Food Revolution Lasagne

Although it was a great season of food revolution I was so disapointed it is over and wasn't on tonight. So I decided to get out my Jamie Oliver Food Rev cookbook. In the book he discusses his idea of 'pass it on'. The theory is that if you learn one recipe from each section of the book and then pass it on to 2-4 people and they each pass it on to 2-4 people before you know it there are loads of people who know how to cook good wholesome recipes. So for my first 'pass it on' recipe here is Jamie's Lasange.

Bolognese sauce:
2 slices of smoked bacon (preferably organic)
2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
Olive oil
2 tsp dried oregano
1 lb good quality ground beef, pork/ combination of the two
2- 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Small bunch of fresh basil

Lasagne:
4 oz parmesan cheese
2 1/2 c creme fraiche or 2 1/2 c thick sour cream
1 large ripe tomato

To make the bolognese sauce:
Finely slice the bacon. Peel and finely chop the onion, garlic, carrots and celery-don't worry about technique. Place a large casserole-type pan on medium to high heat. Add 2 lugs of olive oil, sliced bacon & the oregano and cook and stir until bacon is lightly golden. Add the veggies to the pan and stir ever 30 seconds for around 7 minutes or until softened and lightly colored. Stir in the ground meat and canned tomatoes. Fill one of the empty cans with water and add to the pan. Stir in a good pinch of salt & pepper. Pick the basil leaves and place in the fridge for later. Finely chop the basil stalks and stir into the pan. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer with lid askew for 1 hour, stirring every now and again. Take the lid off and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on the sauce and if you think its starting to dry out, add a splash of water.

To finish the sauce:
Preheat the oven to 375. Remove the bolognese sauce from the heat. Tear and stir any large basil leaves, keeping the smaller ones aside for later. Have a taste of the sauce, and season with a little more salt & pepper if you think it needs it. Boil some water in a kettle and pour into a large pan, then add your lasagne sheets with a drizzle of oil and blanch (slightly soften) for 3-4 minutes. Drain the sheets in a colander and carefully pat them dry with some paper towels to absorb any excess water. Finely grate the parmesan and stir most of it through the creme fraiche.

To make your lasagne:
Spoon a third of your bolognese sauce into the bottom of an earthenware ovenproof dish (approximately 9x13 inches). Follow with a layer of lasagne sheets and another third of your bolognese sauce then dollop over a third of your creme fraiche. Sprinkle with a good pinch of salt & pepper & top with another layer of lasagne sheets. Spoon over the rest of the bolognese sauce and another third of the creme fraiche. Finish with a layer of lasagne sheets & top with the remaining creme fraiche. Scatter over the remaining parmesan cheese. Top with some slices of tomato, scatter over the small basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 30 minutes. After that, remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes until the lasagne is fresh and golden. Serve on the table with a fresh green salad and let everyone help themselves.

I thought this dish came out super delicious, I hope you guys enjoy it too, and most importantly, be sure to 'pass it on' :).
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