Pesto Lasagna

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 celery stick, finely chopped
500 g minced beef
1 glass of Italian dry red wine
700 ml passata
1 tablespoon tomato purée
12 fresh lasagne sheets (each about 10 x 15cm)
50 g cold salted butter, cut into 1cm cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
100 g salted butter
100 g plain flour
1 litre cold full-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
100 g freshly rated Parmesan cheese
40 g fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled
30 g pine nuts
120 ml extra virgin olive oil
20 g freshly rated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of salt to taste

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
To prepare the pesto, place the basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor. Pour in the oil and blitz for about ten seconds until smooth. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and fold in the cheese. Season with salt and set aside.
For the meat sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions, carrot and celery for five minutes on a medium heat. Add in the minced beef and continue to cook for a further five minutes stirring continuously until coloured all over. Season with salt and pepper and cook for a further five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the wine, stir well and cook for about three minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Add the passata and tomato purée, lower the heat and continue to cook for one hour, uncovered, until you get a beautiful rich sauce. Stir occasionally. After about 30 minutes, taste for seasoning.
To prepare the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute until it turns light brown in colour. Gradually whisk in the cold milk, reduce the heat and cook for ten minutes, whisking constantly. Once thickened, stir in half of the parmesan cheese, the nutmeg and the pesto. Season and set aside to slightly cool.
To assemble the lasagne, spread a quarter of the béchamel sauce over the bottom of a deep ovenproof dish measuring about 30 x 25cm and lay four lasagne sheets on top, trimming if necessary to fit the dish. Spread half the meat sauce over the lasagne then top with a third of the remaining béchamel sauce.
Lay four more sheets of lasagne on top and cover with the remaining meat sauce. Spread half the remaining béchamel sauce on top. Add a final layer of lasagne and gently spread the rest of the béchamel on top, completely covering all the lasagne sheets. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and scatter over the cubed butter. Grind some black pepper over the whole lasagne.
Cook on the bottom shelf of the oven for 30 minutes then place in the middle of the oven and increase the temperature to 200°C/390°F/gas mark 6. Cook for a further 15 minutes until golden and crispy all over.
Once ready, leave it to rest for five minutes. It will be easier to cut and serve as the layers will hold together.

Recipe from Redoneline

Video from youtube