Lasagne

To make the meat sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan, then add the beef and cook for 5 minutes, stirring now and again, until there is no pink meat left. Add the onion and carrot to the pan and soften for 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, bay leaf and oregano and cook for 2 minutes until the garlic is aromatic. Turn up the heat a little, then add the tomatoes, tomato purée, red wine, and season. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 30-35 minutes until tender, or 45 minutes if you have more time. If you do cook it a little longer, check that the pan isn’t too dry and add a splash of water if needed.

Meanwhile, make the white sauce. Put all but 3 tbsp of the milk in a pan. Add the bay leaf, nutmeg and onion, season, bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to stand for 15 minutes.

Lift the bay leaf and onion from the pan. In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with the remaining 3 tbsp milk. Whisk into the infused milk and bring to the boil, whisking continuously for 2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 190°C, gas mark 5. Take the meat sauce from the heat and check the seasoning. Cover the bottom of a medium-sized ovenproof serving dish or deep baking tin with a thin layer of the beef, followed by a little of the white sauce and a single layer of lasagne sheets. Add another layer of meat, white sauce and pasta, then another layer of meat. This time, top with pasta, and then cover with the remaining white sauce. The number of pasta sheets you use will depend on the size of the dish.

Sprinkle with the grated parmesan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the pasta is tender in the middle, and the top is bubbling and golden on top. Serve immediately with a salad or green vegetables.