MY NEW FAVOURITE LASAGNE - PRAWN LASAGNE WITH HABANERO OIL

I am in absolute awe of this amazing lasagne that fuses Italian, Brazilian and Mexican culinary elements into something quite extraordinary, quite possible the best lasagne I have ever had.

Instead of the usual beef ragù, here finely minced garlic, onion, cherry tomatoes and king prawns are sautéed before habernero chilli, tomato puree, miso paste, white wine and fish stock are added to create the most flavourful and punchy prawn ragout.

This ragù gets layered up with lasagne sheets and a surprisingly great béchamel substitute, a mix of cream, chives and parmesan, before the finished concoction gets topped with a quickly made yet incredible habanero oil.

It may not be the most conventional of recipes but OMG it is one you won't forget devouring in a hurry - I for one am already planning to make this again for my next dinner party!!!

SERVES 2-3

INGREDIENTS 

• 250g fresh lasagne sheets
• 130g double cream, plus 1 tablespoon to serve
• 100g Parmesan, finely grated
• 10g fresh chives, finely chopped

FOR THE PRAWN RAGÙ

• 6 tbsp olive oil
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 200g sweet, ripe cherry tomatoes, such as Datterini, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 500g raw peeled king prawns, very finely chopped to mince consistency
• 1 dried habanero chilli (or chilli flakes if you prefer less heat)
• 80g tomato purée/paste
• 2 tsp white miso paste
• About 50 twists of freshly ground black pepper 
• 100g white wine
• 500g fish, shellfish or chicken stock (unsalted liquid stock, not cubes)

FOR THE HABANERO OIL

• 120g olive oil
• 2 tsp tomato purée/paste
• ½ tsp chipotle flakes
• 1 dried habanero chilli, seeds discarded, finely chopped (use less habanero or a pinch of regular chilli flakes if you prefer)
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• ¼ tsp fine salt

METHOD

• For the ragù, put 4 tablespoons of the oil into a large sauté pan on a medium heat with the onion, garlic, cherry tomatoes and fine salt. 
• Fry, stirring often, for 8–10 minutes or until the onions are soft and golden and the tomatoes have broken down.
• Increase the heat to high, add the chopped prawns and fry for another 8 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the prawn mince has taken on some colour.
• Add the habanero (or chilli flakes), tomato purée/paste, miso and plenty of pepper.
• Continue to fry for 3 minutes, stirring every now and then. 
• Turn the heat down if the mixture starts to catch or burn.
• Pour over the wine and let it bubble away for 30 seconds. 
• Add the stock (or water) and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for about 18–20 minutes. 
• Remove the habanero, squeezing it into the sauce first if you like heat.
• Meanwhile, put all the ingredients for the habanero oil into a small saucepan and place on a medium heat. 
• Mix well and heat until gently bubbling, about 1½ minutes. 
• Remove from the heat and set aside. 
• Once cool, transfer to a clean jar (you’ll only need a couple of tablespoons for this recipe).
• Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C.
• To assemble the lasagne, cover the bottom of a small baking dish with lasagne sheets, about 20 x 20cm or a similar size, then spread over a fifth of the ragù. 
• Follow with a fifth each of the cream, Parmesan and chives. 
• Continue layering in the same way until you’ve used up all the ingredients. 
• Drizzle over ½ tablespoon of the habanero oil, cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
• Increase the oven heat to 230°C fan/250°C, remove the foil and bake for another 12 minutes, or until the edges are crisp and the pasta is cooked through.
• Leave to cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!!