 cup olive oil (Use garlic infused for extra flavour)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Add the water and honey to the yeast and allow to sit for a few minutes until foamy. Add olive oil and salt. Add flour one cup at a time until combined. Knead for about ten minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic, using flour to dust as necessary. Allow to rise in a greased bowl covered with plastic wrap for about 45 minutes or until doubled. Punch down the dough and allow to rise an additional hour.

Divide the dough into three parts. You can freeze what you would like at this point. To use in the future, remove dough from bag whilst still frozen. Place in a greased bowl and allow to defrost and come to room temperature before rolling.
Roll and pull out the dough into a flat circle and prick with a fork. Rub it with a little more olive oil, which prevents the sauce from making it soggy. Sprinkle some cornmeal or semolina on a pizza stone and place the dough on to it.

Spread your sauce on the pizza. I just use a few tablespoons of passata mixed with about half a teaspoon of my Italian Seasoning or to taste.

Slice some buffalo mozzarella into thin slices and lay on top of the sauce. Don’t worry if there are spaces, as the cheese melts they fill in. Add whatever toppings you like.

Bake for ten to fifteen minutes at your ovens highest heat.