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| Smoked Tomato Lasagne
Pics by Steve Shanahan
© Redbox Photography
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First published Canberra Times 6 May 2015.
As the
cold weather kicks in, we witness the slow demise of the tomato plants that are
so prolific throughout our short growing season in Canberra. Despite the fact
these poor plants don’t seem to understand that it’s time to call it a day and give up, they still try and
keep producing.
As an ode
to the faithful tomato I wanted to make a dish that provided a fitting send off
and settled on the process of smoking the tomatoes in a stovetop smoker. This
was to give that extra punch to my lasagne.
The hot
sun and scant rain provide perfect conditions as I harvest plump, very ripe
tomatoes from my plant. So I go into my peasant, down homey kind of thing that
happens when I use my own garden produce to make something extra special and
get personal with my tomatoes.
For this
dish, it involved making a stovetop smoker by adapting an old stainless stock
pot and lid. I laid some foil on the inside base, then a handful of hickory
chips, another layer of foil and then placed an old round metal cake cooler
over the foil. I placed four large, salted, halved tomatoes cut side up on the
cake cooler and then placed the lid on the top and sealed with layers of foil
to prevent the smoke from escaping.
I turned
the exhaust fan on maximum suck, placed my smoker on a medium heat until I
could smell the faintest smell of smoke, then I turned the heat well down and
continued cooking for fifteen minutes. I
removed the foil and lid carefully, and lifted the tomatoes out carefully. They
were clearly well smoked, a pretty rosy red and dripping with sweet juices. If
you prefer a lighter smoke flavour, cook for five to ten minutes only.
The
smoked tomatoes provide a powerful, smokey hit and add a complex richness to all
the ingredients, including the Italian sausage, but the tomatoes are the
obvious superstars here. Although this unusual lasagne could also be made
without smoking the tomatoes, it would benefit from using very ripe and punchy
tomatoes.
We
finished our meal with a gorgeous, rosy apple tart, to celebrate the seasons.
Perfect for this time of year. The apple tart should be started a few hours
prior to cooking as the almond paste needs to thicken.
Any
leftover lasagne or béchamel sauce can be frozen for
later use.
Preheat
the oven to 175C and lightly grease a 28cm x 20cm lasagne dish or size
thereabouts.
Serves 6
to 8
Smoked Tomato Lasagna
3 large,
ripe tomatoes, halved
400g tin
of tomato puree
2 tsp brown
sugar
large
pinch of grated nutmeg
pinch salt
and pepper
1 cup of
béchamel sauce
2 tbsp
butter
2 tbsp
olive oil
300g
mushrooms, sliced
400g
ricotta cheese
2 eggs,
lightly beaten
¼ cup basil, chopped
500g raw Italian
sausages, sliced into 1.5cm slices
250g fresh
lasagne sheets
200g
mozzarella cheese, grated
Using a
stovetop smoker and following the above instructions, smoke the tomatoes, cut
side up and salted. When cooked, remove the tomatoes from smoker, allow to cool,
and peel off the skins.
Place the
skinned tomatoes into a bowl and puree with a blender. Stir in the tinned
tomato puree and mix the béchamel sauce through. Season
with salt, pepper, nutmeg and brown sugar. Set aside.
Warm the
oil and butter together in a large frypan over a high heat. Add the sliced
mushrooms and fry until the moisture has cooked out of the mushrooms and
softened, about ten minutes. Set aside.
In
another bowl, mix the ricotta, basil and eggs together, adding salt and pepper
to taste. Set aside.
To
assemble, spread one cup of the smoked tomato sauce mixture into the bottom of
the lasagne dish. Place a layer of lasagne sheets over the sauce, cutting to
fit. Add another cup of smoked tomato sauce, then half the mushrooms, half the
sausage, and dollop with half the ricotta mixture. Repeat the layering, ending
with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the top with grated mozzarella cheese.
Cover
tightly with foil and bake for forty-five minutes. Remove the foil and continue
baking until the cheese is golden, about thirty minutes extra.
Allow the
lasagne to stand for about fifteen minutes before serving. The lasagne will
hold together better, the longer it is allowed to sit so the lasagne sheets can
absorb the juices.
Bechamel Sauce
4 tbsp
unsalted butter
4 tbsp
plain flour
2 cups
warmed milk
pinch salt
and pepper
In a
medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir for
about two minutes. Keep the mixture from browning.
Gradually
pour in the warmed milk, whisking constantly. Bring the milk mixture to the boil
and then reduce the heat to low, and, still whisking, let simmer for about five
minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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| Crackly Apple Tart. |
Crackly Apple Tart
Almond
Paste
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup almond meal
1 large
egg
½ tsp vanilla paste
5 tbsp
double cream
Tart
7 sheets
of Filo pastry, cut to 23cm width x 33cm length
5 tbsp
unsalted butter, melted
3 tbsp
sugar
3 sweet,
red apples
3 tsp
apricot jam, strained to remove solids so only the gel is remaining.
2 tsp
water
Mix the
almond meal and sugar together in a bowl.
To make
the almond paste, beat the egg, vanilla and salt together in a large bowl.
Whisk in half the almond and sugar mixture and then the cream. Finish by
whisking in the remaining almond and sugar mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and
chill for a couple of hours.
Preheat
oven to 175C and prepare a rack in the centre of oven. Line a biscuit tray with
baking paper or a silicone sheet.
Place a
sheet of filo pastry on the tray and brush gently with the melted butter and
sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar. Cover the sheet of filo with another sheet
and repeat the process of stacking, buttering and sugaring until all the filo
is used up. Carefully spread the almond paste over the top sheet, minding not
to tear the sheet, leaving a narrow border without paste around the edge of the
filo sheet.
Slice
each apple in half and remove the cores. Slice each half into very thin slices
and arrange in 3 vertical rows over the almond paste. Press the slices down so
they are embedded slightly in the almond paste.
Bake the
tart for about half an hour or until the apples are soft when pricked with a
sharp knife. If the apples are very pale, you can place under a grill for a few
minutes to bring them up in colour.
Transfer
the tray to a cooling rack and heat the strained jam and water in a microwave
to form a glaze. Gently brush the glaze over the entire tart. Serve sliced or
broken up with fingers, warmed or at room temperature with cream or ice
cream.
