Rachel's Recipes

MEDITERRANEAN

Ligurian potato and pesto lasagne

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Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 6

300g green beans, trimmed
500g small waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
300g fresh lasagne sheets (about 8 large sheets)
50g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated
1 small handful pine nuts

For the pesto
50g pine nuts
1 plump garlic clove, peeled
25g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), finely grated, plus extra to serve
2 large handfuls basil leaves
200ml olive oil
Salt and black pepper

For the bechamel
50g butter
50g plain flour
600ml whole milk
1 parmesan rind, if you have it (optional)
Freshly grated nutmeg

First make the pesto. Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan for a few minutes, until golden all over, then tip into a food processor with the garlic, parmesan, basil and half the oil. Blitz to a paste while slowly pouring in the rest of the oil, until the pesto is pale green and creamy. Season to taste, then scrape into a bowl (cover with extra oil if making ahead).

Now for the bechamel. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook gently for a couple of minutes. Pour in the milk bit by bit, stirring between each splash, until you’ve got a smooth, creamy sauce. Add the optional parmesan rind, leave the sauce to bubble gently for a few minutes, then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Drop in the green beans, simmer for three to four minutes, until just tender, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same water, simmer the potato slices for five or six minutes, until just cooked through, then drain.

Heat the oven to 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½. Spoon a little bechamel over the base of a roughly 20cm x 30cm ovenproof baking dish and top with a layer of lasagne sheets. Drizzle over a generous spoonful of pesto, then scatter on a few green beans. Add a layer of sliced potatoes and some grated parmesan, seasoning lightly as you build up the dish. Repeat with more pasta, a little bechamel, more pesto and veg until the beans and potatoes are used up, but you still have plenty of bechamel and pesto left over. . Swirl the remaining pesto and bechamel over the top layer of pasta, then scatter on the remaining parmesan and the untoasted pine nuts.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and bubbling, then remove and leave to sit for five to 10 minutes before cutting the lasagne into squares.

Grilled nectarine and burrata salad with pickled onions, tomato and mint

Prep 35 min
Cook 10 min
Serves 4

1 red onion,peeled and finely sliced
2 tbsp good-quality white wine vinegar
2 tsp caster sugar, or honey
Salt and pepper
40g pumpkin seeds
2 not-too-ripe nectarines
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cucumber, cut in half lengthways, deseeded and cut into diagonal chunks
300g baby yellow or red tomatoes, halved
2 big handfuls mint leaves, roughly chopped
80g rocket
Juice of ½ lemon
250g burrata

Put the onion in a small bowl, add the vinegar and caster sugar, and toss to coat. Season and set aside.

Tip the pumpkin seeds into a small frying pan set over a medium heat and toast for a few minutes, shaking the pan every now and then, until lightly toasted all over. Tip out on to a plate and set aside.

Put a griddle pan on a medium-high heat. Run a sharp knife around the seam of the nectarines, pull them in half and gently remove and discard the stones without damaging the flesh. Cut each half into quarters, then put in a bowl, toss with a tablespoon of oil and season. When the griddle is smoking hot, grill the nectarine slices for a few minutes on each side, until char marks appear but they are still holding their shape (you can also do this under a hot grill).

Put the cucumber, tomatoes, mint and rocket in a large bowl, squeeze over the lemon juice, drizzle with a few tablespoons of oil and season well. Toss gently, then arrange on a platter or individual salad plates.

Break open the burrata and tear it into pieces over the salad, tucking in the nectarine slices as you do. Scatter over the pickled onions, dress with their pickling liquor and season the lot with freshly ground black pepper, a little sea salt and a final drizzle of your best olive oil. Sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and eat at once.