Sherry-braised fennel + almond lasagne
Lasagne ffenigl drwy sieri ac almwnd
Let’s face it, lasagne does take a little time and care to prepare, but this one, we promise, is worth it. Much of the seasoning comes from the already salty ingredients – the Parmesan and capers. It’s a celebration of of grown-up flavours with a real depth from the sherry and all the green vegetables.
This recipe is from our beautiful cookbook Sea Salt.
Ingredients
- 125g/4½oz butter,plus extra for greasing
- 2 fennel bulbs, finely sliced
- 2 leeks, finely sliced
- 100g/3½oz curly kale or cavolo nero
- 2 celery sticks, finely sliced
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 3¼ tsp finer flaked sea salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 tbsp capers in brine, drained and rinsed
- 150ml/5fl oz dry sherry, such as Fino or Manzanilla
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 100g/3½oz almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
- 75g/2¾oz plain flour
- 650ml/22fl oz whole milk
- 200ml/7 fl oz vegetable stock
- 100g/3½oz Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- ¼ whole nutmeg, grated
- 250g/9oz mascarpone cheese
- 1 medium egg, beaten
- Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- 12 sheets of dried lasagne
- 4 oregano sprigs, leaves picked (optional)
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Melt 50g/1¾oz of the butter in a large sauté pan over a high heat. Add the fennel, leeks, celery, onion and 2 teaspoons of the salt and fry, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened and reduced in volume by a third. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in the bay leaves and a good grind of black pepper and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are beginning to catch ever so slightly in places.
- Meanwhile, pulse the kale and capers together in a food processor until very finely chopped. Alternatively, finely chop by hand. Set aside.
- Pour the sherry into the pan and stir for 30 seconds, or until all the sherry has been absorbed. Add the kale mixture and garlic and stir until the kale is vibrant green and the garlic smells fragrant. Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas 4. Grease a 20 x 30cm/8 x 12in baking dish with butter.
- To make the white sauce for the lasagne, melt the remaining 75g/2¾oz butter in another pan over a medium heat until foaming. Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes, or until the mixture has turned a shade or two darker. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly, then add the stock. Use a whisk to mix the flour and liquid together until combined, then cook without letting the liquid come to the boil, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- Remove from the heat and stir in 40g/1½oz of the Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the nutmeg. Set aside.
- Beat the mascarpone, all but a handful of the remaining Parmesan (reserve the handful to top the lasagne), the egg, parsley and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of the salt together in a large bowl. Add a good grind of black pepper, too.
- Spread a third of the vegetable mixture over the base of the prepared baking dish, top with four of the lasagne sheets, breaking them up if needed to cover the vegetables and meet the sides of the dish. Drizzle a third of the mascarpone mixture over the pasta, followed by the white sauce. Repeat with the remaining vegetables, lasagne sheets and after the final layer of herby mascarpone, cover with the remaining white sauce, using a spatula to spread it to meet the edges of the dish. Scatter over the reserved Parmesan and the oregano leaves, if using. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and golden. Cover the lasagne with foil after 30 minutes if it looks as though it might burn.
- Serve with a crisp green salad, dressed with Dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon and salt.
