HappyCook80's Recipe

Italian Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

Category: Recipes

Italian Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

Milanese Tomato Sauce:
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 green pepper, cored, deseeded and diced
4 ozs. field mushrooms, porcini if possible, chopped
8 basil leaves, torn into peices
1 bay leaf
6 ozs. full bodied red wine
2 tbsps. tomato puree
2 14 oz. cans chopped tomatoes
8 ozs. fresh tomatoes, skinned, seeds removed and chopped

Filling:
2 tbsps. extra virgin olive oil
1 large eggplant, quartered
2 large zucchinis, quartered
1 large red pepper, cored, deseeded and quartered
1 large yellow pepper cored, deseeded and quartered
1 fennel bulb, quartered
2 red onions
1 tbsp. dried basil or similar herb
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 whole garlic head, roasted with the vegetables and squeezed
into the filling after roasting

Cheese Sauce:
1 1/4 pints milk
3 ozs. butter
2 ozs. unbleached plain white flour
1 egg yolk (optional)
2 ozs. strong gorgonzola, crumbled
2 ozs. very sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 ozs. mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tbsps. sour cream (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the tomato sauce: Use the ingredients above and make it the day before or use your own recipe or buy a ready made tomato and basil sauce.

For the filling: First you will roast the vegetables separately. Brush a large glass dish with olive oil and brush each piece of vegetable with oil and arrange on the baking sheet. Add a dash of white balsamic vinegar. Season with dried herbs, salt and pepper. Roast in a pre-heated oven, 400 degrees, until cooked, about 40 to 60 minutes. Set aside to cool. When cool, you may wish to cut the vegetables further.

Make the cheese sauce by warming the milk in a large heavy saucepan. Melt the butter in another saucepan, add the flour and cook for a few minutes without letting it colour. Then gradually add the warmed milk, stirring constantly to keep the mixture smooth. When all the milk has been added let the sauce simmer very gently for about 10 minutes. Stir in the egg yolk, cheeses and seasoning. Add freshly grated nutmeg and remove from the heat. Add the sour cream and adjust the seasoning, it necessary.

To assemble the lasagne, brush the bottom of a 5 pint ovenproof dish generously with olive oil. Place 4 sheets of lasagne on the
bottom of the dish and top with half of the tomato sauce, half of the roasted vegetables and one-third of the cheese sauce. Top this
with 4 more sheets of lasagne and repeat the process until you have one-third of the cheese sauce left, with which to top the
remaining layer of lasagne. Garnish with the tomato slices.

Place in a preheated oven, 350 degree and bake for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until the top is golden. Allow the lasagne to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 6.