Veal Lasagne

I planned this as a lighter, summery alternative to the rich, meaty lasagne I usually make. I love lasagne but it can be a bit heavy when it’s warm, standing in the kitchen for hours making a ragu and then turning the oven on to bake the lasagne is not something I really want to do when it’s hot either. So I thought I’d use veal because it’s lighter than beef, white wine instead of red, lots of fresh, fragrant herbs and vegetable stock instead of beef.

Of course, when it actually came to the cooking, the skies darkened and the rain fell in one of the biggest downpours I’ve seen for a long time. Suddenly, the comforting beef lasagne full of red wine and cheese was very appealing and my lightweight version seemed like a stupid idea. Rather than turn the ragu into lasagne, I put it into the freezer and ate cheese on toast with a blanket wrapped around me.

Until tonight which, admittedly, hasn’t been the warmest or sunniest of days but it felt more like a veal lasagne day and, well, I’ll be honest, there wasn’t anything else in the freezer. It was just right though, the ragu was lighter and more fragrant than the beef version and the white sauce and cheese topping provided just the right amount of comfort for a slightly dreary August day. I’m looking forward to making a winter version of this, just not too soon I hope.

Veal Lasagne
Serves Four

300g diced veal (I got this from Waitrose, it didn’t specify which cut)
300g minced veal
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sticks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
Large handful chopped herbs (I used parsley, oregano, majoram and thyme)
2 bay leaves
1 large glass white wine
1 tablespoon tomato puree
Salt and pepper
Scraping of nutmeg
1 large tin chopped tomatoes
1 litre vegetable stock
3/4 pint milk
1 tablespoon worcester sauce

Brown the meat in batches and then remove to a plate. In the same pan, soften the onions, garlic, celery and carrot with the herbs and the bay leaves. Return the meat to the pan and deglaze with the wine.

Add the tomato puree and allow it to caramelise slightly. Season, grate in the nutmeg and then add all the remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for around two hours or until the meat is tender.

I made this ahead of time and then froze the ragu. To make into lasagne, make a white sauce and then layer up with the pasta and ragu so that you have plenty of white sauce for the top. Sprinkle with grated cheese, cook on 180 degrees for 45 minutes and then rest for 15 minutes before serving.