Lengthy Spring Lasagne with Chicken
Sheer spinach pasta layered with tarragon mustard chicken, silky béchamel, shaved raw zucchini, blanched peas and asparagus, and dabs of pesto - a proper labour of love, but every component can be made ahead.
Serves: 8-10
Prep time: about 2 hours (using pre-made pasta sheets, pesto, béchamel and chicken)
Cook time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the tarragon mustard chicken
3-4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2-3 whole marinated artichokes, finely diced
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 tablespoon cold water
salt and black pepper
For the grilled baby zucchini (to finish)
baby zucchini with flowers attached
olive oil
salt
sherry vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan
lemon zest
For the spring vegetables
1 large zucchini, very finely shaved on a mandolin
2 bunches asparagus, woody ends trimmed, finely sliced on the bias
1 cup frozen baby peas
olive oil
salt
For the pesto
3 bunches basil, leaves picked
100g pine nuts, toasted
1 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
good pinch of salt
1 cup good olive oil
squeeze of lemon (optional)
For the béchamel
70g butter
70g flour
1L milk
nutmeg, salt and white pepper, to taste
2 egg yolks
To assemble
2 cups mozzarella, grated
extra Parmesan and lemon, to finish
good olive oil, to finish
METHOD
Manually mince the chicken thighs by hand into small, chunky cubes.
Heat a frying pan until very hot. Add the chicken in an even layer, season, and resist touching it for a few minutes to get a good crisp on the sides. Brown for about 15 minutes in total.
Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add the diced artichokes and stir through.
Add the tarragon and Dijon mustard, stir through, then deglaze with the white wine.
Add the chicken stock and simmer to reduce slightly.
Mix the cornflour and cold water to a slurry and stir through until the sauce thickens. Season well with black pepper and set aside.
Halve the baby zucchini and toss with olive oil and salt. Grill cut-side down in a very hot, dry pan for 5-10 minutes until charred, then set aside. Finish with a light sprinkle of sherry vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan and lemon zest.
Blanch the sliced asparagus and peas together in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain and toss with olive oil and salt.
For the pesto, blend the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic and salt with the olive oil until combined. Add a squeeze of lemon if using.
For the béchamel, melt the butter in a pan until gently foaming. Add the flour and stir well until it deepens in colour and smells slightly nutty. Add all the milk at once and whisk well - this distributes the flour evenly as it thickens, without needing to add it gradually. Season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper.
Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Add a ladle of the hot béchamel to the yolks, whisking constantly, to temper them, then slowly pour the tempered yolks back into the béchamel, whisking, for a glossy, stable sauce.
Blanch the pasta sheets, then rinse in cold water.
Oil a baking pan well with a pastry brush and scatter a handful of baby spinach in the base - this is sacrificial, to catch anything that burns or sticks.
Layer in 3 pasta sheets. Pipe over a layer of béchamel (a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped works, or dollop it on with a spoon). Dot with chunks of the tarragon mustard chicken. Cover with a layer of raw shaved zucchini, sprinkle with mozzarella, scatter over the peas and asparagus, and dot with pesto.
Repeat the layering once more.
Top with the final 3 pasta sheets. Pipe with béchamel, arrange the grilled baby zucchini and flowers on top, sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan, and drizzle with oil.
Bake at 200C for 30 minutes, until bubbling.
As soon as it comes out of the oven, finish with extra Parmesan, lemon and a drizzle of very good olive oil. Allow it to set slightly before cutting.
HINTS
The pasta sheets, pesto, béchamel and chicken can all be made a day ahead, leaving just assembly on the day.
Piping the béchamel rather than dolloping it gives a much more even layer through the lasagne - worth the extra step if you've already gone to the effort of making everything else from scratch.
This one uses almost every pot and pan in the kitchen, so give yourself bench space and don't try to do it all in one sitting.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 8-10 - guide only):
Energy: approximately 30000kJ (7200 calories)
Protein: 350g
Fat: 500g
Saturated fat: 200g
Carbohydrates: 230g
Sugars: 20g
Fibre: 20g
Sodium: 4000mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.