Silverbeet lasagne

Tam West

Browsing through Food TV recently I came across Mary Berry walking through a garden full of silverbeet. The owner talked of how she uses the silverbeet stems to replace the pasta sheets in lasagne and I was on it in a flash. This is a great idea that helps up the vege intake without taking anything away from the look and feel of a traditional lasagne. See Celia Hay's bechamel sauce recipe here.

Ingredients

1	Onion, finely chopped
1 stalk	Celery, finely chopped
2 Tbsp	Olive oil
2 cloves	Garlic, crushed
500 g	Lamb mince (Main)
1 Tbsp	Chopped oregano leaves, heaped
¼ tsp	Allspice
1 cup	Chicken stock, alternatively use vegetable or beef
8	Silverbeet leaves, including stems (Main)
1 cup	Grated cheese, I used a mix of parmesan and mozzarella
4 cups	Bechamel sauce, see link above to Celia Hay's recipe (Main)

Directions

1. Gently fry the onion and celery in oil over a low heat until soft.
2. Turn up the heat, add the garlic and mince and stir-fry 2-3 minutes to brown mince.
3. Add the oregano, allspice and stock, bring to the boil then turn down heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30-40 minutes until stock has reduced.
4. Remove the silverbeet leaves from the stems, breaking the leaves into pieces and chopping the stems into 3cm long pieces. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the stems, cooking for 1 minute, then the leaves for 30 seconds. Drain and cool in iced water then drain again.
5. Add a layer of mince to an oven dish (approx. 20 x 20cm), top with a layer of silverbeet stems and leaves, then a layer of sauce and a layer of cheese. Repeat layers, finishing with a layer of cheese. Lasagne can be prepared in advance up to this point.
6. Bake in a 180C oven for 30-40 minutes until golden and bubbling.