BIG TONI’S ITALIAN KITCHEN

Popeye’s Pasta (Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne)                 Nov 2017

Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne

My son Toby’s girlfriend is a vegetarian, so when she eats with us we have to think a little harder about the food we serve. Not a problem but it does make one consider how meat is produced and how much of it some of us eat.

So we have decided to eat three no-meat meals a week, I don’t want to call them vegetarian as one or more of them may contain fish. However the next recipe is vegetarian and is enjoyed by everyone omnivores, pescetarians and vegetarians alike.

Jane, my better half is working quite late at the moment and when she gets home wants something light to eat. This dish is perfect for a light supper as you don’t have to digest heavy meat but does not disappoint on flavor or meal satisfaction.

For 6 people you will need: 

• ◆     70g  butter
• ◆     100g Parmesan cheese
• ◆     150g Romano cheese (hard, salty Italian cheese, often used for grating,

    made out of sheep's milk) available at Sainsbury's. Or a good Chedder.

• ◆     50g plainflour
• ◆     800ml milk
• ◆     fresh bay leaf
• ◆     800g spinach
• ◆     200g ricotta cheese
• ◆     1 whole nutmeg 
• ◆     300g fresh lasagne sheets

How to make:

Preheat your oven to 180C

Melt 50g of the butter in a pan and whisk in the flour, cook for  2 minutes, then whisk in the milk to make a sauce. Add the bay leaf, season and simmer for 5 minutes, Season then put aside.

Put the spinach, in a pan and wilt with the remaining 20g butter. When wilted, drain and, when cool enough to hold, squeeze out as much of the green liquid as you can.

Chop the spinach and mix with the ricotta, a splash of the white sauce and a  generous grating of nutmeg. Season.

In a baking dish, layer the lasagne sheets, white sauce, spinach mixture and a grating of Parmesan and Romano or Chedder. Finish with a layer of pasta topped with sauce and more Parmesan.

Bake for 30 minutes,  till golden and crisp on top.

Serve with a green salad.

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This tasty dish requires a wine that can work with both spinach and it’s cheesy heart.