Vegetable and Pancetta Lasagne

Ingredients:
6 Florets of broccoli
1 small courgette (zucchini), small round courgette or half a large one
1 baby aubergine (eggplant) or half a large one
1 & 1/2 cups (12oz) of homemade pomodoro sauce or your favourite jar of pasta sauce
Approx. 175g (6oz) of grated hard mozzarella 
125g (4.5oz) cubed pancetta (or beechwood smoked bacon or Danish bacon if you can't get Pancetta)
1x 125g (4.5oz) ball of real buffalo mozzarella
Raw lasagne pasta
1 small tub (probably about 6oz) of whipped garlic & herb soft cheese (I use Crefeé from Lidl, but you could use Boursin, Garlí or whipped Philly.)
An approx. 18cm x 18cm (7inch x 7 inch) square pyrex or ceramic dish (I used the Pyrex one with the red plastic lid that you can use to seal it closed afterwards for leftovers - very handy)


I came up with this as an alternative to my usual meat lasagne when I found some lovely round and yellow courgettes in season a couple of years ago.  Since then, I haven't seen the yellow courgettes again, but have continued to make this with whatever type I can find - I use round ones, baby ones or just ordinary ones.  My 8 year old son absolutely loves this and loves helping to make it.  He insisted that I put it on my blog.  In fact, we love it so much that we make it more often than we make a meat one.  This will feed about 4 people when served with a nice side salad.

Method:
First wash the veg and set aside.  Place the cubed pancetta on a medium heat in a large non-stick pan and get to work on the veg. The broccoli florets can be roughly chopped into bite-sized chunks with only a small bit of stem included.  The courgette and aubergine should be diced into small cubes. When all the veg is chopped, add it to the pancetta, which will be mostly cooked by now.  Toss the whole lot around for a few minutes just to soften.  Add the tomato sauce and allow to simmer for a few minutes to marry the flavours and soften further.  Turn off the heat and set the veg, sauce and pancetta mixture aside.  Chop the buffalo mozzarella into small rough chunks and set aside.  Begin layering up:  start with a layer of the veg, pancetta and sauce mixture on the bottom of the dish.  Put a couple of pieces of raw lasagne on top of this (In this size dish, it usually only takes 2 pieces to cover each layer and they don't need to be pre-cooked as the liquid in the layers will cook them in the designated time).  Spread some of the soft garlic and herb cheese in a nice thick layer on top of the lasagne, add another layer of veg mixture and then top with grated hard mozzarella.  Repeat the process again and then a third time, finishing that third layer off with chunks of buffalo mozzarella as well as a handful grated hard mozzarella.  (Remember - no pasta goes on top of the final layer.) 
Next, put the lasagne uncovered in a preheated oven at around 200C (just over 390F) for about 35 to 40  minutes until the cheese is brown and bubbly and the pasta appears soft.  Serve with a side salad and enjoy!

Cheeseburger Macaroni Bake

Ingredients:

245g (just over 8.5 oz.) Beef mince (ground beef)

¼ of a small onion (diced)

1 clove of garlic (diced)

a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

200g (7 oz.) of macaroni

3 Tbsp. of diced pimentos

150g (just over 5 oz.) of full fat cream cheese

1 Tbsp. of French’s yellow mustard

90g (just over 3 oz.) of grated cheddar + an additional handful or 2

300ml (just over 10 oz.) of milk

dash of cracked black pepper

18 Ritz crackers (blitzed or crushed)

a medium-sized casserole dish

I needed to use up some pimentos from a large jar I’d opened to make Yellow Jack Chicken & wanted to do something involving pasta & cheese.  My 7 year old son & I discussed what we’d like for dinner & came up with this recipe together.  The whole idea is that it’s like a deconstructed cheeseburger in a casserole, with the pimentos evoking both pickles & grilled peppers & the cracker crumbs representing the bun.  You’ve got the onions, the meat, the mustard – the whole works & pasta to boot!  I think it’s pretty good, so please enjoy.

Method:

In a non-stick pan, soften the onions & garlic & add the mince (ground beef).  Add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce & cook until brown.  While this is going on, you can be boiling the macaroni.  Boil until al dente, then drain & set aside.  To make the ‘instant’ cheese sauce, melt the cream cheese & milk in a small pot.  When the cream cheese is melted in & it has formed a thick liquid, add the mustard, black pepper & grated cheddar & stir until smooth & blended.  Taste a little of the sauce on your finger & see whether you think it needs a dash of salt.  I find this sauce to be more than flavourful, but my husband always feels the dish needs a little salt when I use this sauce.  Everyone’s tastebuds are different & I’m not a fan of salt, so you may feel differently.  (You may notice from my blog that this is the same cheese sauce I use when making a vegetable bake.  It’s quicker than a traditional cheese sauce with a roux base, which I also use frequently, & simply works better with certain things.  You may also notice that I tend to use yellow American hotdog mustard in my cheese or cream-based sauces.  It’s something I discovered many years ago when playing around with flavours.  A little goes a long way toward making something zippy & more flavourful & I find it preferable to using tons of salt.)  In a casserole dish, combine the cooked mince & onion mixture with the macaroni & the pimentos, then stir around until well mixed.  Pour over the cheese sauce & stir a little until well-covered.  Sprinkle a handful or 2 of grated cheddar over the top.  Next, crush the Ritz crackers with a mortar & pestle or in a food processor & sprinkle over the top.  Bake at 200 Celsius (390 F) for about 35 minutes until bubbly & golden brown.

 

before the oven

out of the oven

our 'deconstructed cheeseburger' with roasted butternut squash & sweet potato with pumpkin seeds 

Posh Chicken and Noodles

Ingredients:
8 small chicken thighs (or a small/medium whole chicken)
150g (just over 5 oz.) tagliatelle or medium egg noodles
50g (1.5 oz.) pine nuts
dash dry Rosemary
dash dry Thyme
Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper to taste
Olive Oil
Handful of fresh Flatleaf Parsley - roughly chopped
Fresh grated Grana Padano or Parmesan to garnish

I saw Nigella Lawson make a similar dish several years ago & was inspired.  I made a few subtle changes to her recipe & came up with this.  It couldn't be simpler & is great for family members of all ages, provided nobody has a pine nut allergy.  For the sake of value for money, juiciness & flavour, I prefer to use chicken thighs, but the recipe could easily be adjusted to use a small to medium whole chicken if you prefer.

Method:
Place the chicken thighs together in a baking dish & rub with plenty of olive oil & a few dashes of sea salt & cracked black pepper.  Put a couple of tablespoons of water in the bottom of the pan & cover with foil.  Cook at 190 Celsius (375 F) for about 40 minutes before removing the foil.  Once foil is removed, cook uncovered for 30 minutes at 200 Celsius (390 F).  Remove chicken from oven & set aside to cool for handling, reserving the juices in the pan.  Cook noodles in salted water until al dente.  Lightly toast the pine nuts in a dry pan with a few dashes of sea salt & cracked black pepper.  Tear the chicken from the bone into rough shreds.  I'm not a fan of skin, but if you like skin, you can also include some of the crispier pieces with the meat.  Pour the chicken cooking juices into a large pot, turn to a low simmer & toss in the torn chicken, the toasted pine nuts, a dash each of dry Rosemary & dry Thyme & the fresh chopped Parsley.  When all of this is combined, toss in the noodles & toss around with 2 spoons in order to fully mix & coat the noodles.  Add another dash or 2 of salt & pepper & it's finished!  

This is serious comfort food.  We like to serve it with a topping of grated Grana Padano cheese, a little fresh sliced cucumber in vinaigrette & some chunky fresh French or Italian bread with a side bowl of balsamic vinaigrette for dipping.  Enjoy!

The chicken before the oven

Lightly toasted pine nuts

Ready to serve

On the plate.  Enjoy!

Spaghetti Supreme

Ingredients:
Approx. 250g (half a standard packet) of linguini or spaghetti of your choice
130g (just over 4.5 oz.) cubed Pancetta
1/2 a large yellow or orange bell pepper
250ml (8.5 oz) double cream (heavy cream)
600-70g (a little over 2 oz.) torn up roasted or poached chicken breast pieces
a generous handful of finely grated Grana Padano or Parmesan
Dash cracked black pepper

This is another one of those dishes I made up on the fly when I had some produce in the house that needed using up.  We couldn't believe how nice it tasted - it's the hubby's favourite pasta dish!  When you're oven-roasting the peppers, the whole house smells like pizza.  The flavour the blackened peppers imparts is key to this dish.  It's what separates it from a typical Carbonara.

Method:
After de-veining & de-seeding, slice the half a large yellow or orange pepper (or a whole small one) into long slivers, then cut those slivers into 2 shorter chunks each.  Place them in a small roasting dish with a generous drizzle of olive oil & a generous shake of dried mixed Italian herbs (Marjoram, Oregano, Basil, Thyme & Rosemary).  Roast in the oven at about 175 Celsius (350 F) for about 40 to 45 minutes until they begin to actually blacken.  They should look a little burned - this is the flavour you're going for.  Cook your diced Pancetta in a large skillet, then add in the pre-cooked chicken pieces.  To this, add the blackened peppers with herbs, the cream, the dash of cracked black pepper & a generous handful of grated Grana Padano (Parmesan will also do).  Simply simmer on a medium heat, then turn down to a lower heat & stir regularly with a wooden spoon for a few minutes while you boil your pasta.  Serve over the pasta with some more freshly grated Grana Padano sprinkled on top.  Served with salad and/or bread, this will feed 3-4 people.

peppers before the oven

and after the oven.... blackened is what you want.

before the cream

cream added - almost ready to serve...

The finished product - very satisfying.