Wonderful comfort food for a cold winter evening! The lemon slices add a new flavorful twist to this classic white lasagna. You can substitute the chard with spinach, kale or broccoli leaves. And the wonderful thing about lasagna and other baked dishes is, once assembled they cook all by themselves allowing you time to relax.
Swiss Chard and Lemon Lasagna ( serves 4)
1 lemon, very thinly sliced
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups whole milk
1 cup Pecorino cheese, grated
1 bunch Swiss chard, coarsely chopped
sea salt and cracked black pepper
nutmeg, freshly grated to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb beef mince
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
6 to 8 lasagna sheets, no boiling required
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the lemon slices in a small pan with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, allow to simmer for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the lemon slices with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Add the milk and bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for a minute. Then remove the pot from the heat, stir through a 3/4 cup of the cheese and the chard and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan. Add the mince and cook over high heat until well browned and crumbly. Season to taste with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
Baste the bottom of a 8 inch square baking dish with a 1/4 cup sauce. Top with a layer of noodles, half the mince and 1/2 cup sauce. Repeat. Finish with a layer of noodles. Pour over the remaining sauce and top with the lemon slices and the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes.
Turn on the broiler. Remove the foil and broil until bubbling and slightly browned, just a few minutes.
