Food and fellowship pt.2 (Beef Lasagne, Salad & garlic bread recipes)

On a day full of spontaneity out in Harajuku with a gorgeous Australian dancer And two dancing boys from LA what better way to finish it off than to meet at my friend the Rugby players apartment for some fellowship and death by food.
The boys talk boy in the lounge and the Aussie dancer and I hit the chaos in the kitchen.
(I get these compulsions during the day where I have an idea of things I want to cook and today was no exception)

BEEF LASAGNE:
SCRIPT:
For the Meat Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, peeled and grated
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 pinches dried oregano
300g minced beef
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons red wine
1 (400g) tin chopped tomatoes
50ml milk
sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
 For the Cheese Sauce:
50g butter
50g plain flour
600ml milk
1 pinch ground nutmeg (or mustard)
120g Cheddar cheese, grated
 40g Parmesan cheese, grated
6 fresh lasagne sheets (approximately)
METHOD:
Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 40 mins Preheat oven to 230 C / Gas 8.
To make the meat sauce: Heat the oil in a hot pan and fry the onion, carrot and garlic together. Season with the bay leaf, 1 pinch oregano, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Allow the onion to soften before making a well in the centre of the pan.
Place minced beef in the middle of the pan and stir to break it up. Add the tomato puree and allow it to cook for 30 seconds. Cook until all the meat has browned.
Add wine and cook off alcohol before adding the tomatoes. Leave to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Finally add the milk, turn off the heat and set aside.
To make the cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add flour to make a paste. When bubbling and grainy, add 1/3 milk, whisking to prevent lumps. Add remaining milk, a little at a time, whisking as you go. Season with salt and pepper and 1 pinch ground nutmeg.(mustard)
Allow sauce to cook for 1 minute before adding the Cheddar. Stir and remove from the heat.
Spoon 1/2 the meat sauce into a large baking dish and place lasagne sheets on top.
Pour 1/2 the cheese sauce and spread out evenly over the pasta sheets before spooning the remaining meat on top. Add the final layer of pasta and pour the remaining cheese sauce on top.
Finish with the grated Parmesan and sprinkle with 1 pinch dried oregano. Add a light seasoning of salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

We accompany the Lasagne with the very multi talented Aussie dancers salad creation.

SALAD
SCRIPT:
1 avocado chopped up small
1 green lettuce broken with your hands
2 bunches fresh baby spinach leaves torn off
1 lime squeezed as dressing through salad
Handful cherry tomatoes whole in salad
1 red pepper chopped through salad

My mum makes this garlic bread that I think is really yum and I always think of Lasagne with Salad and garlic bread so we had a French stick cut in two and sliced diagonally

GARLIC BREAD
SCRIPT:
Depending on how much you want to make.  Melt 50g butter and add 3 cloves of crushed garlic with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some chopped fresh parsley.  Spread on French loaf, wrap in tin foil and place in the oven for 10 minutes or longer if needed. Open the tinfoil at the top and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes to crisp up the top.

and since there are now 3 boys and 3 girls and dessert is my thing.  We get the dessert under way before we all sit down to eat...