Layered Stracchi with Roasted Vegetables

From Vegetarian Cookbook, Paul Gayler, Dorllng Kindersley, 2000.

Still fascinated by my new pasta roller I looked for another recipe to try it out a little more. This one looked as though it might be interesting. It appeared to be a form of deconstructed lasagne.

I made the pasta, rolled it thinly and cut it into rectangles 10cm by 7.5cm and put it aside while the vegetables and the pesto were made.

I first put two peeled garlic cloves with olive oil into a moderate oven for 15 minutes while I put on some water to boil and dip in three plum tomatoes in order to make them easy to peel. I now placed them in the oven with the garlic and left them for another 15 minutes. These went into the blender with a few basil leaves, some grated parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and salt and pepper. I also added a chilli though the recipe did not call for one. Blended together, this made a flavoursome pesto with a little bit of heat.

Now I cut the vegetables into slices: an eggplant; a zucchini; a red, a green and a yellow capsicum; and two tomatoes. These were all brushed with oil and placed on a grill, bit by bit until they were all done. As they were cooked they were placed in the oven to keep them warm.

A pot of salted water was put on to boil and the pasta was placed in to cook. When done the dish was put together. A dollop of pesto went onto the plate followed by some vegetables, a little more pesto, then a piece of pasta, then vegetables, pesto, pasta, and again vegetables, pesto, pasta—it was done.

Should I make this again I think I would change the balance of vegetables with the pasta. I think it was a bit too heavy on the vegetables leaving the pasta almost like a decoration rather than a major element. It was, however, good to eat. The vegetables had a strong smoky flavour from the grilling and this Mediterranean mix always goes well together. The pesto had a little bit of a punch from the chilli and supplemented the vegetables well.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔