Brazilian spinach lasagna
Having lived in Italy all his life until coming to Singpaore 4 years ago, Giuseppe sometimes miss having a taste of home. Here, he used Brazilian spinach harvested from the farm for the lasagna, but feel free to experiment with other vegetables as well such as eggplant that is ubiquitous in the garden. Pasta sheets for lasagna are available in supermarkets, but we challenge you to try making your own from scratch!
Recipe contributed by Giuseppe [@gueseppi].
Ingredients:
Pasta sheets
200g semolina flour
2 large eggs
All-purpose flour (for dusting)
Bechamel sauce
40g all-purpose flour
40g butter
~ 600 ml milk
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Filling
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
400g Brazilian spinach, hard stems discarded
60g parmesan, grated (or more)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Pasta sheets
Step 1
Pour semolina flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center, and crack eggs into center. Use a fork to stir the eggs into the flour with a circular motion, slowly incorporating flour from the sides.
Step 2
When flour has been incorporated, start kneading the egg-flour mixture in the bowl until a rough paste is formed, then transfer onto a flat surface and keep kneading. As the gluten develops, the dough will become less sticky.
Step 3
Keep kneading by folding the dough onto itself and pressing down. Fold and press until dough becomes smooth and slightly elastic - if pressed, it should slowly spring back. The whole process can take 10 to 20 minutes.
Step 4
Once dough is ready, rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Then remove from fridge and cut one quarter with a sharp knife, covering the rest of the dough so it does not dry out. Press out the portioned dough into a thick disc.
Step 5
Fit the disc through a pasta machine through the thickest setting 3 times, dusting the dough with flour each time to prevent sticking. Then, progressively lower the setting until you reach the thinnest one. Cut the pasta sheets to cover the entire length of your baking pan. Ideally it would be one single sheet per layer.
Step 6
Once sheets have been rolled and cut, dust again to prevent sticcking. Repeat for other 3 quarters of dough, remembering to dust with flour between each sheet.
Bechamel sauce
Step 1
While dough is resting in the fridge, melt butter in saucepan over low fire. Add flour and stir until just incorporated.
Step 2
Add milk and stir slowly with wooden spoon to incorporate into the mix. Do not stop stirring.
Step 3
Once sauce has a thick, liquid consistency, turn off fire, add nutmeg and stir.
Filling
Step 1
Add olive oil to a pan on high heat and stir fry garlic until fragrant. Add tomatoes, stir and reduce flame to medium, cook until softened, about 7-8 minutes.
Step 2
Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 5-8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assembling the lasagna
Step 1
Smear 1.5 tsp of bechamel sauce at the bottom of a baking pan. Add a layer of pasta sheet(s), add a layer of filling, 1 tsp of bechamel, 10g of parmesan and repeat. You should aim at having at least 5 layers
Step 2
On final layer, do not add filling but add extra parmesan (20g) to cover the whole sheet. Leftover bechamel can go on top too.
Step 3
Bake on the middle rack of an oven preheated to 180 degrees C (fan) for about 25 minutes until top is browned.
