18 August 2011

CREAMY FISH & PRAWN LASAGNE

For the following recipe, take the trouble to seek out fine imported dried pasta. You could substitute supermarket ‘house brands’ at a much cheaper price, but the resulting stodgy dish will not have the silky-light-as-air result your dinner guests will love.

• 9 lasagne sheets (Montebello Grano Duro lasagne)
• 3 tbsps olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 150mls dry white wine
• 400g snapper, cut into 3m chunks
• 200g john dory, cut into 3m chunks
• 250g shelled green prawns, sliced lengthwise
• ½ cup chopped herbs (dill, chives and parsley)
• 1 lemon, grated zest only
• 50g finely grated pecorino romano cheese

For the béchamel sauce: * 1 litre milk * 1 bay leaf * 100g butter * 80g flour * ½ tsp grated nutmeg

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC. Heat a large pan of salted water, add one tbsp of the oil and bring to a rapid boil. Add the lasagne sheets and simmer for 3-4 minutes to soften. Remove, drain well and place on sheets of baking paper so they do not stick together. In a large frying pan, gently heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, add the onion and garlic and cook until turning golden. Add all the fish and prawns with the wine and bring to a simmer for one minute. Stir in the chopped herbs and lemon zest, season with salt and plenty of black pepper and take off the heat. To make the béchamel sauce, tip the milk into a saucepan, add the bay leaf and bring to simmering point. Turn off the heat and allow the milk to infuse with the bay leaf for 10 minutes. Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan and stir in the flour. Allow to gently sizzle until the mixture becomes straw–coloured. Slowly add the infused milk, stirring constantly. When all the milk is added and the sauce has slightly thickened add salt and nutmeg to taste. To assemble the lasagne, take a deep dish (35cm x 25cm) and spread 2 tablespoons of the béchamel sauce across the bottom. Lay 3 sheets of the pasta on this. Spread half the fish mixture on top of the pasta and cover with one third of the béchamel sauce. Lay 3 more sheets on top of this layer and repeat the layering with the remaining fish mixture, covering with half the remaining béchamel. Cover with the final 3 sheets of pasta, and spread the remaining béchamel to cover the pasta. Sprinkle the cheese over this. Bake for 25- 30 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven, and allow the lasagne to settle for 10 minutes before serving with a crunchy green salad. Serves 6 Wine match: an elegant Hawke’s Bay chardonnay
* Recipe for NZ Listener by Lauraine Jacobs * Photo: Elizabeth Clarkson