Lasagna Alla Vodka
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Serves: 8
For sauce:
- 1kg/2.2lbs ground pork and veal/beef mince
- 3 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 3 onions, peeled and finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced
- 3x400ml/14oz jars diced tomatoes
- 250ml/8.8flozs. vodka
- 250ml/8.8flozs. cream
- 350g/12.3ozs. lasagne sheets*
- 1 cup/100g/3.5ozs grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup/50g/1.7ozs. grated parmesan cheese
Bechamel Sauce
- 100g/3.5ozs. butter
- 100g/3.5ozs flour
- 4 cups/1litre/34flozs. milk, heated
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
I realise that lasagne sheets in Australia usually come in 250g boxes and that 350g is an irritating amount because you need to buy two boxes but I just love that extra layer of pasta. You can of course just use a 250g box and have less layers.
Step 1 - First make the meat vodka sauce (you can do this 1-2 days ahead of time and just keep it in the fridge). Mix the fennel seeds, salt, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne, coriander seeds and black pepper with the mince and distribute well.
Step 2 - Heat the oil in a large cast iron pot and fry the onions until soft. Add the garlic and fry for a minute and then add the mince breaking it up. Cook the mince halfway and then add the jars of tomato and vodka. Simmer for 30 minutes. The alcohol should disappear leaving behind a lovely peppery flavour. Add the cream at the end and stir and cook for 5 minutes.
Step 3 - Make the bechamel sauce: Add the butter to a small saucepan and melt. Add the flour and cook the flour in the butter for a minute. Add the milk gradually and stir until smooth. Add salt and nutmeg. OR place it in the Thermomix and cook for 10 minutes at 90C at speed 4. Soak the lasagna sheets in water for 5 minutes.
Step 4 - Oil a large baking or lasagna tray (mine was 33x24cms/13.2x9.6inches) and spread out one layer of pasta sauce, then pasta, bechamel and keep layering with each component. I like to finish on a layer of pasta then bechamel which melds together with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese well (and there's less of a chance of the topping sliding off).
Step 5 - Bake at 180C/350F for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden.