Woman's Weekly / Rex Features
A vegetarian take on the Italian favourite. Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike will enjoy this Aubergine Lasagne.
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 40-50 minutes
What you”ll need:
- 6 – 9 pasta sheets
- 1 large or two smaller aubergines
- 1 onionFor the cheese sauce:
- ¼ bulb of fennel 2oz (50g) butter or margarine
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 2oz (50g) plain flour
- 2 tins of chopped tomatoes 1oz (25g) cheese
- ¼ pint of vegetable stock 1 pint milk
- Chopped parsley, sunflower oil
What to do:
- Wash and thinly slice the aubergines, cut the slices in half and soak in a bowl of cold, salty water.
- Warm some oil in a large pan; roughly chop the onion and fennel and fry with the crushed garlic and plenty of parsley. Add the tinned tomatoes to the pan; bring to the boil and simmer gently while you fry the aubergines separately. (Save time and use less oil by frying the aubergines on one side only.)
- Make the cheese sauce: melt the butter in a large saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for a minute until the paste is shiny and slipping away from the base of the pan. Take the pan off the heat, add the milk and grated cheese. Put the pan back on the heat and stir the sauce continuously until it thickens. (Use a small hand whisk to stop the sauce going lumpy and whisk in more milk to make the sauce thinner.
- Layer the tomato sauce, aubergines and cheese sauce in a large ovenproof dish, finishing with a top layer of cheese sauce. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, gas 6/200c.
Recipe by Gill Holocombe