serves 6

2 bunches silverbeet (about 750g picked leaves)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g ricotta
100g grated parmesan
2 eggs
sea salt
cracked black pepper
8-12 fresh lasagna sheets
50g grated mozzarella
1 bunch broccolini
8 slices pancetta

for bechamel
50g butter
50g flour
1L milk
pinch of nutmeg
1 bay leaf

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Blanch silverbeet in salted boiling water, drain, refresh in cold water, then squeeze out excess moisture through a tea towel. Meanwhile, heat a frypan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, onion and garlic and saute until softened. Allow to cool slightly before placing into a food processor with the silverbeet. Blitz until finely chopped. Add ricotta, parmesan and eggs and blitz to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For bechamel, melt butter in a medium saucepan, add flour and stir until lightly golden. Slowly whisk in the milk, bring to the boil, add nutmeg, bay and season with salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

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Preheat oven to 180C. Drizzle a small amount of bechamel on the base of a deep baking dish (my dish is 20cmx30cm). Place a lasagna sheet on top, followed by a thin layer of the ricotta mix and another drizzle of bechamel. Continue layering until all the ricotta mix is used and the final layer reaches just until the rim of the baking dish. Finish with a layer of bechamel and scatter with mozzarella.

Bake for 30 minutes, increasing the oven to 200C for the final 10 minutes. Place the broccolini (drizzled with 1 tbsp olive oil) and pancetta onto a baking-paper-lined baking tray and cook in the oven for the final 10 minutes.

Allow the lasagna to rest for 15 minutes before portioning and serving, topped with a slice of crisp pancetta and broccolini.

This article first appeared in the July 2024 issue of SALIFE magazine.