Ham lasagne rolls

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 200g mushrooms, sliced – the variety is up to you, though a good mixture is always welcome
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 150-200g leftover ham, shredded
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 tsp chilli flakes, or to taste (optional)
• 1 tbsp vinegar – cider, wine or balsamic
• 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 1 pinch finely grated lemon zest, to taste (optional)
• 12 lasagne sheets, fresh or dried and blanched (see note)
• 200g cream cheese
• 150g mozzarella
• 60g parmesan
• 12 black olives, pitted (optional)

Directions

1. Put a glug of olive oil in a saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the sliced mushrooms and fry, stirring, for about seven minutes, until they brown.
2. Add two of the chopped garlic cloves and the shredded ham, stir for a minute, then season to taste and transfer to a bowl to cool.
3. To make the tomato sauce, put the same pan back on a medium heat, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, the last chopped clove of garlic and an optional teaspoon of chilli flakes.
4. Before the garlic browns, add the vinegar and chopped tomatoes, and bring to a simmer to thicken. Season to taste and add an optional grating of lemon zest.
5. Lay out all the lasagne sheets on a work surface, then spread the cream cheese all along the length of each sheet. Evenly scatter over the grated mozzarella, then spoon the ham mixture on top.
6. Roll each sheet into a cigar and arrange side by side in an enamel baking dish. Pour the tomato sauce over the top, scatter over the grated parmesan and dot the pitted olives around and about. Bake in a 240°C (220°C fan) oven for 20 minutes, until browned and bubbling, then remove and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Note:

• You can use fresh lasagne sheets for this, but they can be expensive, so I used dried ones that I blanched in plenty of salted boiling water. To avoid them sticking together, drop in each sheet separately and wait 10 seconds before putting in the next one, then stir every now and then for about five minutes, until the sheets are malleable but still undercooked.