I have often flirted with the idea of making some kind of cookbook which is a compendium of all the best recipes of my friends. It is easy, I think, to cook like yourself, but very difficult to cook like someone else. Generally when I follow recipes, I bastardise them and make them my own, so they resemble but never accurately represent the original. Having a record to follow – written by them not me – would be quite a nice way of avoiding making it too much like my version and not enough like theirs.
The first time you have someone else’s food, made the way they make it not the way you make it, it is often a humbling moment. The first time I had pesto lasagne was at an (Italian) friend’s house, when her (Italian) mum made us a spectacularly good homemade dinner. It’s deceptively simple, yet utterly maddening, to replicate. It was sometimes too oily, or dry, or wet, or lacking in flavour. I’ve tried (and failed) to cook it like her, so now I settled for just cooking it like me.
My version isn’t as delicate or delightful, but it does introduce heaps of extra veggies and a pleasing ability to tune up or down the unhealthiness, depending on how self-righteous you’re feeling that night.
It’s also one of the few crowd-pleasing vegetarian dishes I know how to make, and, having served this on short notice to two vegetarian friends, they decided to ask me to write the recipe for them to add to their cookbook of friends’ recipes. Having stolen my cookbook idea and added my recipe to it, I did enjoy a small chuckle when they reported that the version they made wasn’t as good as mine.
Alex’s Green Lasagne
Shopping List
Must Haves
- Dried and uncooked lasagne sheets
- 400g of green vegetables (like kale, spinach, broccoli or even frozen peas). I tend to use half kale, half spinach, but whatever you have is good.
- One large courgette or two small ones
- Two small jars of pesto
Optional
The optional part here is really about how (un)healthy you make it. More fat and salt makes it taste better, but isn’t necessary. If making for myself I sometimes skip the bechamel and delight in my self-righteousness.
- grated parmesan
- mozzarella
- 200ml milk, 2 tablespoons flour, 3 tablespoons butter (for bechamel)
- ricotta
HOW TO MAKE
1. Blanch the leafy green vegetables in boiling salted water for a couple of minutes to soften. Wash in cold water immediately and drain.
2. Cut your courgette into very fine rounds. If your brave, use a mandolin.
3. If including, make a simple bechamel by melting the butter, cooking the flour in the melted butter for a couple of minutes, then slowly add the milk until you have thick-ish sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a little cheese to this if desired.
4. Blend the cooled vegetables with the pesto (and, if using, the ricotta) to make a smooth, bright green sauce. Pour into a bowl and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Start layering up the lasagne in a baking dish. You don’t need to cook the lasagne first as long as you get the sauce ratio right. Too much, it’s sloppy and too little and the pasta doesn’t cook. I like to create a lot of layers so there is bite and structure in the final dish. I also like to:
a. include a large ladel or two of the green sauce in each layer;
b. season each layer with a little black pepper and (for courgette layers) a little salt;
c. use thinly sliced courgettes for two separate layers near the bottom, which tends to use up all the courgettes;
d. sprinkle some grated parmesan every few layers;
e. include one layer of bechamel (if using) in the middle and one on top;
f. use only a sparing amount of green sauce on each layer so the finished lasagne isn’t too sloppy;
g. finish the top with grated mozzarella, parmesan and bechamel (if using).
6. Cook covered with foil on 180 Celsius for 45 minutes. Then uncover and cook on 200 Celsius for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbling. Test with a knife to ensure the pasta is cooked before leaving to cool.
7. IMHO, best to leave it to rest uncovered for 30 minutes or so before eating to allow it to cool down and set a little.