" Melt In Your Mouth Lasagne "

Another mouthwatering recipe from my Italian mentor Pierra. I have tried different lasagne recipes and it's not really as nice as this one so to anyone who might want to give it a try, here it is...

Ingredients:

1 kg. premium beef
olive oil, 250 gms. butter ( lite if you prefer or even margarine )
750 gms. quality tomato sauce
( you can make your own & I think it's nicer )
minced garlic & onion
ground pepper, salt
1 c red wine
one saucepan of Beschamel sauce
Ham slices, cheese slices
Half cooked lasagne sheets
beef broth

How to:
1. In a casserole, melt butter then add olive oil. ( don't let butter burn ! )
2. Saute' garlic, onion but do not brown your garlic ok ? add beef straightaway.
3. Cook for 10 minutes then season with salt and plenty of pepper.
4. Pour in your red wine and turn fire on low, simmer for another 10 minutes.
5. Add the tomato sauce and continue to simmer until the sauce has reduced in half.
6. Once it thickened, set it aside.

*Beschamel Sauce:

1 ltr. of milk
butter
flour
nutmeg, salt, pepper
cheese


Lightly heat a small saucepan, melt 5 tbsp. of butter ( IMPT. >> do not let butter burn ! ), as soon as it melts add in 5 tbsp. of all purpose flour and mix vigorously until it forms into a ball...Now, pour in 1/2 c of milk first and whisk until free from lumps.
Add the rest of the milk. Simmer over medium fire while continously stirring to prevent it from burning the bottom, stir until it thickens. DO NOT LEAVE this sauce because it easily burns and yu don't want that burnt taste throughout the sauce.
Season with salt, nutmeg and pepper. You may add 1/2 c of grated cheese ( then it becomes cheese sauce ).

Assemble:

In a rectangular tray or pyrex dish, put a ladleful of meat sauce in the bottom plus 1/2 cup of beef broth. Arrange as follows: lasagne sheet, meat sauce, Beschamel sauce, ham slices, cheese slices and so on and so forth until you've filled the tray 3/4 full. Top layer should have a generous amount of Beschamel, two ladleful of meat sauce ( spread evenly ), and 1 c of grated cheese ( preferably Mozarella ).
Pour about 1/2 - 1 cup of beef broth on the sides, to help moisten the pasta during baking.
Cover with foil and bake 180 deg., until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Voila ! serve with fresh Ciabatta or french bageuttes and a nice glass of wine.