I saw a recipe for a "spicy spinach lasagna" as hangover food. While it's a lovely idea, it takes way too long for a hungover morning. It'd be great as leftovers for a fuzzy morning, for sure.
I wish I'd put something in there besides the two sauces. They squished out from the edges when the lasagna was cut, leaving spiced pasta sheets for leftovers. As it was served it was still grand, but I want to try putting in some sliced mushrooms, onions or maybe tomato chunks for texture next time.
Despite all that, I loved the Italian-Indian fusion of this dish. Bechamel and garam masala - who knew?
La-saag-gna
adapted from Food NetworkPrep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 25-40 mins
ingredients:
500g lasagne verdi, fresh or dried - I say get the no-cook type 'cause it's easier!for the spinach sauce:
700g leaf spinach, blanched for two minutes, squeezed of most of its water, then pureed until mostly smooth45g butter
1 tbsp cornmeal
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsps ginger, minced
3 green chilis
200g sliced brown mushrooms (optional)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garam masala
4 tbsps plain flour
600ml milk
200g gruyere or mature cheddar cheese, split into 150g and 50g portions
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1 tsp garam masala
To make the spinach sauce, melt the butter in a large nonstick pan. Add the cornmeal, garlic, chopped chilis and ginger. Cook for a minute until aromatic. (If you want some texture in your sauce, now's the time to cook up some sliced mushrooms.) Pour in the blended spinach mixture and add the ground cumin. Cook on a medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Keep a lid handy as it may splatter.
For the white sauce, melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and cook until the flour just begins to colour slightly. Turn the heat off and gradually add the milk, whisking all the time. Put the pan back on the heat and add the salt and pepper. Continue to cook and whisk until thick, smooth and glossy. Add 150g of cheese and whisk again.
In a deep ovenproof dish, spread a thin layer of spinach sauce on the bottom of the dish. Cover with lasagne sheets, white sauce, another layer of lasagne, then more spinach mixture.
Continue to layer until all of the ingredients are used up, finishing with white sauce. Finally, sprinkle the top with the remaining 50g cheese and an extra tsp of garam masala.
Bake around 30 minutes (or as long as lasagna sheets' directions say) until golden on top. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
for the white sauce:
45g butter4 tbsps plain flour
600ml milk
200g gruyere or mature cheddar cheese, split into 150g and 50g portions
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1 tsp garam masala
directions:
Preheat the oven to 160C/320F.To make the spinach sauce, melt the butter in a large nonstick pan. Add the cornmeal, garlic, chopped chilis and ginger. Cook for a minute until aromatic. (If you want some texture in your sauce, now's the time to cook up some sliced mushrooms.) Pour in the blended spinach mixture and add the ground cumin. Cook on a medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Keep a lid handy as it may splatter.
For the white sauce, melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and cook until the flour just begins to colour slightly. Turn the heat off and gradually add the milk, whisking all the time. Put the pan back on the heat and add the salt and pepper. Continue to cook and whisk until thick, smooth and glossy. Add 150g of cheese and whisk again.
In a deep ovenproof dish, spread a thin layer of spinach sauce on the bottom of the dish. Cover with lasagne sheets, white sauce, another layer of lasagne, then more spinach mixture.
Continue to layer until all of the ingredients are used up, finishing with white sauce. Finally, sprinkle the top with the remaining 50g cheese and an extra tsp of garam masala.
Bake around 30 minutes (or as long as lasagna sheets' directions say) until golden on top. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
We served it up with a simple salad of quartered tomatoes with olive oil and basil. Tomatoes are coming back into prime season, flushed blood-red and suffused with a full, sweet and deep flavor.
SOUNDS YUMMY
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