When I was writing a book about pasta, an acquaintance from Naples who lives in Chișinău, Moldova, with his Welsh wife suggested that the first step with lasagne is to approach it like a town planner. That is, first work out the size of the dish in relation to the size of the pasta sheets (this applies to both fresh and dried), then decide how many layers you want, not only to establish how many sheets you need, but also to proportion the various fillings accordingly. We also decided that the construction of a lasagne should be like that of a bricklayer combined with a Jackson Pollock approach to the sauces.
My ceramic lasagne dish is 30cm x 20cm, and three 10cm x 25cm dried lasagne sheets make a single layer in it, so a five-layer lasagne requires 15 sheets. Most dried lasagne sold today doesn’t require pre-cooking or soaking, but those sheets depend on the sauce being liquid enough to provide enough moisture to hydrate and cook them. Dry sheets also require a relatively long cooking time, so, in the case of today’s lasagne, which involves a dense and creamy, rather than a liquid sauce, I dip the sheets into boiling water for 30 seconds, then in cold water and then lay them on a tea towel to dry, which gives them a head start. It also reduces the total cooking time, which suits the delicate texture of the courgette and ricotta in the sauce.
Aware of the price of cheese (and also of what you might have in your fridge), I have given a range of quantities for the ricotta, parmesan and either taleggio or asiago. You can also substitute cheeses, using whatever you have to hand and to your taste, and compensate with generous seasoning and the addition of herbs. What is key for flavour, however, is the initial frying of the courgettes in olive oil and with salt, but this is intended only to get them started, because they will continue cooking in the oven, as well as fusing with the cheese and bechamel, which also functions as lasagne binding.
I think that lasagne is invariably better when it is allowed to sit for at least 20 minutes before serving (and up to an hour in a warm spot), which gives the flavours time to settle and the whole thing – and in particular the cheese – time to firm up, so it cuts more easily into squares. The last slice, reheated the next day, is, of course, the best slice of all.
Lasagne with courgette and three cheeses
Serves 4-6
15 dried lasagne sheets, or enough to make 5 layers
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
3 large or 4 medium courgettes, cut into small cubes
Salt and black pepper
400g ricotta
1 heaped tbsp freshly minced marjoram
80g butter, plus extra for dotting on top
70g plain flour
800ml whole milk
Nutmeg
60-80g parmesan, grated
100-200g taleggio or asiago, cut into cubes
2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
Prepare the lasagne sheets according to the packet instructions; if you are blanching them, lay them on tea towels until you are ready.
Warm the olive oil in a frying pan on a medium flame, then cook the cubed courgettes with a pinch of salt, moving the cubes around until they are just starting to soften and turns translucent. Remember they will continue cooking in oven, so pull off the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the ricotta, marjoram and a pinch of salt.
Melt the butter in a pan, then add the flour and stir to make a thick paste. Slowly whisk in the milk and continue cooking, whisking continuously, until the bechamel thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and a tablespoon of the grated parmesan.
Smear the base of a suitable oven dish with olive oil, spread over spoonful of the bechamel, then make a base layer of dried lasagne sheets. Make another layer using a fifth of the bechamel topped with a quarter of the courgette and ricotta mixture, a quarter of the cubed cheese and a sprinkling of parmesan. Make another layer of pasta, then repeat the process three more times, ending with a layer of pasta. Cover that with the remaining bechamel, the breadcrumbs and dots of butter, then bake at 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 for 20-30 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling and the top golden.
