Italy

Oh the cleverness of me! I have to admit that I’m pretty smug about my Italian travels this week. I decided to get creative and make up my own recipe because there weren’t any that existed for what I wanted to make. I had cauliflower, cheese, white wine, apples and walnuts in stock and I thought surely there is a meal to be made of this. Apparently not. So I set off to find out if these ingredients were the making of a delicious lasagna. I made the pasta myself and assembled the ingredients. My dad was skeptical, saying it sounded gross, but how wrong he was.

It tasted great, my only error (and a rookie one at that) was that I didn’t put any sauce on the top layer which made the pasta crunchy. I’ll know for next time. So lucky for you, I have made some tweaks so that you can have the recipe to make a Cauliflower and Apple Lasagna of your own.

Lasagna di Mela e Cavolfiore

Ingredienti

For the filling…

• Brown onion (finely diced)
• Whole cauliflower (cut into small pieces)
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 2 steams of rosemary (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup cheese plus extra for topping (I used cheddar but I think Parmesan would work well)
• 2 tbs cornflour (or all purpose flour)
• Apple (thinly sliced)
• Half a cup of crushed walnuts
• Oil (plenty… this is Italian food)

For the pasta…

• 300g flour (00 is best)
• 3 eggs

Metodo

1. Make the pasta by putting flour in a large bowl. Create a well in the centre and add the eggs. Mix with a knife and slowly incorporate the flour from the outside. Continue to mix until a rough dough is formed. Begin kneading with your hands and transfer onto a floured surface. Your dough is finished when it appears smooth and round when made into a ball. Wrap in glad wrap and rest for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a large sauce pan. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic, rosemary and fennel seeds and cook for 1 minute. Add the cauliflower and stir while cooking for 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of milk and the white wine. Reduce to a simmer and cover for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile roll out the dough using a pasta machine. The pasta needs to be quite thin.
4. Remove 1/2 cup of the simmering mixture and reserve a smaller saucepan. This will make the creamy sauce to put on top.
5. Add 2 tbs cornflower to the simmering mix and stir. Increase the heat to thicken the mixture. Add the cheese. It can be slightly runny but not watery. Continue to watch and mix as required.
6. Put the smaller saucepan on medium heat. Add 1 cup of milk and 1 tbs of corn flour. Mix. Increase temperature until sauce thickens. You may want to mash or blend the sauce to incorporate the cauliflower.
7. When all elements are ready, assemble. Start with a layer of cauliflower mixture, followed by apple, then pasta sheet. Repeat two times. On the final layer top with the sauce and sprinkle cheese and walnuts.
8. Cook in the oven at 180/200^o C for 30-35 minutes. The cheese should begin to brown and walnuts will be crispy.
9. Buon Appetito!

• Cuisine: Italian
• Dish/es: Apple and Cauliflower Lasagna
• Company: Just me (taste tester)