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Recipes from my Lincolnshire kitchen

kale, mushroom and beetroot lasagna with mozzarella béchamel

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… if you know anything about California you’d be able to tell instantly from the title of this post that i’ve just returned from the annual winter sojourn to the sunshine state… Kale is like a culinary rash over there. A superfood that to my mind has turned into a bit of a super-villain… from burger bar to sushi restaurant, from vegan brunch to traditional Mexican, it’s on every menu in town… and it seems to be heading this way over here too. It’s absolutely hysterical – and of course the Californian’s don’t see the irony – and most times i’ve ordered it it’s been absolutely disgusting. Some of the kale ‘salads’ were literally huge piles of steamed kale tossed in some kind of dressing with a few other things thrown in but the proportions are so out of balance that for 30 minutes you’re eating nothing but kale… not fun. I realise it’s super-healthy and we did have an incredible kale smoothie that tasted great but that was only because of the added ginger and lime… and if I refer you to the comments from my last post it seems that many of you agree with my thoughts… so hopefully here’s something nice with just a little kale…

… hysterically on popping out to the shops today my local market actually didn’t have any kale – shock horror – so i’m using some left-over pre-chopped kale and some cavolo nero which is working just as well…

kale, mushroom and beetroot lasagna with mozzarella béchamel 
when I first started to think about this lasagna I knew I wanted to create something healthy with layers of vegetables and sauces but I wasn’t sure exactly how the construction would come together. At first I was thinking i’d do something classic with pasta and béchamel alongside a rich tomato sauce but then I thought that perhaps I should do away with the layers of pasta altogether and use the kale as a substitute which i’ve done here, also adding a sliced beetroot layer for colour… it also means I can use a very small amount of mozzarella béchamel and not feel too guilty… it’s worked really well and I must say i’m very pleased with the outcome. It’s a little time consuming but well worth the effort.

100g kale / cavolo nero / cabbage at a push
2 or 3 beetroots – thinly sliced
100g portobello or field mushrooms – thickly sliced
fresh rosemary and fresh thyme
1 large teaspoon of orgeno – dried or fresh
olive oil and butter
salt and pepper

for the tomato sauce
this sauce needs a minimum of two hours, longer if possible
2 medium onions – finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic – crushed
butter and olive oil
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
1 x tin’s worth of half white wine, half stock or water
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
fresh basil, rosemary, thyme and oregano

for the mozzarella béchamel
750ml full fat milk
75g unsalted butter
2oz plain flour
250g fresh mozzarella
salt and freshly ground pepper

pre-heat the oven to 160C and line a baking tray with parchment or foil

make the tomato sauce first, or if you have time, make the sauce the day before for extra flavour – add the onions to a large hot pan with olive oil and a little butter and gently saute them for about 20 mins on a medium heat, with a pinch or two of sugar and some chopped fresh herbs… keep your eye on them, they want a little golden colour but you don’t want them to stick, add the garlic and sauté for another 10 minutes

add the tinned tomatoes, wine, vinegar and stock to the onions, turn the heat to it’s very lowest and let them plop away gently for at least an hour and a half if not longer.

steam the kale until al dente then set aside

lay the sliced beetroot onto the baking tray and either drizzle with a little olive oil or spritz with an oil or butter spray, season well with salt and pepper and sprinkle with a little thyme – bake for 30 mins or until beginning to soften, you don’t want to over-ook this, you still want a little bite – once cooked, set aside

in a large pan, heat some olive oil and butter and then saute the mushrooms with a little oregano until soft, use a medium heat and let them really gently sweat down, after about 10 minutes add a lot of freshly grated pepper and then cook for a further 5 mins or until soft and golden – set aside

to make the béchamel sauce, heat the milk until hot but not boiling, then remove from the heat
in another saucepan, melt the butter, then remove from the heat and stir in the flour. Put the pan back on a gentle heat and cook the flour, stirring continuously for about a minute

take the pan off the heat again and add a little of the milk, continuing to stir. Adding the milk slowly and stirring like this will ensure no lumps form. Continue to add the milk a little at a time until it is al encorporated, then return the pan to the heat and cook until the sauce comes to the boil, season, turn down the heat to its very lowest and cook gently for another 15 minutes, making sure to stir often… add the mozzarella and stir until melted

now it’s time to construct the lasagna… I started with a layer of kale followed by a layer of tomato sauce, then mushrooms, then béchamel and then beetroot and repeated as I went… finish off with the béchamel and perhaps a sprinkling of grated parmesan

bake in the oven for 20 mins until piping hot and serve immediately

eat and of course, enjoy!

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Comments

  1. Karen S Booth says

    So true and so amusing Dom, I have used and enjoyed kale ( and grown ) for years, and I laugh at how “on trend” it has become -and as you say, badly cooked sometimes.

  2. Karen S Booth says

    So true and so amusing Dom, I have used and enjoyed kale ( and grown ) for years, and I laugh at how “on trend” it has become -and as you say, badly cooked sometimes.

  8. From the Kitchen says

    That looks California healthy! Where were you in California? Our older son lives in Berkeley and La Jolla was our first home. I do, though, prefer Chicago.

    Best,
    Bonnie

  10. Susan Lindquist says

    My theory is that kale is coming to the end of its run as the trendy green here in the States … I'm looking for a new super green. Kale has its place and all, but it's been ubiquitous for a year or two and it's time for a change … so how about chards or escarole?

    Your veg lasagna, with its generous portion of beets and mushrooms puts kale in it place … as a supporting act.

  11. Jean says

    Your lasgne looks delicious and I wholeheartedly agree about kale!
    We have managed to eat without it for decades so I look forward to its fall from grace which hopefully will be as rapid as its rise to fame!

  12. Mark Willis says

    Your opening comments are very amusing, and so true! Our American cousins seem to want All or Nothing when it comes to food. I wonder how many of them honestly think kale is nice to eat (rather than being good for you)? And even nice things are best eaten in moderation. I remember eating in LA a Chicken Caesar Salad that was so enormous that it would easily have fed a family of four. (I didn't finish it, BTW). Curly kale can be quite nice if you eat only the tender bits (no stalks) and stir-fry it rapidly with garlic.

  15. Janice Pattie says

    hmmm Kale was grown in Scotland as animal feed or added to your Scotch Broth. I've been experimenting a bit with it to see if I can make it into something tasty as I think it is one of the few things I could grow in the garden in winter. Your Lasagna looks gorgeous, really colourful.

  17. Judit + Corina @Glamorous Bite says

    Your lasagna looks heavenly with the mozzarella béchamel, Dom! Luckily Kale has given up the center stage and other super greens are appearing on many California menus. Los Angeles and San Francisco is still the Kale capital of the US 🙂

  18. Lucy Parissi says

    It's funny how food trends get started… but this kale one has been around for a couple of years at least. I never was a big fan of kale but I am coming around to it and love using it in smoothies and soups. I recently designed a vegan cookbook (Greens 24/7) and there are a lot of kale recipes in that that look really good. Unsurprising as the author is the blogger behind Cupcakes and Kale!
    Love your lasagna it looks very tempting but I am content to just stare at the photos while I am on a diet!

  21. Choclette Blogger says

    It's quite fun to see what the latest super food is going to be. Kale makes me laugh as it's the old British stalwart of the poor. As it's one of the few things we grow successfully down at the plot, I'm thankful I like it. I think I'd love it in this lasagna – in fact I want a plate of this right NOW!