Tomato and basil lasagne

Method

1. Make the tomato sauce by coring, peeling and coarsely chopping the tomatoes. Remove their skins by putting them in as small a container as they’ll fit in (I often use a measuring jug), pouring boiling water over them and counting to 10 slowly.

2. Heat three tbsp of the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over a moderate heat. Add the onion and let it sweat for a few minutes until it is soft and translucent.

3. Add the garlic and stir around with the onion for a moment or two before adding the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, red wine, bay leaf and sprigs of thyme. Bring everything to a simmer and cook over a low heat for half an hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the thyme and bay leaf before beating the sauce to a slushy purée using a wooden spoon. Add the caster sugar and season with salt and pepper.

4. Preheat the oven to 190°C and use a 28cm x 20cm x 6cm baking dish. Cover the base of the dish with some tomato sauce, then add a layer of lasagne, cover that with tomato sauce, scatter over some Mozzarella and Parmesan and dot with a couple of torn basil leaves. Repeat these layers using the remaining ingredients. You should have four layers of pasta in all.

5. Finish with tomato sauce and cheese, omitting basil from the final top layer. Instead, drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the surface and cover with foil.

6. You can prepare the lasagne to this point in advance and chill it for up to 12 hours until you need it.

7. Bake the lasagne in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 25 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling. Serve straight away.
   This recipe is adapted from Living and Eating by Annie Bell and John Pawson