Zucchini and Basil Lasagne

A beloved Ballymaloe recipe

Hi everyone!

I’m so excited to share this Ballymaloe lasagna recipe with you. It’s a perfect example of the kind of cooking and techniques I’m learning here, and they were kind enough to let me share it. The recipe itself reads like a cookbook handed down from generations with tips and commentary spilling out into the margins.

As with everything, this recipe is grounded in the Ballymaloe philosophy that good ingredients make good food. Starting with the freshest ingredients you can find or have available is key. Of course, if you’re not surrounded by wild garlic like the lucky residents in this area, you can use basil, marjoram or spinach.

I mentioned this in the Substack Live that we hosted this week (you can still watch it here if you missed it!), but this dish took me about 4 hours to make. It’s a whole production. The noodles are handmade, many steps require a recipe of their own, but the final product is astonishing. And because nothing is processed and all the ingredients are fresh, it’s actually not quite as heavy as the lasagna I am used to. Although it is still very rich and filling.

The recipe below is word-for-word what Ballymaloe provided, and what I followed in class.

A few notes: I ended up adding 3 extra egg yolks to the homemade pasta recipe because the eggs yesterday were very small. Depending on your egg size you might need to increase the egg yolks, JUST adding enough for the dough to come together.

I substituted the basil for wild garlic and added it in during the lasagna assembly—I did not cook it beforehand.

Ballymaloe Zucchini and Basil Lasagne

Serves 6-8

When you consider lasagne is just a technique then you can ring the changes with all manner of fillings. This simple vegetarian version is unexpectedly delicious. I sometimes use annual marjoram instead of basil with equally yummy results.

Ingredients:

9 sheets of homemade lasagne (see recipe below)
900g (2lbs) zucchini, thinly sliced
25g (1oz/1/4 stick) butter a dash of olive oil salt and freshly ground pepper
900ml (1 1/2 pints/3 3/4 cups) well-seasoned Béchamel Sauce (triple the recipe below)
150g (5oz) Parmesan cheese (preferably Parmigiano Reggiano) 
Freshly grated salt and freshly ground pepper 
10-20 basil leaves, depending on size

Lasagne dish - Makes 1 large rectangular lasagne dish, 25 x 30.5cm (10 x 12 inches) or 2 small dishes 20.5 x 25cm (8 x 10 inch)

Top and tail the courgettes and cut them into 5mm (1/4 inch) slices. Melt the butter and add a dash of oil, toss in the courgettes and coat in the butter and oil. Cook until very tender, 4-5 minutes approx. and add the chopped basil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.

First taste the zucchini and Béchamel Sauce, making sure they are delicious and well-seasoned.
Blanch the lasagne in boiling salted water for a minute or so.

Drain and lay on a tea towel until needed.

Spread a little Béchamel Sauce on the base of a lightly buttered gratin dish, sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan cheese, cover with strips of lasagne, more sauce, a sprinkling of Parmesan, half the courgettes and basil. Next another layer of lasagne and repeat the previous layer. Cover the final layer of lasagne with sauce and a good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. (Make sure all the lasagne is coated with sauce).

Bake in a preheated moderate oven 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 for 10-15 minutes approximately or until golden and bubbly on top. If possible, leave to stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting to allow the layers to compact. Serve with a good green salad.

Béchamel Sauce (you will need to triple this for the lasagne)

Ingredients:
300ml (1/2 pint/1 1/4 cups) milk
a few slices of carrot
a few slices of onion
a samll sprig of thyme
a small sprig of parsley
3 peppercorns
45g (1 1/2oz) Roux (see below)
salt and freshly ground pepper

This is a marvellous quick way of making Béchamel Sauce if you already have roux made. Put the cold milk into a saucepan with the carrot, onion, peppercorns, thyme and parsley. Bring to the boil, simmer for 4-5 minutes, remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain out the vegetables, bring the milk back to the boil and thicken with roux to a light coating consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.

Roux

Ingredients:
110g (4oz/1 stick) butter
110g (4oz/scant 1 cup) flour

Melt the butter and cook the flour in it for 2 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Use as required. Roux can be stored in a cool place and used as required or it can be made up on the spot if preferred. It will keep at least a fortnight in a refrigerator.

Homemade Pasta

In Tuscany they make homemade pasta just with flour and eggs - no water and usually no salt.

Ingredients:
300g (10oz/2 1/2 cups) 00 flour
25g (1oz) semolina flour
pinch of salt
1 large egg and 4 large egg yolks, preferably free range
1 teaspoon olive oil
1teaspoon cold water

Sieve the flour into a bowl and add the salt. Make a well in the centre, add the eggs (no need to whisk the eggs), oil and water. Mix into a dough with your hand. The pasta should just come together but shouldn't stick to your hand - if it does add a little more flour.  (If it is too dry, add a little extra egg white.)  Knead for 10 minutes until it becomes elastic. It should be quite pliable, wrap in clingfilm and rest in fridge for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough in half and roll out one piece at a time into a very thin sheet, keeping the other piece covered. You ought to be able to read the print on a matchbox through the pasta.  A long thin rolling pin is a great advantage, but you can manage perfectly well with an ordinary domestic rolling pin. 

Noodles, Tagiatelle, Fettucini etc.

Allow the pasta to dry for 30 minutes approx. or until just dry to the touch, roll into a flat roll and slice with a chopping knife into whatever thickness you need.  Open out and let it run through your fingers to separate the strands. Use immediately or allow to dry on a lightly floured tray. Alternatively cut in a pasta machine.

Tagliatelle or Noodles 5mm (1/4 inch) wide
Fettuccine 3mm (1/8 inch) wide
Pappadrelle 15mm (5/8 inch) wide - cut with a pasta wheel
Lasagne - cut into rectangular strips about 12.5cm (5 inches) x 7.5cm (3 inches) long.

Pasta can be flavoured and coloured in all sorts of ways. Add anything from tomato puree for orange coloured pasta to squid ink for black designer pasta (the latter is not worth the trouble I assure you!)

Pasta with Fresh Herbs

Mix 3 tablespoons (3 American tablespoons + 3 teaspoons) finely chopped fresh herbs, e.g., parsley, chives, thyme, marjoram or a mixture, with the flour and continue as in the basic recipe.

How to Cook Homemade Pasta

Use plenty of boiling salted water 4.5 litres (8 pints/20 cups) water to 1 generous tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) of salt. Bring the water to a fast-rolling boil, add the salt drop in the pasta, stir well. Cover the saucepan until the water returns to the boil. Cook homemade noodles for 1-2 minutes depending on the thickness. Drain, toss immediately in some melted butter or melted butter and olive oil. Season with lots of freshly ground pepper and a little extra salt if necessary. Serve immediately in a hot pasta dish.

Note:

Do not drain the pasta too thoroughly, a little pasta water helps to loosen the pasta and stops the strands of pasta from clumping together.

This dish is a real showpiece and a true labor of love, and I learned so much preparing it. Let me know over on the chat if you make it!

Hannah