Lasagne , with Fennel-Aubergine …

And Pepper-Pesto base! Sounds awesome, no? :-)

The first ever time I tried roasted aubergine (eggplant or brinjal as it is known in India), I fell in love. With the burnt taste that lingers even after you peel off the burnt skin from the vegetable. Trust me, for all my culinary escapades (all 3 of them!:-P), I haven’t made Baingan ka Bharta before, and when the cook made an awesome job at it this week, it was like I rediscovered the taste of roasted brinjal all over again.

And when I spotted the fresh Fennel bulb in the grocery counter last week, I decided to marry these tastes. Fennel with roasted aubergine, that is. And it had to be with pasta.

I’ve already done the pasta with roasted aubergine in the base , so this time I wanted to try it as a filling in Lasagne. And to alternate it , I used some left over Pepper-Pesto base from the Pasta with pesto recipe.

Fennel with Roasted Aubergine combined with Peppers in pesto sauce , it was going to be. A total medley of flavours , no?

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Fennel Bulb – 1, washed and chopped to 1/2 cm pieces
Eggplant – 1 big, stove roasted and skin peeled off , chopped
Garlic cloves – 4-5 crushed
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Dill – 1/2 tbsp
Sage – 1/2 tbsp
Pepper-pesto curry – Recipe from here – 2 cups
Lasagne sheets – 6 sheets, cooked and dried per instructions on the box
Cheddar cheese – 3-4 slices, enough to cover the lasagne in the last layer

Instructions

Prepare the garlic, aubergine and fennel pieces together by sautéing them in olive oil till the fennel is soft, and aubergine is mashed. Add some Dill and Sage to this while sautéing to give a herb-y flavour to the base. This should be a thick yet spread-able paste.

Grease an oven-proof bowl with a little olive oil, and pour one thin layer of the Aubergine-Fennel. Place the lasagne sheets , Pepper-Pesto base and the roasted aubergine-fennel base alternatively in the bowl. Top it with cheese.

Bake this in a pre-heated oven at 200C for 30 mins, or till the cheese becomes a golden brown on top.

Cut , garnish with pepper , sage or dill if required, and serve hot.