Egyptian Lasagna

Instructions

To make the Tomato sauce:

1. Blend your chopped tomatoes with 100 ml of water, and chop your onions to a medium dice
2. Place a pot on the stove and add the butter to it over medium heat. Allow melting completely
3. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes until softened
4. Pour in the tomato sauce, then add salt, and pepper
5. Mix the sauce together then turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a light boil
6. Once it has boiled turn the heat to medium and allow the sauce to simmer for 40-45 minutes with the lid ajar

To make the Mincemeat:

1. In a nonstick pan, melt your butter over medium-high heat
2. Add in 400g of minced beef, and press it down into the pan so it's well spread out
3. Once you've spread it to about 1 cm thick, start flipping the meat over before it develops a sear
4. Once flipped over, smash it into smaller pieces using a spatula
5. Allow the meat to cook until it releases loads of liquid, then add 1 onion chopped to a small dice
6. Follow that up with the salt, black pepper, and the nutmeg
7. Mix well and cook until the onions have softened and wilted

To make the bechamel:

1. Add part of your milk to a cold pot, then add 2 bay leaves and heat over low heat (infusing is optional)
2. Bring the bilk to a light boil, then let it simmer for about 20 minutes
3. Turn the heat off and move your milk to the fridge and allow it to cool down completely
4. When ready, add the butter to a large pot over medium heat and allow it to melt
5. Once melted, add In the flour, and mix it very thoroughly
6. Cook the flour for about 4-5 minutes, until the butter begins to seep out of the flour
7. Turn the heat to low, and begin adding the milk about 100-200ml at a time. It has to be cold
8. Mix all of the milk into the flour until absorbed, then repeat adding a small amount until all of the milk is well incorporated
9. After 4-5 minutes of mixing, your bechamel should be perfectly smooth
10. Add the salt and white pepper, then the freshly grated nutmeg
11. Turn the heat to medium and let it bubble for a minute before turning off the heat

To assemble:

1. Boil a pot of water, and add in the beef stock cube, once dissolved add your pasta.
2. Cook for about 2 minutes less than the time on the packet, then drain
3. Remove half of the bechamel from the pot and set it aside. Mix the rest of the bechamel with the pasta
4. In a separate bowl, combine the meat with 1 cup of tomato sauce, and mix well.
5. In a deep baking dish, add half of your pasta, and flatten it into a single layer that covers the base of the dish. Make sure to flatten the pasta so it isn't upright
6. Next, add your meat in a layer on top of the pasta and flatten it out
7. Add the rest of your pasta into another flat layer
8. Now add a cup of tomato sauce, spreading it from edge to edge
9. Finally, add the remaining bechamel on top. This should seal the tomato sauce and pasta in and should go from edge to edge
10. Beat together with an egg, then brush it all over the bechamel
11. Cook in an oven preheated to 180c for about 45 minutes, and turn on the grill for the last 5
    
12. Let it cool for half an hour, then dig into the amazing pasta