4: The best lasagne we've ever made on our portuguese quinta in Central Portugal!!!

We take a break from cherry picking and chores to have lunch with family. Ingredients: Meat sauce: 500g each minced beef and minced pork 1 large onion 1 large carrot 1 stalk of celery 3 cloves of garlic 2 bay leaves 1 beef stock cube Oregano Thyme Tomato puree Can of peeled tomato in sauce 1 tsp paprika 1 tspblack pepper salt to taste 2 TBSP light brown sugar 1 cup red wine 1 cup water In a pre-heated pan, add the chopped onion, carrot and celery and saute for a few minutes. When softened, add the carlic,chopped or minced, and allow to become fragrant. Add the minced meat, and let brown. Add the paprika, salt and black pepper and mix through. Add tomato puree, thyme, oregano and bay leaves, mix through and let simmer for a few minutes. Add the can of tomatoes and the sauce. Add the beef stock cube,red wine and water. Add 2 TBSP light brown sugar and stir. Let simmer for an hour. Pasta dough: 200g flour 2 eggs Mix eggs into flour until combined. Knead for about 10 minutes on a floured surface until smooth. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove from refrigerator, and using pasta roller or rolling pin on a flored surface, roll into thin sheets. Bechamel sauce: 40g Butter 40g Flour 1 litre of milk garlic powder white pepper mustard powder (optional) 1 cup soft mild white cheese ½ cup cured cheese In a saucepan, add butter and flour, and cook on low heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Once flour is cooked (it should go a light brownish colour), add milk a little at a time, and whisk through. Once all the milk has been added, let cook on low heat, until sauce is warmed through. Add the garlic powder, white pepper and mustard powder (optional). Then add the 2 types of cheese, and stir until melted. Continue to cook until sauce thickens. To assemble, place a little of the meat sauce in the bottom of an ovenproof dish, then alternate layers of pasta dough, bechamel and meat, until all used up, you should have a layer of the bechamel as the top layer. Bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes at 180°C Let stand for around 30 minutes before serving for layers to settle and firm up a bit. Best enjoyed with garlic bread. Let us know if you try it, or if you have any tricks or tips for us to try.