Eggplant and Ham Lasagna
This recipe comes from the wonderful Pasta Grannies and, like many of their recipes, take simple, humble ingredients that get transformed in a unique way, eggplant and ham lasagna.
This dish looks simple in theory, but one bite of the soft lightly fried eggplant, meaty ham and that creamy bechamel sauce, it might become high up in your lasagna roster.
Let’s do it!
Serves 6
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 2 hours
For the Pasta dough: (I won’t be mad if you want to use dried lasagna sheets.)
150g (5oz) 00 flour
150g (5 oz) semolina/durum wheat flour
3 large eggs
For the Eggplant:
3 large eggplants
Salt
All purpose flour, for dusting
Corn or vegetable oil, for frying
For the Bechamel Sauce:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp flour
4 cups milk
Salt
Lots of grated nutmeg
For Assembly:
8 oz ham (prosciutto cotto)
Handfuls of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
A handful of breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons of butter, cut into small cubes
Make the Pasta dough: Combine both flours and eggs in a medium sized bowl and continue stirring until a shaggy dough forms. Dump the dough onto a floured surface then knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or an inverted bowl then let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
Fry the eggplant. Slice the eggplants into 1/2 inch thick slices, sprinkle with salt and dust each slice in flour.
Heat an inch of oil in a wide pot until it reaches about 350 degrees F/180 C on a fry thermometer (Or if you flick a few drops of water in there and it sizzles) Working in batches, fry the eggplant slices for about 5 minutes, flipping now and then, until golden all around.
(You do want to make sure the oil is very hot, otherwise the eggplant will absorb it and become greasy). Once golden, drain onto paper towels and set aside to cool.
Once cooled, peel off the skins from the eggplant. Don’t worry if the skin doesn’t come off in one piece or the eggplant stays fully intact, it doesn’t matter. The skins can be composted or fed to your chickens, if you have some.
Make the bechamel sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then add the flour and keep whisking until it forms a paste. Add the milk, and continue whisking to remove any potential lumps and keep cooking until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Season generously with salt and nutmeg.
Roll out the pasta. Heat a saucepan of salted water to a boil and preheat the oven to 350 degrees/180 C.
Use a pasta roller or a rolling pin to roll the dough into thin, almost see through sheets. Cut the sheets into lengths big enough for the baking pan you plan on using, then drop the sheets into the hot water and let them cook until the pasta floats to the surface. Drain, then pat dry with paper towels.
Assemble. Spread a bit of the bechamel sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. (The butter in the sauce will help the lasagna not stick to the pan)
Lay a layer of pasta on top of the sauce, followed by a layer of eggplant, more sauce, and a sprinkling of grated cheese. Follow this by another pasta layer, the ham, sauce and cheese, then a second layer of pasta, eggplant, sauce and cheese. Finally, top with one last pasta layer, remaining sauce, some cheese and the breadcrumbs.
Dot the butter on top of the breadcrumbs, then bake uncovered for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbly. Let your lasagna cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
