Tasty spear of the season
Asparagus a tough challenge, but tender ingredient, writes Becky Krystal
It’s spring, which means spring vegetables at last. Of late, we’ve been dreaming about ones that are long, green and early-arriving. No, we’re not talking about ramps, the wild spring onion that has taken on cult status among the farmers’ market set.
Right now, it’s all about asparagus, the slender, juicy stalks that so many of us just love, which unfortunately we only too often tend to overlook or underplay. – Washington Post These individual asparagus stacks make single servings easy while putting a different spin on lasagne.
Penne with asparagus pesto and white beans Asparagus lasagne
Position an oven rack 10cm to 15cm from the broiler element; preheat the broiler. Use a little oil to lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet and a 23cm-by-33cm lasagne pan or jellyroll pan. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on the baking sheet; drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil over it and toss to coat, then season it lightly with salt and pepper.
Broil the asparagus for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan several times, until the edges just begin to brown. Let it cool; reduce the oven temperature to 190ºC.
Cook the onion in the remaining 1½ tablespoons of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
Transfer the onion mixture to a blender, along with the ricotta, flour, lemon zest, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Remove the centre knob of the blender lid (so steam can escape); purée until fairly smooth. Cut the cooled asparagus in half crosswise.
Arrange 6 wonton wrappers on the bottom of the lasagne pan, leaving a little space between each one. Arrange half the asparagus on top of the wrappers and top the asparagus with onethird of the ricotta mixture, spreading it evenly, and one-third of the cheese.
Put another wonton wrapper on top of each mound (edges lined up or turned to create a diamond shape), and top with the remaining asparagus, half of the remaining ricotta mixture and half of the cheese.
Finally, top with the remaining wonton wrappers, ricotta mixture and cheese. (You can also split the remaining asparagus to create a third layer.)
Roast (upper rack) for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the wontons’ wrappers are golden brown at the edges.
Increase the temperature to broil (with the pan still in the oven); broil the lasagne for 1 minute, or just until nicely browned on top.
Serve right away. Serves 6.