Chocolate Nut Lasagne

Pasta:6 oz plain flour (all purpose flour)
1 oz cocoa
1 oz caster sugar
2 eggs
pinch salt
1 tsp olive oil
Custard:1.25 pints semi-skimmed milk (1.5 pints U.S.)
1 vanilla pod,split
1 egg +2 egg yolks
1 tbsp cornflour (1.25 tbsp cornstarch U.S.)
2 oz caster sugar
Filling:6 oz jar pitted morello cherries
4 oz raisins
2 oz hazelnuts,toasted and roughly chopped
2 oz pine nuts,toasted
4 oz dark chocolate,grated

serves:6 dozen

PASTA:Sift flour and cocoa,stir in sugar.Make a well in the middle,stir in oil,eggs and salt and mix to a smooth dough.Knead about 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth.Roll out on a floured surface until 3 mm (1/8 inch)thick,and cut into 10 x 30 cm (4 x 12inch)rectangles (or pass thru rollers of a pasta machine).Leave to rest for an hour while preparing custard.

CUSTARD:Heat milk with the vanilla pod until just boiling.In a bowl,beat egg,egg yolks,cornflour and sugar until smooth.Pour over the boiling milk,beating constantly. Strain back into the pan, bring to the boil and simmer 3 mins until thickened. Assemble the lasagne:In a 30 x 20 cm (12 x 8 inch)baking dish, start with 4 tbsp of custard spread over the base.Top this with a layer of nuts,cherries,raisins and chocolate,then a layer of pasta. Repeat until the ingredients are used up,ending with a layer of custard and a sprinkling of nuts.Bake covered at 200 °C/400 °F/Gas 6 for 20 minutes,then uncovered for a further 10 minutes.Serve hot with cream or ice cream.

Note:If you don ‘t like pine nuts,this is equally as good (if not better)if you use extra hazelnuts,or unsalted pistachios instead.