Traditionally, in Italy meat isn’t allowed on Christmas Eve and that’s why most dishes get reinterpreted to offer a seafood or vegetable version. This Lasagna with Prawns and Zucchini Cream, is quite a fancy meal! It’s a little moe work than usual, but well worth the effort!
As you know, I love prawns and zucchini, I believe they’re a perfect match for a delicate dish. This Lasagna basically has the same ingredients of the Prawns and Zucchini Pasta, I just made them look a little fancier!
This post gives me the opportunity to show you how to make fresh pasta, but if you’re after great results with a little less effort,
Ingredients (to serve about 6)
For the Pasta Sheets
– 400 gr Plain Flour
– 4 big eggs
For the Prawn and Zucchini Sauce
– 2 zucchini
– 400 gr of Prawns
– 1 clove of garlic
– 2 tbsp extra vergin olive oil
– 200 gr cream
– parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste
Steps
First, let’s prepare our pasta dough, which in Italian is called sfoglia. A good sfoglia is thin, strong and doesn’t stick. If you still have that pasta machine you bought and never used, now it’s the perfect time to try it out!
1. Place flour on table or kitchen bench in the shape of a mountain. Dig a hole on top of the mountain and turn it into a volcano. Now add the eggs in the crater as if they were the lava 😉
2. Use a fork to beat up the eggs, when they’re all mixed with the flour use your hands and start kneading.
3. When your dough is nice and smooth (should take about 5 to 10 mins), put it aside and let it rest for a little while. Cover it wit a cotton cloth or wrap it in clear foil.
While your sfoglia is resting, prepare the zucchini cream and the prawns
1. Fry your zucchini in a fry-pan with 2 tbsps of olive oil, a clove of garlic chopped in half, salt, pepper and parsley. Cook for a good 10 minutes.
2. Remove zucchini from fry-pan, keep the oil and garlic in and start frying 200 gr of prawns in that same oil and garlic. Should be done in a couple of minutes. Chop finely and put aside.
3. Process zucchini and garlic in your food processor until creamy. Pour in a sauce pan, add cream and cook on low heat. Keep stirring and let it boil until it has thickened. Add a pinch of nutmeg, adjust salt and pepper if needed. When ready, turn heat off and cover with a lid.
4. Take the remaining 200 gr of prawns and fry them in oil and garlic, add salt, parsley and be generous with pepper. Put aside (these are for the topping).
Now it’s a good time to turn the oven on: 180ºC.
Let’s make the pasta sheets.
1. Have a pot of water boiling with a big pinch of rock salt.
2. Knead the dough for a few minutes: Does it feel better now? More elastic and strong? Good! Divide it into small balls of about 100 gr.
3. Grab a ball and make it flat: use a rolling pin first, then pass it in the pasta machine a few times, reducing the thickness of the pasta sheet at each passage.
4. Now take the pasta sheet you just made, gently dip it in the boiling water for about 10 seconds, then drain it and put it flat on a clean cotton kitchen towel to dry for a while.
5. Do the same thing with the next ball and keep going until you have used them all up.
Build the lasagne:
1. Spread some Zucchini sauce on the bottom of the oven dish
2. Place a first layer of pasta sheets
3. Cover in prawns, then add zucchini sauce
4. Place a second layer of pasta sheets
5. Cover in prawns and add zucchini sauce… keep going until your oven dish is full or you use all of the ingredients.
6. When you place the last pasta layer, sprinkle Parmigiano on top and use some prawns to decorate.
7. Cook in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Let it rest for 10 minutes before you serve.
Match it with
Such a delicate dish calls for white wine!