Kypriaka Lazania (Cypriot Lasagne) is a traditional Cypriot recipe for a classic vegetarian layered dish of home-made pasta in a tomato sauce base. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Cypriot version of: Cypriot Lasagne (Kypriaka Lazania).
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Ingredients:
For the Pasta:
550g plain flour
4 eggs
1 tsp salt
100g grated cheese
750ml fresh milk
For the Tomato Sauce:
1kg ripe tomatoes, blanched and peeled
1 tbsp onions, thinly chopped
1 tbsp parsley, thinly chopped
1 tbsp celery
1 bayleaf
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
120ml corn oil
Method:
Begin with the pasta. Sift together the flour and salt into a bowl. Form a well in the centre and crack in the eggs. Knead the ingredients together, gradually working in 250ml of the milk, until you have a hard dough. Cover with a thick cloth and set aside to rest for 40 minutes.
After this time, cut the dough into small pieces and roll into thin sheets. Set the sheets out to dry slightly then dust with flour and stack 4 on top of each other. Trim the edges neatly then cut into squares about 10cm each side. Spread them out on floured baking trays then set aside until completely dry.
When ready to cook, bring a pan of salted water to a boil, add the lazania squares and stir so that they separate. Boil gently for about 8 minutes, or until tender then drain away almost all the water (but keep 500ml water in the pan) and add the remaining milk. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 6 minutes, or until the milk has been absorbed.
Sprinkle a little of the grated cheese on a large plate and spread over a layer of the lazania. Sprinkle more cheese on top then add another sheet of pasta. Continue in this manner until all the pasta sheets have been stacked.
In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and fry until golden brown (about 6 minutes). Chop the tomatoes, add to the pan along with the bayleaf, sugar, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine with a wooden spoon then cover the pan and cook gently over low heat for about 40 minutes.
Pour over the lasagne stack and serve immediately.
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