FRESH TOMATO SAUCE
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces slab bacon, rind removed, cut
into small cubes % pound (1 stick) butter 2 leeks, white part only, split, cleaned,
and diced 1 Spanish onion, diced 'A pound mushrooms 4 stalks celery, diced
About 2 pounds lasagne noodles, homemade or a good commercial variety
1 pound conch meat, cleaned and pounded very thin
2 bell peppers, stems, seeds, and ribs
removed, diced 4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 bay leaf
8 tomatoes, concassee 12 basil leaves, roughly chopped Cracked black pepper to taste ¥2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Salad Oil
1 quart ricotta (see page 211 if you want to make your own) SEAFOOD MORNAY
P/2 cups clarified butter
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and sliced
1 Spanish onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 green pepper, stemmed, seeded, and
V2 cup flour, sifted
2 cups Fish Stock (page 244), heated
V2 tablespoon cayenne
2Ч2 cups cream
Ч2 cup Parmesan Salt and pepper to taste
diced
1. Prepare the tomato sauce: In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil and cook the bacon about medium-rare.
2. Add the butter, leeks, onion, mushrooms, celery, bell pepper, and garlic and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are slightly softened. Add the bay leaf. Let the vegetables begin to caramelize a little and then add the tomatoes and basil and stir gently. Season with pepper.
3. Turn heat to low and allow to cook about 10 minutes; then add the balsamic vinegar and tomato paste. Cook 10 more minutes and remove from heat and cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente, drain, and cool. Lightly oil cooked lasagne noodles and set aside on damp cloth toweling.
5. Pound the conch, cut it on the bias into small bite-sized pieces, and scatter it over the bottom of a large bowl.
6. Make the mornay sauce: Heat the clarified butter in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the garlic, jalapeno, onion, celery, and green pepper and stir. Saute briefly over medium heat.
7. Before the vegetables start to brown, begin to whisk in the flour in stages, over low heat. This way the flour taste can cook out more readily. Continue to whisk until all the flour is incorporated.
8. Still whisking, add the fish stock in batches. It will fluctuate between thick and loose at first; that's normal.
9. Now add the cayenne and cream. Cook slowly for 20 to 30 minutes, whisking often. The sauce should have the consistency of a thin batter. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into the bowl with the conch and add the grated Parmesan. Season and cool.
10. Assemble the dish: Spread the bottom of a baking casserole with a little of the tomato sauce. Now build alternate layers of pasta, seafood mornay, pasta, and tomato sauce, adding generous dollops of ricotta as you go. (You may also add more garlic if you desire.) Finish with a layer of tomato sauce and plenty of ricotta.
(recipe continues)
11. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until warm throughout. Remove the foil, turn the oven off, and allow lasagna to rest about 20 minutes so that it sets before serving.
Note: You may store the assembled lasagne overnight in the refrigerator before baking. However, be sure to cover it with plastic wrap, not aluminum foil, for storage. Foil can react with the tomato sauce and shed gray flakes on the lasagne, a depressing discovery after all the work you've put in.
A dry white Italian wine, such as Pinot Grigio, Italian Chardonnay, or perhaps a Gavi del Gavi, would be a suitable accompaniment to this dish. For more roundness, a dry Chenin Blanc would be
a suitable alternative.
This is a dish for its time. It is quite simple to prepare, it's spicy and loaded with vegetables, it's good for you, and I think it's delicious!
Freshness is the key to the vegetables, so vary them according to market availability- just be sure they're Asian-style, in keeping with the dish.