She is known for her Christmas dinner lasagne, chicken tikka masala lasagne and fish and chips lasagne.
Her creativity with layered dishes even impressed Jamie Oliver and led to her being featured on television.
Her quirky take on layered dishes was born when she hosted Christmas while a student.
She realised no-one had bought the turkey.
With no turkeys left in the supermarket, Wordie grabbed turkey mince and created a dish layering pigs in blankets, Brussels sprouts and cranberry sauce with the mince.
She has now released a cookbook Between the Sheets featuring simple yet fun recipes for layered dishes.
While most people think of making lasagne as a time-consuming, laborious task using a dozen pots and pans, Wordie believes it does not have to be like that.
Her book also stretches the idea of what a lasagne is.
Her sheets which separate the layers are made of different things — some surprising, some traditional — from pastry, pancakes, biscuits, muffins, hot cross buns or crusty loaves of bread. In savoury dishes, potatoes, courgettes, aubergines, pitas, naans, tortillas and pasta are used.
"All these baked goods make an excellent sheet as they are ideal at maximising the moistness of these lasagnes."
Mostly using a 25cm by 20cm ovenproof dish, her recipes serve four to six and are best enjoyed fresh as the sheets absorb liquid from the fillings.
She includes some quick hacks to speed up the process of making a lasagne including using ricotta-based sauces instead of bechamel or creme fraiche, and using canned or frozen vegetables, fruit or fish as they can be cheaper and tend to be pre-prepared.
Wordie also makes suggestions throughout the book on ways to reduce food waste by using up leftovers in lasagnes and tray bakes.
As well as sections for meat and seafood dishes, there is a vegetarian and vegan section, a sweet section and one for celebrations.
The Book
Images and text from Between the Sheets by Sarah Wordie, photography by Steve Painter. Murdoch Books RRP $37.99.
Ravioli lasagne
In this "deconstructed" lasagne you have all the main components of a conventional lasagne — pasta, beef ragu, bechamel sauce, cheese — so it tastes just as delicious, even though it might not look as you’d expect. I’ve got a good friend to thank for the inspiration behind this recipe; he was devouring a bowlful of ravioli when I called in one day and the idea for this lasagne was born.
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, diced
3 thyme sprigs
4 smoked bacon rashers, chopped
300g courgette (zucchini), chopped into bite-size chunks
200g red (bell) peppers, chopped into bite-size chunks
70g sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
250ml red wine
400ml tomato passata (strained tomatoes)
30g plain (all-purpose) flour
330ml milk
2×250-g packets ravioli stuffed with beef ragu
50g Parmesan cheese, grated (shredded)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
In a large frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the bacon and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the courgette, red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes until the vegetables have softened a little. Next, pour in the red wine and tomato passata. Simmer for 20–25 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
Combine the butter and flour in a saucepan over a low heat. Stir to make a roux before gradually adding the milk, stirring continuously so lumps do not form. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
Cover a 25×20-cm ovenproof dish with a layer of the fresh pasta ravioli. Top with half of the tomato sauce and then one-third of the bechamel sauce. Repeat these steps once more, finishing with a third layer of ravioli and top with the remainder of the bechamel sauce. Scatter over the Parmesan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes until the lasagne is bubbling and the cheese has melted. Remove the dish from the oven and set aside the lasagne for 2 minutes before serving.
COOK’S TIP
Use fresh pasta ravioli in any flavour you fancy, whether that be porcini mushroom and truffle, or spinach and ricotta. Just make sure you get the flat, pillow-shaped ravioli and not button-shaped tortellini. You can even substitute the fresh pasta ravioli for a can of ravioli pasta. While the canned ravioli might be a little smaller, they work perfectly well as a layer.
Pumpkin, pecan and maple tray bake
This traybake is a wonderful autumnal treat, when squashes are in season and the pumpkin harvest is in full swing. This recipe takes inspiration from the iconic pumpkin pie with its quirky combination of sweet and savoury flavours, in the style of a classic American dish. Enjoy this flaky and gooey traybake with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream or a good glug of cream.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 pumpkin or crown prince squash, halved and deseeded (or use 2 x 400g cans pumpkin puree)
1 tsp mixed spice
3 Tbsp maple syrup, plus extra for drizzling
130g pecans, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 x 270g packet filo pastry (about 5 sheets)
Vanilla ice cream or cream, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
Place the pumpkin halves on a baking sheet, cut side down, and roast in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the flesh is soft. Scoop out the flesh into a large bowl and set aside to cool.
Once cool, blend the pumpkin flesh to a smooth puree using a handheld stick (immersion) blender. Add the mixed spice and maple syrup, then stir through the pumpkin puree.
Brush the base of a 25cm x 20cm roasting tray or ovenproof dish with a little melted butter. Lay three sheets of filo pastry over the base of the dish. Trim the sheets to fit the dish, if necessary. Brush each sheet with butter before adding the next one. (Keep the remaining sheets covered when not in use to prevent them drying out.) Spoon half of the pumpkin puree over the pastry. Set aside 20g of the chopped pecans, then scatter half of the remaining nuts over the puree. Repeat these layers once more. Finish with a final layer of pastry, brushed with the remaining melted butter.
Bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and drizzle over some maple syrup and scatter over the remaining pecans. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until the filo is crispy and the nuts are toasted.
Let the traybake cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving warm with ice cream or cream.
COOK’S TIP
The pumpkin season is short, but you can make this traybake using alternatives, such as a butternut squash.
Vegan red lentil, spinach and dahl lasagne
This recipe provides a quirky twist on the dahl that we all know and love. The use of coconut milk gives it an extra creamy taste, while the addition of an unexpected yet essential store-cupboard ingredient may turn some heads. If you can handle the heat, add a few fresh chillies or dried chilli flakes to give the dish an extra punch, or just enjoy it with the warmth from the mellow spices.
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, diced
1½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1½ tsp curry powder (strength of your choosing)
250g red lentils, rinsed
1½ Tbsp tomato paste (concentrated puree)
1½ Tbsp tomato ketchup
1×400g can coconut milk
600ml vegetable stock
300g fresh spinach
4 or 5 large garlic and herb naan breads
3 Tbsp mango chutney, to serve
Method
Place a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes before stirring in the cumin, turmeric, paprika and curry powder. Cook for a further 1 minute. Stir in the lentils followed by the tomato paste and tomato ketchup until combined. Next, pour in the coconut milk and leave to simmer for 25–30 minutes, slowly adding a ladleful of vegetable stock every few minutes to prevent the dahl from drying out.
When the lentils are tender, season well with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
Sprinkle cold water over the base of a 25×20-cm ovenproof dish. Cover the base of the dish with a naan bread. Trim the naan bread to fit your dish and fill in any gaps. Spoon over half of the dahl mixture and top with half of the spinach leaves. Repeat these layers once more. Finish with the third layer of naan bread. Sprinkle a little more cold water across the top of the naan.
Bake in the hot oven for 15–20 minutes or until the naan is crispy and cooked. Keep an eye on the top of the lasagne to make sure that it does not burn.
Remove the dish from the oven and allow the lasagne to cool for a few minutes before serving with a good dollop of mango chutney.
COOK’S TIP
Instead of making your own dahl, you could always save time by buying a couple of pouches or pots of ready-made dahl to make this meal even quicker to throw together.
