‘Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own’.
This is a wonderfully light, refreshing raw lasagne. I like to eat this in the spring and summer months when it is a little warmer, as the zucchini layer instead of pasta brings a cooling element that is perfect for this time of year. I prefer to save the traditional cooked lasagne for the winter months, to warm me up from the inside out.
There may look like there are a lot of elements here, but even if you make one, you’ll be happy, as the pesto, marinara and ricotta are incredible on their own. You can skip the herb oil, unless you have people coming around or feel like experimenting.
My Italian Mr B loves this version for its intensity in flavour and yet its lightness on the palate, remarking that it resembles a dichotomy seen also in the Italian culture, with the art of living the ‘dolce vita’ being centred around ‘Il dolce far niente’, the art of doing nothing (our equivalent of stopping to smell the flowers) in contrast to the intensity of the people.
Ingredients (Yields 6)
Pistachio Pesto
- 100g Basil
- 50g Spinach
- 175g Pistachios
- ½ Lemon, zested
- 1 Lemon, juiced
- 5g Salt
- 225g Olive oil
Marinara
- 200g Sun dried tomatoes, previously soaked
- 200g Roma tomato, roughly chopped
- 12g Basil
- 1 Shallot, diced
- 150g Red bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 60g Olive oil
- 20g Lemon juice
- 2Tbsp Agave
- 7g Salt
Ricotta
- 250g cashew nuts, previously soaked
- 80g Water
- 55g Nutritional yeast
- 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
- 1Tbsp Olive oil
- 4g Salt
Herb oil
- 60g Parsley
- 25g Basil
- 30g Spinach
- 450g Olive oil
To assemble
- 2 Zucchini, medium size, approx. 6-inches
- 1 Large Unripe (not squishy) Tomato, medium size
- Herb oil
- Pistachio pesto
- Sun dried tomato marinara
- Macadamia ricotta
- Salt
- Pepper
Method
- Make all the components separately using a blender
- For the pesto, add the basil, spinach, pistachio, lemon and salt to the blender and pulse until broken down. Next, with the blender on, drizzle in olive oil until fully incorporated. Transfer pesto to a bowl and reserve.
- For the marinara, in a blender, puree sun dried tomatoes. Add all remaining ingredients into the blender and puree until smooth. Fold in the sundried tomato puree and reserve.
- For the ricotta, blend the cashew, water, and salt together until a mostly smooth consistency is reached. Add nutritional yeast, lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil. Pulse to combine. Transfer ricotta to a container and refrigerate.
- For the herb oil, blend herbs with olive oil and salt until smooth. Pass through a fine mesh strainer and reserve the oil.
To assemble
- Trim the top and bottom from the zucchini. Cut a 3-inch log from the zucchini. Working longways, shave nine pieces from the zucchini about 2 mm thick on a mandoline or using a knife. They should be roughly the same size
- Divide into groups of three. These will serve as your lasagna “noodles.”
- Season zucchini with salt and pepper and a drizzle of herb oil.
- Cut two thick slices from the part of your tomato that most closely resembles the size of your lasagna layers. Cut wedges from the remaining tomato for garnish. Season the tomato with a bit of salt and pepper.
- Place the base layer of zucchini directly on to a plate. Spoon a large dollop of marinara on to the zucchini. Spoon a large dollop of ricotta on to the marinara and a large dollop of pesto on the ricotta. Situate the tomato on top of the sauces.
- Place the next set of zucchini over the tomato and repeat the directions for the sauces. Top the sauces with the second slice of tomato.
- Place the last set of zucchini over the tomato. Garnish the zucchini with a bit of each sauce, tomato wedges, salt pepper, and a sprig of basil. Drizzle herb oil directly on to the plate around the lasagna.
