Yes, the original lasagne with layers of bechamel and bolognese sauces under a cheesy crust is hard to beat, but why not use those lovely pasta sheets for other fillings, too?
Whether you want to make your own pasta sheets or buy them fresh or dried, let these fillings – all tried, tested and delicious – fire up your imagination next time you are in the kitchen. Or let them serve as inspiration next time you fancy eating out!
This can be made with either farmed or wild mushrooms, but a mix is generally best. Clean the mushrooms with a brush to make sure no earth or sand sticks to them, or, when necessary, wipe with a damp cloth. Slice them evenly and sweat gently in butter with a little garlic, salt and pepper until their juices run and they are almost cooked. You can use mixed mushrooms or a different kind of mushroom for each layer. This becomes particularly mushroomy if you have some dried cep/porcini mushrooms to hand. Soak these in boiling water to soften, then chop and add them to the mushroom filling – but reserve the soaking liquid, strain to remove any sand that may still have clung to the cep/porcini and use this, along with either vegetable or chicken stock to make a roux-based white sauce. Layer cooked mushrooms, white sauce and parmesan with lasagne sheets, finishing with a layer of sauce and cheese on top. Most autumnal. Crumbled, cooked chestnuts add texture and are a further seasonal touch.
For a deeper flavour, use fish stock to make your white, roux-based sauce here. Then layer thin slices of raw salmon fillet with blanched chard leaves. Add a sprinkling of nutmeg and white sauce and layer with pasta sheets, finishing with sauce. Make a crunchy topping by sprinkling the last layer of sauce with dots of salted butter and breadcrumbs. White fish like cod will also work, while using smoked salmon and haddock adds an extra dimension of flavour. Prawns also make a great addition.
If you make your white sauce rich with parmesan and garlic, this dish will sing. Layer thinly sliced raw chicken breast fillets on the white sauce interspersed with thin rashers of streaky smoked bacon, add another layer of sauce, grind black pepper, add lasagne sheets and then make another layer of white sauce and either fresh baby spinach leaves or thawed, drained spinach leaves that were frozen. Finely chopped bacon will make a nice addition to the topping of this indulgent lasagne.
Basil, tomato and mozzarella are always a winning combination. Use a rich, slow-cooked tomato sauce as the base here. I start mine with a tin of anchovies including its salty, full-flavoured oil. In this I sweat very finely chopped onions until soft. Only then do I add chopped tinned tomatoes, a spoonful of tomato paste and bay leaves and leave to simmer for two hours. Layer this with slices of mozzarella and fresh pesto and, if you like, fresh cherry tomatoes.
Another great lasagne with real depth of flavour that accentuates the delicious bitterness of radicchio leaves and enhances it with the creamy smokiness of scamorza cheese. Chop the radicchio leaves and sweat them in a little butter with salt and pepper until floppy and make layers of radicchio, thin slices of scamorza and bechamel between the lasagne sheets. You can add sliced Parma ham to the layers, too. A wonderful and full-flavoured winter lasagne.
