Chorizo and Broccoli Lasagna

To make a good lasagne is not too difficult; the trick is to get the balance of the components correct. There are four components; the pasta sheets, the tomato sauce, the white sauce and a centre ingredient ie. ground meat or aubergine or like this recipe, chorizo and broccoli. If that balance is incorrect you stand to end up with a sloppy lasagne or a dry one. Or perhaps your tomato is too tart or your white sauce too “flourey”. The proportions are also important; one doesn’t want to have too much meat and hardly any pasta, or too much white sauce that you can not see the rest. In any case, I hope I have not scared you off. Generally it’s a winner – give it a go.

Good quality Chorizo
A head of broccoli
Half an onion
x4 Cloves of garlic
Bowl of fresh tomatoes or a tin
Italian herbs
Salt & pepper
1/2 tsp sugar (only if using tinned tomatoes)
Lasagne sheets
Dash of red wine
Flour
Milk
Butter
Cheese (preferably mature cheddar & some gorgonzola if you like the taste)
Parmesan

First get your tomato sauce on the go. Finely chop and fry onion. Add garlic when onion is transparent and fry on a low heat for a few minutes. Add tomatoes, Italian herbs and salt/pepper and leave to simmer on a low heat for about an hour or so.

Thinly slice your chorizo and fry gently in a pan to release the oils and enhance the flavour - be careful you don’t burn this, as that wont taste too good. When a slight golden colour, remove and set aside to cool (its fine if the chorizo falls apart a bit).

In the same oil left in the pan, add some butter and start your white sauce. When better has melted into the oil, add a couple table spoons of flour (depending on the amount of fat, you want to get a nice paste). When the flour and fat have formed a paste, lower the heat and slowly start to add milk, stir furiously. I use a whisk here, but a wooden spoon will work. Keep adding the milk and stirring. Try not to get any lumps, just stir harder/quicker if you do. Eventually you should have a nice white sauce, thin it out further if you need to, as it will thicken in the oven. Add some salt and pepper and grate some cheese in - as much as you think appropriate, I also add a touch of gorgonzola or blue for an extra depth of flavour and richness.

Cut broccoli into chunks and steam/boil till relatively soft. Remove from heat and cut into small pieces and set aside to cool.

Now make the lasagne. Get an oven dish of appropriate size and start the layering process. Start with some white sauce, then tomato, then chorizo & broccoli then lasagne. Make sure you finish with the white sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and pop in a 180` oven for about 30 - 40 minutes. When done, take out and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before tucking in. Enjoy!