Lindell and Marcel's lasagne |
On the Jubilee long weekend we went out to the farm with Noel and Annie and the Waxmans for lunch, and boomerang-throwing in the paddock, and to see the maggot racing at the E. Ho. fete (though that didn't eventuate). Lindell and Marcel made a fantastic lasagne. Marcel proved to me that you can make a fine white sauce in the microwave too.
300 g | home-made pasta, rolled into sheets |
1 | onion |
| olive oil |
a couple | garlic cloves, peeled and crushed |
4+ tins | tomatoes |
pinch | salt |
pinch | sugar |
bunch | spinach |
2 cups | fresh ricotta (mixed with a bit of feta if you like) |
| nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper to taste |
2 -3 cups | white sauce |
| finely grated parmesan |
Peel and chop the onion and fry in olive oil until softened. Add the tinned tomatoes, crushed garlic, salt and sugar, and simmer for 3 - 4 hours over low heat.
Wash the spinach leaves, dry, and roughly chop them. Wilt them lightly in the microwave or a pot on the stove. Mash up the ricotta (and feta) in a bowl and season with the nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper.
Take a large lasagne dish. Cover the bottom with a thin layer of tomato sauce, cover with pasta sheets, then another layer of sauce and another of pasta. On this, crumble over ricotta, and then strew with spinach. Cover with pasta, a layer of sauce, and then a final layer of pasta (obviously you can add another layer of cheese and spinach, or tomato, depending on what's left over and how big the dish is). Cover this top layer with white sauce, making sure there is no uncovered pasta round the edges to stick up and get crunchy. Sprinkle over grated parmesan.
Bake at 180 for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden. Let sit for a few minutes before serving, preferably on the lawn on a sunny day with some wine and a salad and good company.
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