As an avid gym enthusiast and health-conscious Spaniard, Chef Gerard Villaret Horcajo of the 2023 one-MICHELIN Star restaurant Elements, inspired by Ciel Bleu at the MICHELIN-listed Okura Prestige Bangkok hotel, is dedicated to both nutrition and flavour, ensuring his dishes never compromise on taste.
The chef, known for his exceptional expertise in merging French techniques with Japanese flares into fine dining, brings a unique twist to the table. For gym goers and health lovers, Horcajo has curated a special treat: an easy and quick-to-follow, gluten-free, and vegetarian menu that you can savour in the comfort of your own home.
Ready to elevate your home cooking game to the level of a MICHELIN Star restaurant chef? Simply follow this recipe.
Vegetarian Gluten free Celeriac Lasagna
Preparation time: 45 minutesOven time: 30-35 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 leek
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 4 red tomatoes
- 2 tbsp cooking olive oil
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- 2 cans (total 800 grams) diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 15 grams of fresh basil, leaves only
- 1 celeriac
- 40 grams of unsalted butter
- 40 grams of all-purpose flour
- 500 ml of milk
- Nutmeg or Aka miso
- 150 grams grated Comté or Parmesan cheese
- Black truffle (optional for bougie-ness)
Equipment:
- Baking dish/tray
- Frying pan
- Oven
- Heavy-bottomed pan
- Cheese grater
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Knife
- Cutting board
Methods:
- Finely chop the garlic and leek, and slice the tomato into small cubes.
- Heat up the pan and stir-fry leek and garlic with oil for 3-minutes, half-way through sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add the fresh tomato cubes onto the pan for 1-minute then reduce the heat and add the canned-tomato, oregano and mix them together. Let it simmer for 30-minutes.
- Add more salt, sugar or pepper if it is needed.
- Add the finely chopped basil leaves into the sauce and give it a little stir.
- Peel the celeriac and thinly slice it - these will become your lasagna sheets.
- Soak the slice in salted-boiling water for a few minutes so that it becomes nicely softened. Then drain the salted-water and dry it with kitchen paper.
- For béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan, then add the flour and stir until you get a smooth mixture. Cook it for 2-3 minutes while continuously stirring.
- Once the roux starts to separate from the bottom, add a splash of milk while whisking. When the milk is completely absorbed by the mixture, slowly add more milk while continuing to whisk until the sauce slightly thickens. Then, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let the sauce gently thicken for a few more minutes, but be sure to keep stirring.
- Season the sauce with a pinch of salt, ground black pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg (or miso if available).
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees (using both top and bottom heat).
- Grease your baking dish with olive oil. Spread a thin layer of tomato-leek sauce, then place a layer of the celeriac slices and top it with béchamel sauce.
- Repeat each layer one more time, then sprinkle the matured cheese evenly on top (Comté or Parmesan).
- Place the baking dish into the preheated oven and bake it for about 30-35 minutes until it develops a nice golden-brown crust on the lasagna. If you happen to have black truffle available, add a few slices on top of the lasagna before serving.
Tips from the chef:
- This recipe is for 4 servings as a main course.
- Try serving the lasagna with a fresh green salad on the side.
- If you have leftover lasagna, you can easily freeze it and reheat it later!
RELEVANT: Recipe: Andrew Martin And His Spicy Thai Salad
Illustration image: © Diago Arenas/ Elements, Inspired by Ciel Bleu
