My Sister's Signature Lasagne!

Can you imagine how much we've been craving for this signature dish of my sister's since we last had it more than 1.5 years ago? She last did it while I was having my confinement so I didn't manage to savour it then T.T She finally relented & promised to cook it for us after CNY. Upon witnessing the entire process, I finally realised why she has been putting it off for so long. It is indeed a long & tedious one. From the preparation of the meat & cream sauces, to the 'construction' & finally the baking, it takes almost 3 hours. Here's the recipe if u're up for the challenge ^.*

Ingredients for meat sauce:

100g of minced pork collar

1 tsp of minced garlic

3 medium tomatoes, mashed (I only used one but it turned out a tad too dry as no tomato purée was used for BB's portion)

1 tbsp of diced capsicum

2 tbsps of diced celery

2 tbsps of diced yellow onion

4 tbsps of shredded carrot

10 to 12 basil leaves

1 sprig of rosemary

1 piece of bay leaf

1/8 tsp of McCormick Italian seasoning (optional or you can add a dash in if you've any of the following dried herbs: marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savoury, sage, oregano & basil)

2 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

100ml of water (can substitute with 1 can of tomato purée if it's for adults as shown in the bottom picture below)

Directions:

1. Stir fry garlic, onion & celery in EVOO for 5 minutes. Add in remaining ingredients & simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes (1 hour for adults' version) till all are softened.

Ingredients for white cream sauce:

3/4 cup of milk

1 small piece of bay leaf

3/4 cinnamon stick

1 clove

3 black peppers

15g unsalted butter

2 tbsps of plain flour

1/4 cup of cheddar cheese

A dash of freshly grounded pepper

Directions:

1. Bring milk to boil then remove from fire. Put bay leaf, cinnamon stick, clove & black pepper in a coffee bag then add into the milk to infuse (optional if you're cooking just a single BB portion).

2. Melt butter over a small fire then sieve in the flour & whisk well.

3. Next, remove the pan from fire. Add in 1/4 cup of milk each time & whisk till smooth. 

4. Put pan over fire again & bring to boil.

5. Lastly, turn off the fire, add in the cheddar cheese & pepper then mix well.

Additional ingredients for construction:

5 lasagne sheets

1 tsp of EVOO

1 tbsp of Parmesan cheese

2 tbsps of cheddar

2 tbsps of mozzarella

2 tbsps of thickened cream

Directions:

1. Oil the bottom & sides of the aluminium tray then line it with half the lasagne sheets, ensuring some space between them as they'll expand during baking.

2. Top with half the meat sauce & some dollops of white cream sauce sparingly.

3. Add another layer of lasagne sheets & meat sauce.

4. Drizzle evenly with thickened cream followed by topping generously with cheddar, mozzarella & Parmesan cheeses.

5. Cover tightly with a piece of aluminium foil then bake for about 35 minutes.

6. Remove the aluminium foil to check that the lasagne sheets have softened & are cooked. Put it back into the oven for another 5 minutes or till the cheese has browned nicely.

This is heavenly <3 I'll definitely do it again but it's especially worth the effort if you are serving up a bigger portion. For a portion that would serve 2 adults & 1 toddler, please multiply all the ingredients by four. Bon appetit!

Beneficial Combinations:

Celery + Tomato = Strengthen stomach & helps digestion as well as lower blood pressure & lipids

Garlic + Onion = Detoxification & anti-cancer effects

Garlic + Pork = Eliminate fatigue, improve attention & help enhance immunity

Pepper + Pork = Favourable for digestion & absorption of nutrients

Pork + Tomato = For healthier stomach & digestion as well as invigorate spleen & replenish qi

Harmful Combinations:

Carrot + Onion = Easily lead to goiter (enlargement of thyroid)