Summer Lasagna

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Ingredients

Method

1. TO MAKE THE PASTA:
2. Place the flours and sea salt onto your work bench and combine. Create a well in the centre. Crack in the 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks. Using a fork, gently begin to whisk the eggs into the flour to incorporate. Slowly begin to pour a little of your warm water, as you whisk with your fork. You may not need all the warm water – only add if dough is dry and not forming into a dough.
3. Bring the dough together using your hands and scraper. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until it is smooth and not too sticky. Cover with a bowl (or cling wrap) and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into four even pieces. Using one piece at a time (cover remaining pieces with the bowl or cling wrap), set the rollers at their widest (kneading) setting – zero. Feed the dough through the rollers. Fold it into a third (one end fold to middle and other end fold over to reach other end) turn it and feed it through the rollers again, repeating the same process 3-4 more times. If the pasta sheet is sticky, brush with flour. Once you have a (roughly) even rectangle sheet, more onto next step.
5. Turn the rollers to the next line setting – 1. Feed the pasta sheet through the rollers. Dust with a little flour if it feels sticky. Only need to roll at this level once.
6. Turn the rollers to the next line setting – 2. Feed the pasta through the rollers once only. Continue this process until you reach the 6th line setting. You should now have a pasta dough that is smooth and rectangular. Cut your long rectangular sheet of pasta into 4 or 5 pieces. Lay the sheets of pasta on a lightly floured work surface or on a clean tea towel. Dust lightly with 00 flour to ensure sheets don't stick together.
7. Repeat steps 3 to 5 with the remaining three pieces of pasta dough.
8. TO MAKE THE TOMATO SUGO:
9. In a large saucepan over high heat, add olive oil and then the chopped onions. Stir and add in a good pinch of sea salt. Cook until onions are translucent! Now add in the chopped garlic and tomato passata. Stir and bring to the boil, after which you reduce the temperature to low and simmer until the sugo is thick and saucey.
10. TO PREPARE ADDITIONAL INGREIDNETS:
11. Layer eggplant slices in between good sprinkles of sea salt in a colander for 30 minutes – to soften and remove any bitterness. Then rinse sea salt off each eggplant slice with room temperature water. Dry each slice with paper-towel. Over high heat and using a griddle pan, drizzle each eggplant slice with olive oil and then grill each side of the eggplant slice for about 3 minutes or until cooked. Remove from heat and set aside until needed.
12. TO ASSEMBLE:
13. Preheat oven to 180°C.
14. Bring a large pot of salty water to the boil. Once the water comes to the boil, pour in a good drizzle of olive oil. Now drop in the 4 to 5 sheets of pasta to cook at once. Allow to cook for 1 to 2 minutes only. Drain. Run under cold water to allow to handle the lasagna pasta sheets. Begin to assemble the lasagna.
15. Using a large rectangle baking dish (roughly 20cm x 40cm - but can be whatever you have).
16. Place a large spoonful of tomato sugo at base of baking dish. Spread to cover thickly over the bottom. Place a layer of precooked pasta sheets (precook the pasta sheets as you need them for the layering process) to cover over all the tomato sugo, then commence adding ingredients; scatter with a good handful amount of pecorino cheese, then add a layer of eggplant slices, then capsicums stripes, then add pieces of ricotta cheese, then mozzarella cheese, then basil leaves and then with a little more pecorino. Finish with a light seasoning of sea salt and white pepper.
17. Repeat step 4 until you reach 2/3 or close to the top of the baking tray. The last layer and top of the lasagna will be – a spread of tomato sugo and a very thick coating of ricotta, mozzarella and pecorino cheese.
18. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes (or until cooked through). Then take off foil and allow the top cheese layer to cook further until golden brown and develops crunchy cheese top.
19. Take out of oven and allow to sit for about 5-10 minutes. It is now ready to serve.
20. Serve with a garden salad.