Photography: Con Poulos | Styling: Lucy Tweed
I met my wife Cate in a large share house of 14 people. It was a rambling old hotel, full of lovely antique furniture; the landlord was an eccentric chap with a history of saving old buildings. Looking for digs and answering an ad, I arrived for the interview. After a few routine questions, he eyed me over and said, “And you have to be a vegetarian to live here.”
Back then, if it didn’t have meat in it, I really didn’t consider it a proper feed. Just then, I noticed two or three women about my age wandering about the house. “That’s OK, I despise meat!” I said. I moved in a couple of days later. One of those young women was Cate.
Since that time, Cate and I continued to influence each other’s eating repertoire. She was almost exclusively vegetarian prior to having children, a common occurrence I’m told. Sometimes though, in our quest to eat vegetarian, I’ve needed a dish that fills me up and one can get fatigued by relying on legumes and other starches.
I LOVE lasagne; not as much as Garfield, but I love a good one. By the way, Italians rarely call it lasagne. They prefer ‘pasta al forno’, meaning, literally, pasta from the oven. Now, Cate is less desirous of it because she finds the béchamel too rich when combined with the ragu.
This vegetarian lasagne dish is a compromise of sorts and deftly straddles my need for something substantial while meeting her need to enjoy something fresh – in this case the peas and asparagus. The sharpness of the pecorino adds pungency to the dish and counters the béchamel. Also, serving it with radicchio salad is a great way to cut through the richness.
What is the difference between lasagne and pasta al forno?
Simply put, lasagne is a type of pasta al forno, which Italians would call lasagne al forno. Lasange actually refers to the type of pasta that is used, in this case the long sheets which we typically associate with this dish. However, pasta al forno can also be made with other kinds of pasta, in most cases a short, tube-shaped pasta such as ziti, penne or rigatoni, making what we might refer to as a ‘pasta bake’ in Australia.
What can I use instead of meat in lasagne?
Lasagne is traditionally made with beef ragu, béchamel sauce and mozzarella, but it’s easy to make a vegetarian lasagne that’s just as good. Some people love a lentil ragu for a vegetarian twist on the classic lasagne, while others enjoy flavours such as ricotta and spinach, pumpkin, or roasted vegetable. In this recipe, you’ll find vibrant greens, including peas, asparagus and herbs, which produce a dish that’s both comforting and fresh.
Ingredients
Method
First, heat the milk, nutmeg and bay leaves together in a saucepan – do not bring to boil.
In a heavy pan, heat the butter and add the onion; sauté until the onion starts to show some colour, then add the garlic. Once the garlic is cooked, remove from heat and add the flour, mixing well to create a roux.
Remove the bay leaves from the milk and pour it into the roux slowly. Mix well to make a white sauce. Return sauce to a low heat and stir until it begins to thicken. It should have the consistency of thickened pouring cream – adjust with more milk if it becomes too thick. Now add the grated pecorino and mix well.
Finally, add the cooked asparagus, peas, mint, parsley and spring onion to complete the béchamel sauce. Add salt and pepper.
Spray a round, 25cm x 8cm baking dish with olive oil. Pour in the breadcrumbs and roll them around so the crumbs adhere to the oil spray.
Preheat oven to 160˚C.
Place a sheet of pasta on the bottom of the dish, followed by a big spoonful of vegetable béchamel. Continue this until you have several layers of pasta and sauce. On the final layer of béchamel, add the mozzarella and a few pieces of asparagus as a garnish
Bake pasta al forno in the oven for 40 minutes or until it’s bubbling and golden on top.
To make the salad, break up the radicchio, wash it, then dry the leaves and add to a bowl. Slice the oranges finely and add them and the finely sliced fennel to the bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the oil and vinegar together and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Dress the salad and mix it well before serving.
Rest the pasta al forno for about 15-20 minutes to allow for easy portioning. You should then be able to scoop it out smoothly thanks to the breadcrumb lining.
