Portuguese custard tarts

Spice it up BY MALLORY FRAYN Lasagne

asagne is one of those dishes that almost immediately conjures up memories of comfort and care.

Whether you recall enjoying the dish around your family table having watched your mom or grandma spend the afternoon putting it together, or love to order it as a special treat at your favourite Italian restaurant, it’s a classic for a reason. Who doesn’t like layers of pasta, cheese, and sauce? Without trying to mess too much with tradition, there are always ways to tweak a recipe to transform it into the best version of itself. Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to top-notch lasagne in no time. L

“Pasta” It goes without saying that lasagne noodles are the traditional pasta of choice for lasagne, but there are plenty of other starchy and non-starchy options to layer with instead. Ultimately the key is that you want whatever you choose to be able to hold up in the layering process. If it is too delicate, it might disintegrate when you layer in sauces or other components that are high in moisture.

Staying within the gluten-based realm, crêpes are an excellent standby. The benefit with these is that they don’t need to be boiled first. So, if you have any leftover from brunch, rather than throwing them away, save them for dinner. There are also a number of different vegetables that will do the trick. Thinly sliced and blanched (par-cooked) potatoes or sweet potatoes can be used for a take on scalloped potatoes that is more focused on the fillings than the tuber itself. Seared or roasted zucchini or eggplant slices can alternately be layered in if you want to skip on the carbs altogether.

Sauce Lasagne is traditionally layered with a fairly bog-standard tomato sauce, with or without meat, and occasionally, bechamel, to add in a layer of creaminess. Keeping with this formula, it’s a nice complement to have one sauce that is more acidic and vegetable-forward, and another that brings more depth and richness to the table. Keep in mind that some cheeses, like ricotta, have a “self-saucing” effect that melts into the various layers.

For picky eaters, you can sneak more vegetables into your lasagne by finely grating carrots or zucchini into your favourite tomato sauce recipe. Or ditch the tomato sauce completely and use another vegetable-based puree like baba ghanoush, made from pureed eggplant. For carnivores, get meaty and layer your lasagne with slow-cooked Bolognese, or make a quick sausage ragù with spicy Italian sausage or chorizo. If you’d rather go vegetarian, load up on mushrooms for that meaty texture and flavour.

Fillings Aside from the pasta and sauce, the third component typically layered into lasagne is, you guessed it, cheese. While mozzarella and provolone are often used because of their ability to melt, there are ultimately more flavourful options to be had.

You can always double up with a mild, melting cheese and a stronger option that can be used more sparingly for pops of flavour. Blue cheese can add some pungency, whereas gruyère and comté are prized for their nutty, fruity notes. A good, aged cheddar never hurt either and can add more of a homey, “mac n’ cheese” vibe to the end product.

Don’t forget to think about creamy cheeses that can be layered in as more of a spread. Ricotta is a go-to and can always be amped up with fresh herbs, sliced olives, or even chopped pickles for salt and crunch. Traditional prairie recipes often sub in cottage cheese as a cheaper alternative to ricotta and frankly, it works just as well. Don’t like the chunks? Use an immersion blender to puree it before proceeding.

If you’re looking to make a non-dairy lasagne, season the bottom of the pan and prevent things from sticking, add a small layer of sauce to start. Then add your “noodle” layer, creamy component, and more sauce. Repeat. Make sure you leave room for at least three layers of each of your components. Ideally, the more layers, the better.

Don’t forget to top with plenty of cheese to help protect everything underneath, particularly if you’re using pasta, because you don’t want the noodles to dry out. And as tempting as it is to slice into it right away, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes when you pull it from the oven to give it time to set up. After all, you want to be able to admire all those beautiful layers!