Vegetable lagasne

 'a redemption'

So as a vegetarian back in the day (by which I mean the mid nineties in northern England) you basically had two options anywhere you went.  Some kind of cheese and onion tart/pasty or vegetarian lasagne. Both were typically underwhelming (read damp, mushy, and bland). I don't really ever choose a vegetarian lasagne ever it's not something that I'd look forwards to eating in a restaurant (although my mom makes a summer lasagne that absolutely slaps). But there is nothing at all in a vegetarian lasagne that is necessarily bad. this is my attempt to heal that childhood trauma.  

The vegetable Ragu 

Tomatoes (halved and deseeded)

Peppers (a few and preferably not all red, they get too sweet, chopped for roasting)

Courgette (chopped for roasting) 

Aubergine (chopped for roasting) 

Carrot (fine dice)

Celery (fine dice)

Onion (fine dice)

Garlic (minced)

Henderson relish (A canny splash)

Tomato puree 

Flat leaf parsley (a small bunch chopped)

Oregano (dried)

A splash of white wine (optionally) 

Salt 

Pepper 

1. Chop your mirepoix veg (carrot, onion and celery) quite finely (no one wants to crunch a carrot in a lasagne) 

2. Roast your courgette, aubergine and peppers along with some olive oil and oregano. At about 180 for 40 minuets. Roast your tomato with these but try to have them facing cut side up so that you concentrate the juices. 

3. Cook your mirepoix veg in the pan you're making your sauce in on medium heat for longer than seems reasonable until they have a kind of roasty toasty look. 

4. When your mirepoix is done add in your tomato puree and garlic then cook for another few minutes. 

5. Add a splash of Hendo's and a splash of either water or wine. And deglase the pan, scrape the bottom with a wooden spatula to release the fond. 

6. Add your roast veg into the sauce pot and stir just enough to incorporate it. Add a little veg stock or water if you need to to encourage it into being a sauce.  

7. Cook on low but not for too long because your roast veg is in danger of breaking down. 

Set aside

Bechamel sauce 

Milk (about a pint, cow or oat makes little differece)

Bay leaf (some)

Peppercorns (a few)

Nutmeg (a generous grating)

Butter (two spoons, dairy or plant based)

Flour (two spoons) 

1. Warm your milk on a low heat along with the bay leaves and peppercorns, maybe a bit of garlic. 

2. In a separate pan melt your butter and add the flower. Continue too cook the mixture for two rounds of row row row your boat (the mixture shouldn't colour) 

3. Take your flour off the heat, ladle the milk into the mid slowly whist constantly stiring, it's difficult to adjust to make it thicker later so use less milk than you think you'll need you can add more later. 

4. Bring to a gentle boil, adjust the consistency by adding milk if you need to. Add a good grating of nutmeg and salt to taste. 

Set aside 

Construction 

Lasagne sheets 

Parmasan (optional)

Vegetable Ragu 

Bechamel sauce 

1. Layer the ingredients start with Ragu, then parmasan, then lasagne sheet then bechamel. Repeat until your oven pot is full finish on bechamel

2. Top with a good amount of parmasan 

3. In the oven at 180 for about 40 minuets or until the top has started to brown. 

4. Take out of the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving. 

For some reason people want to serve this with garlic bread, for which i can provide a recipe, I don't think you need more carbs really, but it is traditional...  I'm pitching some kind of side salad which I think would ideally be on a different plate. Something fresh and citrusy would be good.