Recipe Cauliflower, Courgette [Zucchini] and Leek Lasagne

[Elawin]

Prep and cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 medium sized onion, finely sliced
1 courgette [zucchini], peeled and finely sliced
1 small leek, finely sliced
½ tbsp oil
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, according to taste, finely chopped
200 g cauliflower divided into small florets
25 g butter
25 g plain [all-purpose] flour
300 ml milk or milk and cooking liquid from the cauliflower
1 bay leaf
50 g grated cheese
1 large egg
1 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
Sufficient sheets of dried or fresh lasagne for two layers
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Gently warm the milk and the bay leaf; then leave to cool.
2. Meanwhile gently fry the onion, courgette, leek and garlic in the oil until softened by not brown. In another pan, cook the cauliflower for about 3 minutes until soft, and then drain.
3. Melt the butter, stir in plain flour and cook gently for about a minute. Whisk in the strained milk and cook over a low heat until the sauce starts to thicken. Whisk in the grated cheese, and leave to cool. When the sauce has cooled, whisk in the raw egg and season to taste.
4. Place onion, courgette, leek and garlic in the bottom of a pan. Pour on half the chopped tomatoes. Cover with one layer of lasagne sheets. Pour half of the sauce over the lasagne.
5. Lightly mash the cauliflower and place in pan. Pour over the remaining chopped tomatoes. Cover with the remaining lasagne and finally the rest of the sauce.
6. Cook in a preheated oven (200 C/Fan 180 C/Gas mark 6/400 F) for about 15-20 minutes.
7. Decorate with the courgette peel and serve.

Notes:

1. I used homemade lasagne and allowed a little extra time to do this. I used 100 g pasta flour and 1 large egg to make the dough and allowed to stand in a Clingfilm covered dish for about half an hour. Left over dough was stored in the Clingfilm in the fridge.
2. I used a mixture of 2/3 whey and 1/3 milk to make my sauce.

 

[Morning Glory]

I'm so impressed- home made lasagne sheets! This is an interesting vegetarian lasagne which might feature in my test kitchen.

 

[Elawin]

I'm so impressed- home made lasagne sheets! This is an interesting vegetarian lasagne which might feature in my test kitchen.

I even rolled it out rather than using the pasta machine! I think you will like it. I didn't use any salt or pepper at all, and there was enough flavour in the [all organic] veggies to make it really tasty.

 

[Morning Glory]

I even rolled it out rather than using the pasta machine! I think you will like it. I didn't use any salt or pepper at all, and there was enough flavour in the [all organic] veggies to make it really tasty.

You will have to forgive me if I use salt.

 

[alexander]

I am impressed as well that you make your own pasta. Its on my list of things to do. I only just started making bread which is easier than expected so perhaps I will make pasta next. Nice recipe!

 

[Elawin]

I am impressed as well that you make your own pasta. Its on my list of things to do. I only just started making bread which is easier than expected so perhaps I will make pasta next. Nice recipe!

Thank you. I usually only buy shaped pasta, such as penne and the like. My daughter bought me a pasta maker for my birthday last year, but it took me a while to get used to it. "Mum, the 11 year olds at school have no problem with them!". I didn't see the point of going to all the trouble to get it out just to roll lasagne - nothing that a good old fashioned rolling pin and a bit of elbow grease doesn't cure

 

[Morning Glory]

Thank you. I usually only buy shaped pasta, such as penne and the like. My daughter bought me a pasta maker for my birthday last year, but it took me a while to get used to it. "Mum, the 11 year olds at school have no problem with them!". I didn't see the point of going to all the trouble to get it out just to roll lasagne - nothing that a good old fashioned rolling pin and a bit of elbow grease doesn't cure

I have a pasta machine and tend to think the same way - but one thing I learned was that those pasta rollers knead the dough for you. So you can just mix the dough and then feed it through the rollers (lots of times) without pre-kneading.

The machine I have attaches to a work surface with a thumb-screw affair! This isn't very useful unless your work surface overhangs the cabinets beneath. The alternative is to use the dining table... not convenient for me. How does yours attach?

 

[Elawin]

I have a pasta machine and tend to think the same way - but one thing I learned was that those pasta rollers knead the dough for you. So you can just mix the dough and then feed it through the rollers (lots of times) without pre-kneading.?

I can't knead the dough too well when my arthritis plays me up, so mine probably helps with that. It's a Lakeland one, but I ignore their instructions and ingredients and just play it by ear now. Theirs just seemed too dry. The best pasta I ever made using it was when I didn't have enough flour left in the packet.....

The machine I have attaches to a work surface with a thumb-screw affair! This isn't very useful unless your work surface overhangs the cabinets beneath. The alternative is to use the dining table... not convenient for me. How does yours attach?

Same way but I have two places in my kitchen where there is nothing under the work surfaces - the bit between the fridge and the hob (where I store the sack of dog food), and a small space just along from the oven with a removable door (should have been a wine rack, but I've got shelves to store my oven trays etc). I don't have a dining table.....