"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." Hunter S. Thompson

Broad Beans, Spring Greens, Lasagne

Serves six normal people.

Ingredients

• A small onion
• 3 cloves
• 600ml milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 10g parsley springs
• 700g leeks
• 40g butter
• 3 heaped tablespoons plain flour
• 400g broad beans (130g podded weight)
• 150g chard
• 150g cabbage or spring greens
• 250g button or small chestnut mushroosm
• 8 tablespoons of olive oil, plus a bit more
• 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
• 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 300g ricotta
• 30g grated Parmesan
• 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Method

You will need a deep baking dish, approximately 22x24cm.

Peel the onion, halve it and stud with the cloves. Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the onion, bay leaf and parsley stalks, then bring almost to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse. Set the oven at 200C/Gas 6.

Trim the leeks, discarding any tough, drak green leaves, then thinly slice the rest and wash thoroughly. Melt the butter in a deep pan, add the leeks, then cover with a piece of greaseproof paper, pushing it down onto the leeks as a lid. Let them cook for 8-10 minutes until they start to soften, then remove the paper, sprinkle over the flour and cook for a minute or two before pouring in the warm milk, removing the onion, bay leaf and parsley as you go. Stir well and leave to simmer gently on a low to moderate heat.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Pod the broad beans and finely chop the chard stalks. Separate the leaves of the cabbage (or spring greens) and put into the boiling water. Soften for one minute, then remove and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with the chard leaves. Finally, cook the broad beans for 5-6 minutes till just tender, then drain.

Thickly slice the mushrooms. Warm five tablespoons of the oil in a shallow pan, add the mushrooms and cook for five minutes or so until soft and golden. Stir the mushrooms, board beans, tarragon and parsley into the leek saurce and season generously with salt and pepper.

Trickle a little oil in the bottom of the dish. Add two or three of the cabbage or chard leaves, then spoon in a third of sauce. Cover with three more leaves, then some of the ricotta, followed by more of the sauce, ricotta and leaves till you have used them all, finishing with a layer of leaves. Mix together the chard stalks, Parmesan and breadcrumbs, then scatter over the surface and trickle over the remaining olive oil.

Bake for twenty-five minutes till the surface is crisp and golden.