Lasagna Frenzy

I had a craving for lasagna on Wednesday and since I was feeling a little hardworking, I decided to try make just that today (since Alina & Gerry can do it, I am sure I can too...).

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After breakfast with my other half, off I went to Cold Storage for the ingredients. It was a good choice to head there as I managed to get everything I needed not to mention a little something extra that I dont need. That something extra is, dunno how, I managed to kick my little toe right into the wheel of my shopping trolley while queuing up at the cashier which resulted in a pretty bad swelling & blue black and now I have to walk with a limp. Sigh... that's beside the point.

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Anyway, back to my lasagna. It was in fact pretty simple to make. Though mine didnt turn out as I've expected it to be, it tasted alright. I made two kind of lasagna; a chicken lasagna and a tuna lasagna, and decorated the plate with a healthy serving of caesar salad with crouton and mashed potato.

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We invited some friends over to enjoy it together and had a great time catching up over dinner. We even have dessert after that - Miki's cheesecake courtesy from our guests. Overall, it was good but will be better if the lasagna turned out as I've expected it to be. Hmm... need to perfect it... we concluded that what went wrong was the baking tray i used instead of a just-fit corning ware. I shall attempt again when the Italian wind blow my way again! ;)

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Someone asked me, how come no recipe. So here you go... please do try it and let me know how to perfect it.

Ingredients

· 250g lasagna sheets, cooked and drained
· 280ml milk
· 1 bay leaf
· 1 onion
· 4-5 white peppercorns, lightly smashed
· 200g chicken fillet, minced
· ½ an onion, chopped
· 170g tomato purée
· ¾ tsp dried basil
· ¾ tsp dried oregano
· 2 tbsp water
· Salt and pepper to taste
· 30g butter
· 25g plain flour
· 2 tbsp grated or shaved Parmesan cheese
· 1 tbsp chopped parsley

Method

(1) Pour milk into a small saucepan. Add bay leaf, onion and peppercorns. Bring to just a boil, then remove from the fire and leave aside.

(2) Put chicken mince in a non-stick saucepan and fry briskly to brown the meat. Add the onion. Toss well and cook until onion turns soft. Stir in tomato purée, basil, oregano and water. Cover the saucepan with a lid and cook over a medium low heat for 8-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

(3) Melt butter in a clean saucepan. Stir in flour and cook until it turns frothy. Bring saucepan away from the heat and strain in the cooled flavoured milk. Bring the saucepan back to the fire and whisk until the white sauce begins to boil and thicken.

(4) Lightly grease a straight-sided ovenproof dish. Line the base of the dish with one layer of lasagna sheets. Spread on a thin layer of the white sauce. Add a layer of the cooked minced meat. Repeat the layering until all the lasagna sheets and cooked mince are used up, finishing with a layer of lasagna sheets. Sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley. Bake at 190°C for 13-15 minutes.