I have been having a field day at the market recently. Huge bunches of chard jostle for space with leeks and new potatoes, not to mention the stands brimming with beautifully coloured dahlias. White Lake Cheese, which operates one of my favourite stalls, has been experimenting with a young aged goat’s cheese that tastes a bit like caerphilly, and its tangy, rich, butter flavour seemed destined for this stunning lasagne, which you can dress up or down depending on whatever ingredients you have in the house.
Four-cheese greens lasagne
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Serves 6-8
3 medium leeks
200g spinach, or nettles
400g swiss chard
25g butter
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
3 bay leaves
1 handful thyme sprigs, leaves picked
200g peas, fresh or frozen
150ml white wine
1 large handful dill, finely chopped
300g mozzarella, torn
80g parmesan, grated
250-300g lasagne sheets
For the bechamel
50g butter
3 tbsp plain or spelt flour
600ml whole milk
¼ nutmeg
250g ricotta
100g caerphilly, lancashire or cheddar, grated
First, prep the veg. Cut the leeks in half lengthways, wash under cold, running water, then cut into 2½cm-wide slices. Wash the spinach and chard in cold water. Tear the leaves from the chard stems, then cut the stalks into 2½cm slices and both leaves into ribbons.
Heat a large casserole on a medium heat and add the butter and oil. Once the butter has melted, season well, then add the leeks and sweat for seven or eight minutes. Stir in the chard stalks, garlic, bay leaves and thyme, and cook for another five to six minutes. Stir in the chard and spinach leaves, peas, white wine and dill, cover and simmer gently for seven or eight minutes, until the leaves have wilted and everything is tender. Taste and check the seasoning.
While the vegetables are cooking, make the bechamel. Put a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat and add the butter. Once it’s sizzling, add the flour and stir for a few minutes, until it turns pale brown and smells deliciously nutty. Start pouring in the milk bit by bit, beating between each addition to make a smooth paste and, eventually, a sauce. Season well with salt, pepper and plenty of ground nutmeg, and stir in the ricotta and grated hard cheese.
Spread some of the vegetable mixture in the base of a roughly 30cm x 20cm baking dish. Spoon over a quarter of the bechamel, followed by some torn mozzarella and a scattering of parmesan, cover with some of the pasta sheets, then repeat until all the sauce and greens have been used up, finishing with a layer of pasta covered by the last of the bechamel and cheese.
Bake in a 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 oven for 35-40 minutes, until hot, bubbling and tender when a skewer is inserted. Serve with garlic bread and/or salad.
