Ingredients
15g dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 beef cheeks (approx. 1.6kg)
1 brown onion, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp tomato paste
½ cup red wine
2 x 400g can diced tomatoes
¾ cup beef stock
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme, plus extra, to serve
Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
375g fresh lasagne sheets, torn into thirds
RICOTTA SAUCE
500g firm ricotta
¼ cup thickened cream
½ cup finely grated parmesan
1 Tbsp thyme leaves
½ cup grated tasty cheese
Method
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Put mushrooms in a bowl. Pour over boiling water. Stand for 10 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid, then roughly chop.
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In a large frying pan, heat half of the oil on high. Cook beef for 5 minutes, turning, until browned. Transfer to a bowl.
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Heat remaining oil in same pan on medium heat. Cook onion, carrot, celery and garlic for 5 minutes until softened. Add paste. Cook for 1 minute. Add wine, stir to combine. Stir in reserved liquid, mushrooms, tomatoes, stock, bay leaves and thyme; return beef to pan. Season. Transfer mixture to a 5.5 litre pressure cooker. Set on high, cook for 45 minutes. Release pressure using quick release method. Remove bay leaves and thyme.
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Meanwhile, to make Ricotta sauce, combine ricotta, cream, parmesan and thyme in a bowl. Season. Refrigerate until needed.
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Shred beef. Add lasagne to ragu, stir. Cover with lid, stand for 5 minutes to cook through. Remove lid. Transfer ragu to a wide, 12-cup ovenproof dish. Spoon over ricotta sauce, sprinkle with tasty cheese. Place under hot grill for 5 minutes until cheese has melted. Top with thyme. Serve.