On a recent excursion to the Tramsheds at Harold Park, a new food and restaurant complex in Sydney, I was impressed with the gathering of some top Sydney restaurant operators, new bakeries and groovy cafes and bars but what really caught my eye, in the supermarket no less, was a packet of gluten-free lasagne sheets.
As we normally make our own gluten-free lasagne sheets, pre-packaged products are not usually of interest and I’m ashamed to admit that it was the name that caught my eye as well as the sleek packaging. Casalare, what a good strong Italian name. Lasagne from the home of pasta, I thought, must be good.
However, reading the smaller print back at home (wearing one’s glasses is always helpful) revealed that it is actually an Australian product. I happily gave it a go. It has a great smooth and silky texture, doesn’t fall apart during the cooking process and all the better for being locally produced.
I had lots of spring vegetables in the crisper so I put together the free-form lasagne recipe below. Our dinner guests who are not gluten intolerant and are pasta lovers could not tell the difference. Now I can whip up a quick pasta dish with no mess or fuss. I’m happy. I’m a convert.
Rosie
FREE-FORM LASAGNE WITH SPRING VEGETABLES, PUMPKIN SLIVERS, AND RICOTTA AND PARMESAN SAUCE
Serves 10 for an entrée. Recipe can be doubled for a main course.
10 sheets Gluten-free lasagne (we use Casalare brand)
Olive oil
Line two large baking trays with baking paper and generously drizzle with olive oil.
Fill a large frying pan with salted water and bring to the boil. Cook the lasagne sheets, in batches, for 7-8 minutes, moving them around the pan so they do not stick to the bottom of the pan or to each other. Gently remove from the pan and place on the prepared trays in one layer. Brush the top surface of the lasagne sheets with olive oil. If your baking trays are not large enough to accommodate all the lasagne sheets in one layer, cover with another layer of baking paper and oil and place lasagne sheets on top. Brush the top surface with oil. Cover with plastic wrap until ready for use.
Filling
60 ml olive oil
1 leek, white part only, washed and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
200 gm green beans, tailed and roughly chopped
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
2 bunches broccolini, thick stems removed, flowers and finer stems roughly chopped
1 bunch cauliflower blossoms, thick stems removed, flowers and finer stems roughly chopped
250 gm Jap pumpkin, peeled, cut into slivers
50 gm almond meal
100 gm crème fraiche
160 gm pecorino, 80gm finely grated, 80gm shaved to serve
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, add all the vegetables and sauté until just cooked through. Add almond meal and sauté a further 2 minutes. Add cream and the 80gm finely grated pecorino and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and keep warm.
Garnish
60 ml olive oil
5 red capsicums, seeded, membrane removed, sliced into 1cm strips
3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
½ lemon, juice only
Heat olive until smoking in a large saucepan. Add capsicums strips, tossing well.Toss every few minutes, allowing some of the capsicum strips to brown quite well, until the capsicum has softened, around 15 minutes. Add the garlic and toss one minute. Take off the heat and add the lemon juice. Toss well. Allow to cool before storing. Will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Sauce
250 gm fresh ricotta
100 gm crème fraiche
50 gm fresh pecorino or parmesan, finely grated
1 lemon, juice only, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Mix ricotta and crème fraiche until smooth. Add parmesan then lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
To Serve
Heat 10 plates until they are quite hot. Smear a couple of tablespoons of the sauce around one side of each plate accompanied by a couple of tablespoons of the red capsicums. Place one lasagne sheet on each plates (the heat of the plate and the filling will warm the sheets) and spoon some of the filling on to one half of each sheet. Fold the other half of the lasagne sheet over the filling. Scatter the shaved pecorino over.
Serve with a crisp green salad.