Lasagne with salsa verde

Place the carrot, onion, celery, and garlic into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the vegetables are finely grated. Place a large heavy bottomed casserole dish over medium high heat. Melt the butter in the olive oil and add in the blitzed vegetables, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and become translucent but haven’t coloured. Add in the pork sausages, beef mince, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt, and continue to cook the meat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the biber paste and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the red wine and cook for 10 minutes, followed by the passata and 500ml water. Using a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pot to release any dark, crispy bits. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes or until dark red and saucy. Turn off the heat and set aside.

For the béchamel, place the butter into a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and cook, whisking continuously for 30 seconds or until it smells like popcorn. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking to avoid any lumps. Once all the milk is incorporated and the sauce is smooth, add in ¼ teaspoon black pepper, grated nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon salt. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until slightly thickened but still somewhat runny, and no longer floury-tasting. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 160C. To assemble the lasagne, spread a large ladle of ragu on the base of a 22X31cm high sided ovenproof dish, then cover with a layer of pasta sheets (3-4 sheets). Spread ¼ of the remaining ragu over the pasta, followed by ¼ of the béchamel, followed by ¼ of the parmesan. Repeat the layers three more times, top with an even layer of mozzarella, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 40 minutes, rotating halfway through, until evenly browned on top. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.

While the lasagne is resting, make the salsa verde by combining all the ingredients. To serve, cut the lasagne into 8 (or 10) even pieces and serve alongside the salsa verde to drizzle over.