Cote Hill Blue Lasagne

This recipe is based on a basic lasagne recipe, but with added delight of Cote Hill Blue adding a wonderful depth of flavour. This is especially useful if there a chunk of blue you’ve forgotten in back of the fridge! Do add more blue to the sauce if you like a bit more punch.

Ingredients

Bolognese

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 900g/2lb beef mince
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 4 sticks celery, diced (optional)
• 2 garliccloves, crushed
• 150ml/¼ pint beef stock
• 1tsp caster sugar
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

For the white sauce

• 50g/2oz butter
• 50g/2oz plain flour
• 750ml/1¼ pints hot milk
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 200g/8oz Cote Hill Blue, diced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the lasagne

• Lasagne sheets
• 75g/3oz mature cheddar grated (Lincolnshire Poacher is a cracking choice)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to160C/325F/Gas 3.
2. For the ragu, Cook the the onion, celery (if using) and garlic in a large pan with the oil until softened. Add the meat stirring until evenly browned. Add the tomato purée and oregano, then stir well.
3. Stir in the canned tomatoes. Bring to the boil again, cover and simmer in the oven for 1-½ hours, or until the beef is tender, and sauce is thickened.
4. For the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook over the heat for one minute. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, whisking until thickened. Add the Dijon mustard and diced Cote Hill Blue season, and taste add more blue if you like.
5. To make the lasagne, put one third of the meat sauce in the base of a 2.3 litre/4 pint shallow ovenproof dish. Arrange a past layer on top. Spoon one third of the white sauce on top. Arrange another layer of lasagne sheets on top. Repeat twice more so you finish with a layer of white sauce on top. Sprinkle over the cheddar cheese.
6. Leave for six hours before cooking so that the pasta can start to soften.
7. Preheat the oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
8. Cook in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes- or until golden brown on top, bubbling around the edges and the pasta is soft.
9. Serve with salad and crusty bread