Meat lasagne with creamy ricotta & rosemary

Heat the oil in a large casserole or saucepan over medium heat and sauté the garlic, onion and bacon for 4-5 minutes until soft and fragrant. Transfer bacon, onion and garlic to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.

Brown the beef and pork mince in the pan, working in batches. Return all the browned mince to the pan.

Add bacon, onion and garlic back to the pan along with the bayleaves, rosemary, oregano and wine. Let the wine reduce and evaporate then add the stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Season with sea salt and cracked pepper and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and saucy. Check seasoning then allow to cool a little.

For the ricotta sauce, melt the butter, and sauté the shallot over a low heat until soft but not coloured. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute until it has a sandy texture then add the hot milk, ½ cup at a time, stirring or whisking until smooth. When all the milk has been added, turn up heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes to thoroughly cook out the flour.

Remove from the heat and cool for 2 minutes then stir in the ricotta, nutmeg and parmesan and season with sea salt and cracked pepper.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and lightly spray or grease a large baking dish (32cm x 23cm or similar) with butter or oil.

Spoon one-third of the mince into the dish and spread to cover base, add the first layer of lasagne sheets, trimming to fit the dish, then spread over one-third of the ricotta sauce. Repeat these layers twice more, finishing with the sauce. Sprinkle with extra parmesan and rosemary sprigs.

Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes then remove foil and cook for a further 25-30 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Allow the lasagne to settle for about 15 minutes before cutting. Serve with a simple salad and crusty bread.