Article from the August 2015 issue of Food and Home Entertaining Magazine.
In Winter, It’s all about Layering! This wide, flat-shaped layered pasta is a classic comfort food worldwide. This month, we think out of the box and experiment with different ways to serve the Italian-origin dish.
Wild mushroom, truffle and kale open lasagne
An elegant way to serve a simple dish Serves 4 Easy 30 – 45 mins
The flavour combinations mushroom, Truffle and kale sauce
30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
200g mixed wild mushrooms, roughly sliced
200g button mushrooms, quartered
1 small bunch kale, roughly chopped into bite-size pieces and pre-blanched
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
60ml (1/4 cup) white wine salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
375ml (1.1/2 cups) fresh cream
small handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
5ml (1 tsp) black truffle oil, to taste
12 lasagne sheets
50g Parmesan, freshly grated, to top microherbs, to garnish
How to do it
1 For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and gently saute the chopped shallots. Add the wild and button mushrooms, increase the heat and continue to saute until they start to colour. Add the kale and heat through, 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and white wine and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste. Add the cream and allow to simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly. Remove from heat and set aside.
2 Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the lasagne sheets according to packet instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
3 Reheat the sauce and stir through the parsley and truffle oil. Taste and add more truffle oil, if desired.
4 To assemble, place one sheet of lasagne on a plate and top with a little mushroom and kale filling. Repeat this process again until you have 2 or 3 layers of pasta. Top with a little more sauce. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan and microherbs and serve immediately.
Slow-cooked three- meat ragout lasagne
Serves 4 Easy 1 hr + 5 hrs, to slow-cook
The flavour combinations
1 onion, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 celery stick, roughly chopped
15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
250g beef mince
250g lamb mince
250g pork shoulder mince (it is important to have a fatty piece of meat)
125ml (1/2 cup) white wine
500ml (2 cups) tomato puree
15ml (1 tbsp) milk
5ml (1 tsp) fish sauce salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste pinch nutmeg
500g conchiglione (large pasta shells), cooked according to packet instructions
Bechamel suce
40g butter
40g cake flour
500ml (2 cups) lukewarm milk salt and white pepper, to taste pinch nutmeg
grated Parmesan, to top (optional) microherbs, to garnish
How to do it
1 Preheat the oven to 130°C.
2 Place the onion, garlic, carrot and celery in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Alternatively, you can chop all of the vegetables by hand.
3 Heat the olive oil in a heavy-base casserole pot over medium heat and gently saute the vegetables and garlic together with the thyme and bay leaf until soft and lightly golden, a couple of minutes. Increase the heat and add all three minces. Saute for another couple of minutes until well browned and all of the moisture has evaporated. Add the wine and cook again until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the tomato puree, milk and fish sauce and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Place the lid on and cook in the preheated oven until the meat is soft and tender, at least 5 hours.
4 For the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat until it starts to foam. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a whisk, about 1 minute, allowing the raw flour flavour to cook out. Gradually add the warm milk, little by little, whisking continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Allow the sauce to thicken before adding any more milk. Once all of the milk has been added and the sauce has thickened, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
5 Preheat the oven to 190°C. To assemble the lasagne, toss the cooked pasta through the ragout until well coated and pour into a lasagne dish of your choice. Pour over the bechamel sauce and sprinkle with a grating of Parmesan cheese, if desired. Bake in the preheated oven until the bechamel sauce is bubbling and is a light golden brown, 30 minutes. Garnish with microherbs to serve.
Roasted Moroccan-spiced aubergine lasagne boats
Serves 4-6 Easy 1 hr 15 mins
The flavour combinations
4 medium-sized aubergines
olive oil, to fry
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2,5ml (1/2 tsp) ground coriander
2,5ml (1/2 tsp) ground cumin
2,5ml (1/2 tsp) ground turmeric
2,5ml (1/2 tsp) paprika
pinch ground cinnamon
500g lamb/beef mince
15ml (1 tbsp) tomato paste
15ml (1 tbsp) brown sugar
250ml (1 cup) tomato passata
125ml (1/2 cup) lamb/beef stock salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
375ml – 500ml (1.1/2 cups – 2 cups)
bechamel (see recipe above)
fresh basil/coriander, to garnish
How to do it
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2 Slice the aubergines in half lengthways and, using a spoon, remove all of the pulp, leaving behind boat-shaped aubergine shells. Finely chop up the pulp and set aside.
3 Heat a little oil in a heavy-base saucepan over medium heat and gently fry the onion, celery, carrot and garlic until soft, a couple of minutes. Add the aubergine pulp and continue to fry for a few more minutes. Add all of the spices and fry until their flavours have released, 3-4 minutes. Increase the heat slightly and add the mince, frying until well browned and dry. Stir through the tomato paste, sugar, tomato passata and stock and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4 Place the boat-shaped aubergines in a deep lasagne dish and fill with a couple of spoonfuls of mince. It’s okay if some of the mince falls off and in between the aubergines. Dollop the bechamel sauce on top and bake in the oven until the aubergines have softened and the bechamel is golden brown and bubbling, 35 – 40 minutes. Remove from oven and garnish with fresh basil leaves or coriander to serve.
My perfect last meal would be: shrimp cocktail, lasagne, steak, creamed spinach, salad with blue cheese dressing, onion rings, garlic bread and a dessert of strawberry shortcake. Joan Rivers
Mini lasagne ‘muffins’
These are a great way to use up leftover mince, or if you want to make a quick snack that’s ready in no time at all
Makes 12 Easy 1 hr
The flavour combinations
6 lasagne sheets
375ml – 500ml (11/2 cups – 2 cups)
Bolognese
250ml (1 cup) bechamel (see recipe above)
60g mature Cheddar, grated, to top microherbs, to garnish
How to do it
1 Preheat the oven to 190°C.
2 Cook the lasagne sheets in boiling water according to packet instructions until al dente. Remove from water and place under cold, running water to stop the cooking process. Cut the sheets in half widthways so you are left with 12 squares.
3 Lightly grease a muffin tray and line each well with a lasagne square. Place 15ml – 30ml (1 tbsp – 2 tbsp) Bolognese in each lasagne cup, followed by 15ml (1 tbsp) bechamel. Sprinkle with a little mature Cheddar and bake in the oven until the lasagne sheets are crisp and the ‘muffins’ are lightly golden in colour, 25 – 30 minutes.
4 Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before garnishing with microherbs and serving.
Deep-fried lasagne sheets with lime mascarpone
A perfect little after-dinner treat served with coffee
Serves 4-6 Easy 30 mins
The flavour combinations
8-10 lasagne sheets
vegetable oil, to deep-fry
125g mascarpone
zest of 1 lime + extra, to garnish icing sugar, to dust
How to do it
1 Cook the lasagne sheets in boiling water according to packet instructions until al dente. Remove from water and refresh.in ice-cold water. Drain the lasagne sheets well and pat dry with paper towel. Tear the sheets into long tagliatelle-like strips or small bite-size pieces.
2 Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or deep pot to 180°C and deep-fry the pasta strips until golden brown and crispy, about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
3 Place the mascarpone in a glass bowl and stir through the lime zest.
4 Pile the crispy lasagne pieces onto a serving platter and dust liberally with icing sugar and a little lime zest. Serve immediately with the lime mascarpone.
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