there's no taste like home

Hello. So we must apologise for the lengthly "study break" we recently took from our foodage exploits. It is indeed a sad reality that once in a while, students are compelled to spend a little time less living, and a little more time studying. Thankfully our first attempt at today's dish possibly turned out to be the most heart-warming of our creations yet. We borrowed the carb-free pasta recipe from the Real Meal Revolution and paired it with my mom's classic savoury mince recipe. The deliciously rich and creamy cheese sauce is another as-we-go throw-together, but certainly proved itself worthy of your - or at least our - time. 

We highly recommend checking out the official Real Meal Revolution YouTube video on how to make the perfect carb-free pasta, as some do struggle to get this mixture right. Like most things in fooding, if you follow the given steps faithfully - assuming that the source has no wicked intent to ensure your failure - your pasta should turn out just right.  

This lasagne tastes just like home, and is completely satisfying in its meaty heartiness and cheesy magnificence. It takes a while to create, but is certainly worth the effort and the wait.

Beef Lasagna 

not like yo' mama made it

[serves 6] 

4 eggs

1/2 cup psyllium husks

125g cream cheese

4 tablespoons coconut flour

450g quality beef mince

1 carrot, grated

1 onion, diced

1/2 large celery stick 

2 teaspoons crushed garlic

1 can chopped tomato

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 sachet liquid beef stock

1/2 teaspoon oreganum

3 tablespoons butter 

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup fresh cream

2 teaspoons arrowroot powder

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup grated cheddar cheese as a topping

mix the eggs, psyllium husks and cream cheese in the food processor until completely combined

allow the mixture to stand for 10 minutes

roll the pasta mixture in a ball and place it on a clean work surface that has been dusted in coconut flour

using a rolling pin - or any other strong cylindrical object - roll the pasta out until it is as thin as normal pasta 

slice the pasta into desired sized strips - this is completely up to you, we sliced ours into rectangles about 5cm x 25cm

leave the pasta be until the other components are complete

fry the onion and garlic together in the butter until golden brown

add the grated carrot and chopped celery and fry for a further 5 minutes

add the mince and fry until browned

mix in the beef stock, tomato paste, tinned tomatoes and origanum and simmer for 5 minutes 

take the mince off the heat and set aside

melt the butter in a hot pan 

combine the arrowroot - already dissolved in 20ml of water - and the butter in the pan 

add the fresh cream to the pan, whisking the mixture until it is smooth and heated through

add the cheese and continue whisking until completely combined

stir the mixture on a medium to low heat until it thickens to a desired consistency - adding more dissolved arrowroot if the sauce refuses to thicken

layer the lasagna in the following order: mince, pasta, cheese sauce, mince, pasta, mince, cheese sauce, grated cheddar

place the lasagne in the oven at 180 degrees celsius until the cheese has browned

remove from the oven and tuck in 

happy fooding!