SCAMORZA & COURGETTE LASAGNA

I absolutely love scamorza (a smoked cheese very similar to mozzarella) and had been wanting to try it as part of a main dish for a while. 

This courgette lasagna with a homemade béchamel sauce seemed the perfect opportunity to finally make that happen and the end result was a rather delicious, unusual, vegetarian friendly lasagna that I will most certainly make again!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium courgettes, roughly chopped into chunky pieces (580g)
• squeeze lemon juice
• 11 lasagna sheets 
• 200g scamorza, torn
• 60g parmesan, grated
• salt + pepper

BECHAMEL SAUCE

• 80 g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 80 g (2/3 cup) all purpose flour
• 800 ml (3 1/3 cups) whole milk
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• Pinch of nutmeg (optional)

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 200C degrees + prep a 9inch baking tray.
• Set a large frying pan to a medium to high heat + add half the courgettes with 1 tbsp olive oil. 
• Season with salt + pepper. Fry for 5-6min or until golden on all sides + cooked. 
• Do the same with the 2nd batch. 
• Squeeze lemon juice over fried courgettes.
• To make the béchamel In heavy bottom saucepan melt the butter over low heat. 
• Sprinkle the flour on top; mix well with a wooden spoon.
• Cook, stirring frequently, for 30 seconds to 1 minute to make a light roux. 
• It will look like thick paste. 
• Do not burn.
• Take the pan off the heat. 
• Add 1/2 cup milk and whisk thoroughly to break up the lumps. 
• Keep whisking until the mixture looks creamy. 
• Slowly add the rest of the milk, whisking continuously as you pour. 
• Return the pan to the heat. 
• Adjust to medium-low. 
• Cook the sauce, whisking often, until it has thickened to the consistency of runny sour cream (it will thicken more as it cools). 
• This should take about 12 minutes or more depending on the size of your pan. 
• Season with salt to taste.
• When ready, the sauce should coat the back of a wooden spoon
• Now time to assemble!
• Add a few spoons of the béchamel to the tray to create a thin layer. 
• Then a layer of lasagna sheets followed by more béchamel sauce.
• Top with half the courgettes scattered on top and the scamorza + parmesan and then repeat again! 
• Finish with a layer of pasta on top, more of the béchamel sauce, some more scamorza and salt + pepper. 
• Place in the oven for 35mins or util the pasta is cooked. 
• Leave to sit for 5-10mins before serving!

SPAGHETTI ALLA NERANO

I have been trying to perfect my pasta with courgettes for years now and have made a ton of recipes along the way - this Stanley Tucci approved Spaghetti Alla Nerano may just be my favourite yet!

It takes a little time to prep (you can't rush deep frying the courgette in batches until golden brown) but the effort is more than worth it.

The ingredients may seem simple on paper but the end result shines in terms of flavours and truly makes the courgettes the deserving star of this dish.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg Courgette
• 300ml Olive Oil
• 25g Basil
• 400g Spaghetti
• 50g Butter
• 100g Parmesan
• 100g Pecorino

METHOD

• Finely slice the courgettes into rounds about 3mm thick 
• Heat the olive oil in a high-sided pan to 170°C. 
• You can test this by throwing in a round of courgette – it should sizzle immediately.
• Fry all of the courgettes in batches until it’s deep golden brown, placing the fried courgettes onto a large paper towel-lined baking tray as you go. 
• Once they're all fried, transfer to a bowl, toss with a tsp of salt and place into the fridge. 
• Place a large frying pan over a low heat and add the courgette, a quarter of the butter and 2 tbsp of water. Warm gently, stirring occasionally.
• Put the spaghetti on to boil in lightly-salted water. 
• Once the pasta is still nice and al dente, transfer to the pan with the courgettes along with 100ml of the cooking water. Tear in the basil leaves, add the remaining butter and stir vigorously.
• Add most of the cheese (save 2 tbsp for garnish) then continue stirring to make a creamy, glossy sauce that coats the pasta.
• Plate up and top with the cheese.