Lasagna al Pesto

When I heard that a pesto lasagna was a thing I couldn't wait to try it. It beat my expectations, it was simply amazing!

Ingredients
serves 4

for the pasta

400g plain flour

4 large free-range eggs
3 tbsp lukewarm water

1/2 tsp salt

for the béchamel

50g butter

50g flour

500ml milk

for the pesto

50g fresh basil

100g extra virgin olive oil

20g pine nuts

2 garlic cloves

100g vegetarian Italian Hard Cheese
salt, to taste

for the lasagne

300g mozzarella cheese (fiori di latte) 

salt  & fresh ground b;ack pepper, to taste

Method

pasta

Pour the flour on the worktop and form a well in the middle into which you break the eggs. 

Add the salt and some water. Gently with a fork gradually stir the eggs taking in the flour from the edges.

Form into a smooth dough. Then wrap in clingfilm and keep in the fridge for half an hour.

After the rest form the lasagna sheets. It's easier if you have a rolling machine but it can be done by hand. Create thin sheets of about 3mm.  Dust with flour and set aside in the fridge.

pesto

For this purpose a quick blitz in the blender will do the trick. No need to pound away with a pestle and mortar. Drop in the garlic, basil, pine nuts, salt and pulse in the blender, adding the olive oil in  between pulses to loosen it up. 

Pour the basil sauce into a bowl and add the grated cheese, stirring gently into the pesto.

Taste and season with salt if necessary. This pesto has a higher cheese ratio than I would normally like but it's going to flavour a plain béchamel so it needs to have a bit more punch. 

béchamel

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the flour. Stir in well with a wooden spoon.

Turn the temperature down and start adding the milk gradually, a splash at a time, stirring constantly to incorporate the milk. Continue to add the milk slowly until the sauce has thinned enough and there are no lumps, then add the remainder of the milk.

Turn the heat up a little and cook for a few more minutes until it thickens. It can be a little thicker than normal.

Take off the heat and allow to cool. Place it in a bowl and cover with clingfilm.

Assemble the lasgana by first combining the bechamel and the pesto. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Grease the bottom of a deep oblong or square dish with some olive oil.

Drop one or two lasagna sheets into boiling salted water with some olive oil to stop them sticking together. Boil for less than a minute before placing the pasta sheets in the dish. It's best no to overlap the pasta too much so cut the sheets to fit the dish. 

Pour over a third of the pesto bechamel. Then drop into the sauce a third of the mozzarella. 

Repeat with a layer of pasta, pesto bechamel and mozzarella and repeat once again.

Drop in a few small cubes of butter to help with the browning of the dish.

Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the lasagna turns slightly golden.

Remove form the oven and set aside for a good five minutes to cool a little before serving.