Vegetarian lasagne
This is wonderful dish which will fully justify the effort involved.
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
- 550 g (1 1/2 lb) fresh pasta verde dough or 1 lb (450 g) dried green lasagne
- Olive oil
- 1,5 kg (3 lb) spinach
- 1 egg lightly beaten (for the spinach)
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 150 g (5 oz) freshly grated Parmesan
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 large aubergines
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten (for coating the vegetables)
- 100 g (4 oz) white flour
- 2 large courgettes
- 300 g (11 oz) fresh oyster mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp parsley
- Double quantity tomato sauce
- 300 g (11 oz) fontina or Taleggio cheese
- 7 eggs, lightly beaten (for assembling the lasagne)
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. To make the lasagne, roll out the pasta dough (if using fresh) on a lightly floured surface to make a single sheet 3 mm (less than 1/4 in) thick. Cut into rectangles about 10×20 cm (4×8 in) in size. Cook the fresh or dried pasta, adding the pieces one by one to boiling water to which you have added salt and 1 tablespoon oil. Allow 5 minutes cooking time for fresh pasta, 8-10 minutes for dried. Carefully remove the pasta and pat dry on clean tea towels. To make the spinach balls, cook the spinach in water until tender, drain and chop. Mix the spinach with 1 tablespoon beaten egg, the breadcrumbs and 25 g (1 oz) of the Parmesan. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands, shape the spinach mixture into walnut sized balls. Heat enough oil to deep fry the spinach balls, until lightly browned on all sides. To prepare the aubergines, slice them lengthways into 5 mm (1/4 in) slices, then put half of the 2 beaten eggs in a dish. Dip the aubergine into the flour, then the eggs. Heat enough oil to deep fry the aubergine, until golden. Remove the aubergines from the heat and prepare the courgettes in the same way, dipping them into flour and beaten egg, then deep frying. To prepare the mushrooms, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a frying pan, add the mushrooms slices and fry briefly. Chop and stir in the garlic and parsley, with salt and pepper to taste. To assemble, put 3-4 tablespoon of tomato sauce in a baking dish. Cover with a layer of pasta, then add a layer each of the mushrooms, courgettes, aubergine and spinach balls. Add some chunks of the fontina or Taleggio cheese. Now add 3-4 tablespoons tomato sauce, 3-4 tablespoons of the 7 beaten eggs, and a sprinkle of the remaining Parmesan. Starting with another layer of pasta, repeat the layers until the ingredients are all used, finishing with a layer of vegetables and cheeses. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes and serve.
