Delicious Australia – (08)August 2019

PHOTOGRAPHY

BRETT STEVENS

STYLING

KIRSTEN JENKINS

MERCHANDISING

EMMALY STEWART

I LOVE LASAGN-YEAH

LASAGNEIS LIKElife;likea relationship.It haslayers.It’s
complicated.A goodonetakesworkbutit is evenbetterthe
nextday.It givesyoutheroughwiththesmooth.It’sloadsof
funonceyougetbetweenthesheets.(Alrightthat’s quite
enoughofthatnow.Wegetthepoint– Ed)
Itis alsospeltdifferentlydependingonwhereyouarefrom
inItaly.It’s‘lasagne’inthenorthandgenerally‘lasagna’in
thesouth.So,forthesakeofunitylet’s just call it ‘lasagn-yeah’
becauseweallloveit somuch.
Lasagn-yeah– thosetextbooksilkenpastasheetstucked
betweenlayersofbologneseandbechamel– is oneofthemost
famousItalianfoodsin theworld;lovedfromLeichhardtto
London.YetdifferentversionsexistacrossItaly,andit is so
muchmorethantheEmilianarchetype(lasagneal forno) that
hasbecomefamousoverseasandwhichreliesona meatsauce
that is scarcely known in traditional Italian cookbooks.

THEORIGINALLASAGNEOFNAPLES
Theoriginallasagneis mostcommonlytracedtomedievalNaples.
Insteadofbechamelandmeatsauce,there’sgratedcheeseand
crumbledsausage.Don’tbelieveanyonewhosaysit featureda
tomato sauce – tomatoes hadn’t arrived in Europe at that time.

THELASAGNEOFMARCHE
Vincisgrassimightbethemostdecadentofalllasagnes.Originally
fromtheMarcheregion,thisversionusesbechamelasa topping,
withpastasheetsseparatedbya sauceofpancetta,prosciutto
and chicken giblets ruddy with tomato puree and white wine.

THEUNBAKEDLASAGNE
Wayback(atleastsixmonthsago)restaurantslayeredsplotchesof
saucesandangularingredientsonplatesblanketedwithblanched
handkerchiefsofpastaandcalledit ‘lasagne’.I havediscovered
thattheselighterlasagnesactuallyhaveItalianantecedents.
InGenoatheylayerpastasheetswithpestomixedwithfresh
ricotta. Olive oil dresses that small stack of milky basil freshness.

THEMEAT-LOVER’SLASAGNE
Perhapsmymostfavouritelasagneis themeat-lover’sversion
servedtomebythewonderfulMs.DePasqualewholooksafter,
andlargelyenables,myridiculousTVwardrobe.Calabrianin
origin,it notonlyhasmortadellain it butalsohard-boiledeggs,
whichsoundsridiculousuntilyoutastetheirpristinepresence
amongallthismeatydecadence.Tryit anddiscoveryetanother
wonderful Italian lasagne. Can I get a “Hell yeah, lasagn-yeah”.

Layerup!MattPrestonis gettingbetweenthesheetsoflife,love

and lasagne, and shares his ultimate crowd-pleasing version.

CALABRIAN LASAGNE 3.0 (SAGNA CHINE)

SERVES 6-8

1kgporkandfennelsausages, casings removed

2 tbsextravirginoliveoil

2 celerystalks,finelychopped

1 (200g)brownonion,finelychopped

2 redcapsicums,coreremoved,finelychopped

2 tbseachfinelychoppedoregano and basil,

plusextraleaves, to serve

2 bayleaves

1 tspgroundfennelseeds

2 tbstomatopaste

1 cup(250ml)redwine

1.7Ltomatopassata

1 x 375gpacketfreshlasagnesheets

6 hardboiledeggs,thicklysliced

80geachmortadellaandprosciutto,finely chopped

400gmozzarella,coarselygrated

2 x 220gtubcherrybocconcini,drained,torn

2 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve

Linea bakingtraywithbakingpaper.Roll2 heapedtspsausage

meatintoa ballandplaceonpreparedtray.Repeatwithremaining

sausagemeat.Heattheoilina largesaucepanoverhighheat.

Inbatches,addmeatballsandcook,tossingfrequently,for

3-4minutesoruntilmeatballsbegintobrown.Returnallmeatballs

topan.Addcelery,onion,capsicum,oregano,basil,bayleaves

andfennelseeds.Cook,stirringoccasionally,for3-4minutesor

untilvegetablesbegintosoften.Stirthroughtomatopasteand

cookfora further1-2minutes.Addwine,scrapingbottomofpan

witha woodenspoon.Stirthroughthepassata.Bringtoa simmer,

reduceheattomediumandsimmer,stirringoccasionallyfor

6-8minutesoruntilsaucethickensslightly.Seasontotaste.

Preheatovento200ºC.Greasea 32cmx 21cmx 10cm-deep

ovenproofdish.Spoonsomeofthesaucefrommeatballmixture

intothedishandspreadevenly.Arrange1 layeroflasagnesheets

ontop,overlappingslightly.Topwithone-thirdoftheslicedeggs,

mortadella,prosciutto,meatballsandsauce.Scatterwithone-

quartermozzarella.Repeatlayerstwicemore,onlyusing2 lasagne

sheetsforeachlayer.Finishwithmozzarellaontop.Season.

Coverdishwithbakingpaperandfoil.Bakefor1 hour.Discard

foilandbakingpaper.Topwithbocconcini.Returntotheovenand

bakefora further 30 minutesoruntilgolden.Setasidefor 15

minutes. Scatter with extra oregano, basil and parsley to serve.

I’M LOVING.

50 delicious.com.au