Roast Pepper Lasagne and Joan Collins

My pescetarian Kat (that's her full title) and Kazza Wellard (again her full name) wanted some dinner when they came to stay (greedy so and so's). After taunting me by eating Chocolate Caramel Digestives, which I couldn't eat at the time because I was off chocolate for lent, I thought I better make them something.

So I went for a recipe out of Cook Step By Step called Roast Pepper Lasagne. This wasn't quite as easy as I had hoped, especially as just as it came to assembling it I had to go and call Joan Collins for work.

Luckily Kazza and Kat stepped in.

There are quite a few ingredients in big portions! I had a stockpile for the freezer!! It definitely tasted a lot better fresh. Not sure if it was worth all the hassle. Perhaps if you buy ready roasted peppers it would be easier.



Here's the ingredients:

For the tomato sauce:

2 x 400g cans tomatoes

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

leaves from one bunch of basil

leaves from 7 to 10 oregano sprigs (I used dried)

leaves from 1 bunch of flat leaved parsley (again I used dried)

salt and pepper



For the lasagne:

4 red peppers

4 green peppers

2 tbsp olive oil

750g thinly sliced mushrooms

1kg ricotta cheese

pinch of ground nutmeg

375g lasagne sheets

175g freshly grated Parmesan



1. Put the tomatoes, half the garlic and two thirds of the herbs in a shallow pan. Season. Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for 25 to 35 minutes, until thickened. Put in a food processor and puree into smooth (I forgot to do this).

2. Grill the peppers, 10cm from the rack, into blackened on all sides. Put in a plastic bag, seal and cool. Peel off the skins. Halve the peppers, scrape out the core and seeds and cut into 1cm strips.

3. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the mushrooms and remaining garlic and cook, stirring for 10 to 12 minutes, until liquid evaporates. Put the ricotta, remaining herbs and nutmeg, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir together.

4. Fill a large pan with water and bring to the boil. Add 1 tbsp of salt and add the lasagne a sheet at a time and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes (my sheets got stuck together so perhaps add oil). Drain on a tea towel.

5. The heat the oven to 180c (350f/ gas mark 4). Brush a baking dish with oil. Spread 3-4 tbsp of tomato sauce in the dish, cover with a layer of lasagne sheets, overlapping slightly.

6. Spread on a quarter of the ricotta, then a quarter of mushrooms and peppers. Spoon over a fifth of the remaining tomato sauce, and Parmesan. Continue to make four later, finishing with lasagne on top. Cover with the remaining sauce and Parmesan. Bake the lasagne for 35 to 45 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.



I served with salad and bread.