Doing good by my dinner

I tried. Really I did. I furrowed my little brow and thought deep (it wasn't pretty) and tried to figure out how I could turn one of my calorie-laden favourites into something remotely healthy. It was not easy. I mean, who wants to eat skim milk brulee?

Finally, I decided to turn a classic, saturated fat-laden red meat lasagne into a light, tasty and undeniably healthy vegetable lasagne. That the lasagne includes three kinds of cheese may be debatable, but in my defence:


Red peppers have three times the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. Eat your heart out oranges! Red peppers also contain lycopene which lowers the risk of various cancers, including prostate and cervical cancer. And what would we do without beta-carotene, which when converted to vitamin A in the body is essential for night vision?


Eggplant skin contains nasunin, an antioxidant that protects against free radical damage and protects the fats in brain cell membranes. Eggplants have anti-cancer, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties, as well as help lower bad cholesterol, and they're also a good source of dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, copper and vitamin B1.


Cheese is a good source of calcium and protein, essential for growth, and maintaining the strength and density of bones and teeth, while preventing osteoporosis. And I gave you three kinds of cheese, so don't say I never do anything nice for you.

And look how pretty it all turned out. Very nice, Dee, but how did it taste? Oh ye unbelievers, it was brilliant! My five year old polished off his healthy serving, and asked for seconds. Score, mum.

Unlike traditional meat sauce lasagne (which I still love) you can really taste the individual flavours of all the ingredients, so use the freshest you have. Despite all the cheeses, the lasagne is surprising light... I could go on all day, but let's get on with the recipe, shall we?


Eggplant, olive & red pepper lasagne

2 layers of pre-cooked lasagne, 3-4 sheets per layer
1/4 cup Feta cheese
1/3 cup mixture of Mozarella cheese and Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley, to finish
Bechamel sauce, recipe follows

1 large eggplant, sliced
Olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced
6-8 black olives, sliced

Saute the eggplant slices in some olive oil - a splash will do - until softened. Add the onions and olives, and fry until the onions are translucent. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3 red peppers roasted, sliced and juices reserved for another use.
See this for details.

Ready? Here we go then.
Into your most serviceable baking dish, pour one third of the bechamel sauce. Add a layer of the eggplant and olive mixture and dot with crumbled Feta. Arrange one layer of lasagne sheets on top, pour on another third of the Bechamel sauce, and follow with a layer of roasted peppers. Dot with more Feta cheese. Arrange the final layer of lasagne sheets on top, pour on the rest of the Bechamel sauce, and liberally finish with the Mozarella and Parmesan. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper, and garnish with some chopped parsley.

Now place the dish in the oven and bake at 180C for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden, and the smells drives you more than a little crazy.



How to make a classic white bechamel sauce from Delia Smith's How to Cook Book One

425 ml low fat milk
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
1 /8 tsp mace (You can use nutmeg in a pinch)
10 whole black peppercorns
1 onion, sliced
40 g butter
20 g plain flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the milk in a pan, add all the herbs, parsley stalks, bay leaf, mace (or nutmeg), peppercorns and onion, and cook over low heat until it comes to simmering point. This should take abouty 5 minutes. Then remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the milk into a jug, discarding the flavourings.

Melt the butter – don't let it brown as this will affect the colour and flavour of the sauce - and immediately add the flour while stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon to make a smooth, glossy paste. Slowly add the infused milk, a little at a time while stirring vigorously. Once you've added in about half the milk, switch to a whisk to minimize lumps and to produce a smooth, creamy sauce. If you do still have lumps, no worries. That's why strainers were made.

Now turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the sauce cook for 5 minutes, whisking from time to time. While that's happening, taste and season with salt and freshly milled black pepper.

To keep the sauce warm, pour it into a warmed bowl and cover the surface of the sauce (not the bowl) with clingfilm to stop a skin from forming, then place the jug in a pan of barely simmering water.

A bit time consuming, but the results are truly worth it.



I'm sending a slice to Giz and Psychgrad of the Equal Opportunity Kitchen for their Tried, Tested and True Two event which supports an excellent cause: organ donation. You'll find more information on the site, and by contributing a dish to the event you'll help spread the word to even more bloggers. No excuses now, the event ends on the 21st of July.