Jono & Jules do food & wine

Just in time for our annual asparagus gorging season last year, this vibrant asparagus lasagne by Meera Sodha, published in The Guardian, landed right on cue. It’s a spring celebration in lasagne form and now you’re ready for when it lands this year!

Wine Suggestion: To create a balance between the contrasting green, earthy flavours of aspargus and the salty, sharp cheese you need a wine with a higher aciduty and minerally texture. We were inspired by the Pecorino cheese and looked to Italy and the Marche and opened Sartarelli’s old-vine Verdicchio “Tralivio” which was just what we were looking for, and the back notes of green almonds added a layer of flavour that surprised and delighted us.

Asparagus Lasagne – serves 6

• 80g unsalted butter
• 40g plain flour
• 1 litre full-fat milk
• 160g pecorino, finely grated
• 2 big pinches of coarsely ground black pepper
• about 900g asparagus, snap off the woody ends
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and very finely sliced
• 350g leeks, finely sliced, then rinsed and drained
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 25g fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped
• 500g pack dried lasagne sheets (you won’t need the whole pack)

Make the bechamel first by melting 40g of the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the flour and stir constantly for a minute or two. Gradually whisk in the milk, stirring continuously, until the sauce thickens to a double cream consistency, add half the grated pecorino, the black pepper and a half tsp of salt. Mix well and remove from the heat.

Roughly pulse the asparagus in a food processor until the it is in rough ½ cm pieces. Melt the rest of the butter in a large frying pan or saute pan over a medium heat. Addd the garlic and cook, stirring for a couple of minutes. Stir in the leeks and cook for 4 minutes or until wilted then add the chopped asparagus and stir-fry for 5-6 minutes or until softened but still retaining a bite. Stir in the lemon zest, mint and three-quarters tsp salt.

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6.

Spread half the asparagus mix in the base of a 20cm x 30cm baking dish. Layer lasagne sheets over to cover, then ladle in half the bechamel and spread it out evenly. Repeat the layers again, finishing with the final layer of bechamel. Sprinkle over the rest of the pecorino cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbling, then remove from the oven and leave to rest for 15 mintues before serving.

(Origina recipe by Meera Sodha in The Guardian)