Tuscan lasagne

THIS IS Giancarlo’s mother’s recipe. We’re not sure what she’d make of our spinach ‘pasta’, but we love it.

SERVES 6 Per serving: Calories, 270; carbohydrates, 3g; protein, 25g; fat, 16g; fibre, 5.1g

FOR THE SPINACH ‘PASTA’

400g spinach ½ tsp salt 4 eggs 8 tbsp almond or cow’s milk 1 tbsp psyllium husk powder (from health food shops)

FOR THE BECHAMEL

550ml almond or cow’s milk 4 tbsp cornflour 4 tbsp double cream 50g butter ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated 1 bay leaf

TO FINISH

50g Parmesan, finely grated 125g mozzarella, roughly torn

PREPARE 700g beef ragu (see recipe on previous page). To make spinach ‘pasta’, preheat the oven to 220c/gas 7. Line two trays with baking parchment and grease with olive oil. Blitz the ingredients in a food processor to form a paste and divide between the lined trays. Put a piece of oiled baking parchment over the top and press it to form a rectangle measuring 27cm x 34cm and 5mm thick. Remove the top sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until it is firm to the touch and set through. Leave to cool. For the bechamel, mix 3 tbsp milk with cornflour in a bowl. Pour into a pan with the remaining ingredients and put over a medium heat until it is thick and bubbling. Season and discard the bay leaf. Drop spoonfuls of a quarter of the bechamel and ragu on the base of a lasagne dish. Don’t mix them together. Now scatter over a quarter of the Parmesan and mozzarella. Cut the spinach ‘pasta’ into shapes to fit your dish and lay a third of this over the bechamel and ragu. Repeat the sequence until you have three layers of ‘pasta’ and four layers of bechamel, ragu and cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Let the lasagne settle for at least 15 minutes before serving. The spinach ‘pasta’ can be rolled around oiled baking paper and wrapped in cling film — store it in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for three months.