Smoked Aubergine & ‘Nduja Lasagne

Place your aubergines directly over the naked flame of your hob. Cook them for 5 mins, turning them frequently so that they soften and char evenly. Remove them with heatproof tongs, and place them on a plate to cool slightly.

Finely dice your onion. Finely chop your garlic.

Heat a sauté pan over a medium heat, and add a glug of olive oil. Tip in your onion, and cook for 15 mins until softened. Whilst it cooks, peel the charred skin off your aubergines, and shred the soft flesh.

Add your chopped garlic and ‘nduja, then cook for 2 mins more. Tip in your cherry tomatoes and aubergine, then simmer for 15 mins to thicken the sauce slightly.

Finely chop your parsley, then add this to the sauce, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat your oven to 200°C.

Whilst your ragù simmers, make the white sauce. Melt your butter in a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat. Once foaming, add your flour and mix to a paste. Cook for 2 mins.

Gradually pour in your milk in small increments, beating all the while to ensure that you have a smooth mixture before adding more milk. Once all the milk is added, bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to thicken. Grate in all of your Pecorino, and 3/5 of your Parmesan, then tear in your mozzarella ball, and whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt.

Pour a little of your white sauce into the base of a 30 x 20cm baking dish. Arrange your lasagne sheets neatly on top, snapping sheets where necessary to plug the gaps. Pour over ¼ of your remaining ragù followed by ¼ of your remaining white sauce, then more lasagne sheets. Continue like this until you are out of all your mixtures.

Mix the top layer so that the ragù and white sauce combine, pushing it all the way to the edges so the lasagne sheets are totally covered. Sprinkle the surface with your remaining Parmesan, then bake for 30 mins.

Let your lasagne stand for 5 mins before serving. Enjoy!