Wine and food pairing: Lasagne with chorizo, pear and blue cheese

I first tasted this lasagna in the South of France, at my parents' house, years ago. Just hearing the combination of ingredients made my teenage vegetarian hairs stand on end. And until a few years ago, I would have run screaming at the sight of blue cheese. But Marianne, the hostess and queen of the kitchen at her own chambres et table d'hôtes in Saint-Chinian, assured me, "Everyone will find this lasagna a delight." And yes, of course she was right. Marianne, thank you!

Ingredients (for 6 persons)

• 3 to 4 onions (depending on size), chopped
• 100 grams chorizo, finely chopped
• 150 grams of ham (strips/cubes)
• ½ tbsp Italian herbs (oregano, rosemary, thyme)
• 3 pears, e.g. Conference, peeled and sliced
• 250 ml crème fraîche
• 75-125 grams of blue cheese, e.g. Danablue
• 500-750 grams of basic tomato sauce, e.g. Sugocasa tradizionale
• 150-200 grams of grated mature/old cheese
• 250 grams (fresh) lasagna sheets
• olive oil/pepper/salt

Preparation: 30 min.
Oven: 35 min

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Sauté the onions in olive oil in a large pan over low heat until translucent. Add the chorizo, ham, and Italian herbs. Cook briefly and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Peel the pears, halve them, remove the core and cut into slices.

Place the crème fraîche and blue cheese (as much as you like) in a small saucepan. Place over low heat and gently melt until a sauce forms, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the tomato sauce in a separate saucepan. Is your tomato sauce (very) thin? Turn up the heat and reduce it slightly. Season with salt and pepper (to taste).

Grease a baking dish with olive oil and first spread a small amount of tomato sauce in the bottom. Then, place the lasagna sheets on top, covering the bottom. Then, add another small amount of tomato sauce, along with half of the chorizo/onion/ham mixture. Place the lasagna sheets on top. Then, arrange half of the pears on top, and spread half of the blue cheese sauce on top. This is easy to do with a spoon; let your inner artist shine. Repeat with lasagna sheets, tomato sauce, and the other half of the chorizo/onion/ham mixture.

More lasagna sheets, the remaining pears, and cheese sauce. Last layer of lasagna sheets. Top with tomato sauce and grated cheese.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. If the cheese isn't crispy enough on top yet, turn on the grill for 5 minutes (and don't leave the oven, as this can cook quickly!).

Bon appetit!

Wine tips for lasagna

Red: With such a flavor-packed lasagna with chorizo, there's really only one wine that goes well: Spanish red! A wine made with garnacha, tempranillo, and/or cariñena. We're off to Rioja, or better yet, Priorat. My favorite? Martinet Bru in from Mas Martinet Viticultors

White: Prefer white wine in your glass? We can go two ways: either we go all out with the richness of the dish, think of a wood-aged Chardonnay from the New World with plenty of ripeness, or we're looking for the fresh side, which, yes, cuts through the fat so nicely. We'll obviously go for riesling .

Nadien van Le Club also made the recipe and served it The Argiles from Francois Chidaine, a generous chenin blanc from Vouvray.