Lentil Lasagne

One of the drawbacks of living on a small island is that there are many ingredients, easily found in any local supermarket in a large and cosmopolitan city like London, that are unknown or just quite simply not on offer here. So it always gives me a little jolt of pleasure to find that something unavailable until now has suddenly, and without any fanfare at all, been surreptitiously added to the supermarket shelves. And so it was last week, whilst picking up a pizza base from the cool cabinet, that my attention was caught by a largish flat packet I had never seen before ... fresh lasagne sheets all'uovo!!! Seeing as how I am seriously put off by those dried sheets that you have to pre-cook, this was a indeed a great find.

It's been a very long time since I've eaten a good lasagne, with quite a few mediocre ones in the meantime I might add, and so I was determined to make one that would be hearty and satisfying but without being so stick-to-your-ribs that we wouldn't be able to move for a couple of hours afterwards. So I didn't want to make a traditional beef ragù lasagne but neither was I drawn to doing one of those modern roasted vegetable ones either. In the end, inspired by a suggestion on n.com, I plumped for lentils which I feel can be deeply flavoursome without being as "heavy" as meat.

I'm not at all nervous about concocting a recipe but, by it's very nature, it is not a god-given certainty that it is going to work. However, nothing ventured nothing gained is a truism that I have clung to through life, and so not finding a recipe that was entirely to my liking I decided I would devise my own.

This worked out wonderfully except that the dish I used, 30 x 17 x 5cm, was a tad on the small side and so was full to overflowing. Consequently, I put a tray underneath it in case it cooked over, which it did a little, and so I was nervous about leaving it in the oven any longer to brown a bit more on top. I have a slightly bigger dish, 30 x 20 x 5cm, that would have been perfect for the following quantities and will, therefore, be using that for next time. And a next time there most certainly will be as this was seriously moreish. I don't think the recipe needs any tinkering with except perhaps adding some herbs or a pinch of chilli flakes to the lentil sauce, according to whim. We were so impatient to serve it, even though it was still too hot, and so the sauce oozed onto the plate. The cooled leftovers, however, look like a picture book lasagne.

Lentil Lasagne - Serves 4-6

1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
2 sticks celery
3 medium carrots
2 tbsp vegetable oil
250g brown lentils, washed and picked over
800g tomato passata
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 bay leaf
fresh thyme leaves from a small sprig
salt and freshly ground black pepper
ready-made fresh lasagne sheets
75g Mozzarella, grated
extra grated Parmesan for the topping

for the béchamel sauce:
50g plain flour
60g butter
700ml milk
1 bay leaf
grated nutmeg
4 level tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 190ºC/375°F/gas mark 5

Put the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots in the food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Now heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the vegetables until.softened. Add the lentils, tomato passata, tomato purée and herbs. Using the passata container as a measure, fill it half full with water, swirling it around to incorporate any passata still sticking to the sides, and pour it over the lentils. Bring the the pan to a boil and let simmer, partially covered, for about 45 minutes or until lentils are tender, do not overcook or they will become mushy. The mixture should be a little sloppy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile make the béchamel sauce by placing all the ingredients (except the cheese) in a small saucepan and whisking continuously over a medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens. Then turn the heat down to its lowest and let the sauce cook for 2 minutes. Now add the grated Parmesan and season to taste.

Pour one quarter of the béchamel into a large ovenproof shallow baking dish measuring 30 x 20 x 5cm, followed by one third of the lentil mixture. Then sprinkle in a third of the Mozzarella and follow this with a single layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat this process, ending up with a final layer of sauce and a good sprinkling of grated Parmesan. Now place the dish in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is crusty and golden. Let cool a little before serving.