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Ingredients
- For the slow-braised beef:
- 500g beef short rib
- 2tbs olive oil
- 1 stalk of celery, finely doced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 carrots, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 400g tin tomatoes, crushed
- 260g beef stock
- 1tsp dried oregano
- 1tsp dried basil
- For the pumpkin slices:
- 600g pumpkin, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
- Olive oil
- For the bechamel:
- 3tbs butter
- 1tbs flour
- 500ml milk
- 100g Parmesan
- Pinch of nutmeg
- To assemble:
- 300g grated mozzarella cheese
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Sauté until they are soft and fragrant. Add the beef cubes and brown them on all sides. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, dried oregano and dried basil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and let the beef simmer for about three hours, or until it is tender and the sauce has thickened. Stir occasionally.
- For the pumpkin slices: while the beef is simmering, preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Slice the peeled pumpkin into thin rounds. Arrange the pumpkin slices on a baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil over them and roast them in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until they are tender. Set them aside.
- For the bechamel sauce: in a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk continuously for a couple of minutes until it turns a pale golden colour. Gradually pour in the milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Continue to cook and whisk until the sauce thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- To assemble: preheat your oven to 180 degrees. In a baking dish, start by layering a small amount of the beef sauce on the bottom. Add a layer of roasted pumpkin slices. Add a layer of bechamel sauce. Repeat these layers until all ingredients are used up, finishing with a layer of bechamel sauce on top. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella cheese over the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the lasagne is bubbling. Allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving.
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