Lasagne Lovin' - Chicken Cauliflower & Fennel Lasagne

I have been very absent for the last few weeks.  Sorry about that, but I felt it was time that I concentrate on populating Corningware411 with as much information as possible so people have some sort of resource, whether collecting or questioning correct usage of pieces.  Heck I even republished an old Coffee Talk post about my Corningware Drip Coffee Maker on the site.

Be that as it may, I am back with a collaborative project between the two sites.  I was testing a piece from Corningware's Rangetopper line (bonded aluminum base) and made sauces to see how well it distributed heat without scorching.  As a result, I have a batch of Quick Tomato Sauce (as opposed to Slow Cooked Tomato Sauce) and a batch of Onion laced Bechamel.  The tests were successful, which is always the preferable outcome, but the bonus is that I have everything I need to make that most perfect of foods.... Lasagne!

This is more in the Northern Italian Style of Lasagne.  Though it does contain Tomato Sauce, it also contains Bechamel and lacks any form of Ricotta. For this one though, I decided to get a little more complicated.  Normally, when I use Bechamel and Tomato Sauce in one pan of lasagne, I just mix the two together before layering.  This time, I chose to keep them separated to form a more interesting layering effect.  I think I had originally seen this idea in a cookbook for a vegetable lasagne.  I figured that since this lasagne contains a significant amount of veggies, I would follow suite.

Chicken, Cauliflower and Fennel Lasagne

1 head of Cauliflower, cut into florets
2 Fennel Bulbs, quartered and sliced
3 TB Olive Oil
1 recipe Quick Tomato Sauce (or 3 cups Slow-Cooked Tomato Sauce)
1 recipe Onion Bechamel
2 cups cooked Chicken breast meat, chopped
1 lb Lasagne Noodles
1 cup Panko
16 oz dry Mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
Reduce the Cauliflower to small florets......

Quarter, remove the core, and slice the Fennel.....

Place in a large bowl and toss with 3 TB Olive oil.

Spread the veggies on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes..

Just until they begin to brown......

Chop the Chicken and mix 1 cup of Chicken with 1 cup of the Quick Tomato Sauce in a small bowl.

Mix the remaining Chicken with 1 cup of the Bechamel in a small bowl.

Place Lasagna noodles in a 13x9 baking dish...

Pour hot water over the noodles and let sit for 5 minutes.

Now they should be slightly "bendy".

OK... Layering time.......
First, butter a 13x9 pan....

Pour in the chickenless Bechamel and spread it over the bottom of the pan.

Place lasagna noodles over the Bechamel.

Spread the Chicken laden Tomato Sauce over the noodles.

Spread 1/2 of the vegetable mixture over the Chicken.

Sprinkle with 4 oz of Mozzarella.

Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Panko.

Place down another layer of noddles.

Spread the Chicken laden Bechamel over the noodles.

Spread the remaining Vegetables.

Sprinkle with 4 oz of Mozzarella and the remaining Panko.

Top with another layer of noodles.

Pour the remaining Tomato Sauce over the top.

Sprinkle with the remaining Mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Cover with a sheet of parchment.....

Then cover with foil.

Bake for  40 minutes...

Remove the foil and parchment, then bake for 10 -15 minutes longer.....

Until all nice and bubbly.

Let sit for 15 minutes to allow the Lasagne to "set up".

and serve......  Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout!

Now I must go be alone with the whole pan!

Mangia!!
~~

The Little Paris Kitchen - Croque Madame Muffins

Thanks to my friend Ken in San Diego, I have a new favorite show on the Cooking Channel.  Rachel Khoo lives in a tiny flat in the Belleville district and turned her living room into the smallest restaurant in Paris.  She may only be able to seat 2 people at a time in her 21 square meter studio (that's 69 square feet) but she makes good use of her 2 burner "Coleman stove" and mini-convection oven.  I was terribly impressed as I watched her take on Boeuf Bourguignon.

I really get a kick out of what her kitchen looks like.  In many ways it reminds me of the kitchen in my last San Diego apartment.  In that respect, we are like kindred spirits.  Granted, I had a full sized refrigerator and a full sized range, unlike Rachel, but I think she has more actual counter space than I did.  All her pots and equipment hang from the wall, just like mine use to.  When you have no horizontal space, it's time to go vertical baby.  Luckily, my tiny kitchen had 9 1/2 ft ceilings, so there was a lot of vertical space to be had.  :)  If it hadn't been for the long florescent light fixture, I would have hung things from the ceiling on hooks too. 

Anyway, I really like some of the things I have seen from her so far, such as her method with Oeufs en Cocotte (eggs in pots), in which she replaces the Heavy Cream with Crème Fraîche and then tops the whole thing with Salmon Caviar (oh yeah!), and her Spring Lamb Stew with Mint sauce.  I don't mean like that awful mint jelly sauce either.  Her rendition is made with minced fresh mint.  Sounds delish to me.  The Molten Chocolate Cakes spiked with Salt Caramel made me laugh though, because I have been kicking that idea around in my head for the last couple of weeks, and then BAM!, there it is on her show.

But the one thing that REALLY caught my eye, of the 2 episodes I have seen so far, was her Croque Madame transformed into a muffin.  I know, right?  It's just plain crazy!  The famous sandwich gone rogue.  Now I must say, that when I saw her pull out the white bread, I cringed.  I simply cannot do white bread.  It's like gummy flavorless nastiness.  After I decided that I needed to try her recipe, I went to the store and attempted to make myself buy white bread.   Nope, I just couldn't do it.... I came close though.  I bought a nice loaf of the whole grain white wheat that had become so popular in the last few years.  At least it has a little more flavor and SOME nutritional value.  :)  The problem is, that flatter loaves like sour dough, rye and french won't really work.  In order to line the muffing tin properly you really need the square bread, and only mass produced non-french type breads come that way.  Think Franz, Wonder and Roman Meal.

I have made this twice so far... Yes, I saw the recipe on Friday and I made it both Saturday and Monday mornings for breakfast.  It really is THAT delicious.  But I have made a cheese change.  While a Croque Madame sandwich would normally be laced with Gruyere or Emmental, I have opted for Fontina.  I think it gives the Béchamel a little more zing and melts a little smoother than the other two.  Mind you, I am speaking of the more commonly available Danish Fontina (in the red or yellow wax) not the original Italian variety (Fontina val d'Aosta in the brown wax); though it would probably be even better. 

But enough jabber from me, breakfast isn't going to make itself.

Croque Madame Muffins

Adapted from Rachel Khoo

6 slices Whole Grain White Wheat Bread, crust removed
4 TB Unsalted Butter, melted
2 slices Deli Ham
6 medium Eggs (if using large eggs, you will have to loose some of the white)
1 TB Unsalted Butter
1 TB AP Flour
3/4 cup (200ml) Whole Milk
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of White Pepper
Pinch of Nutmeg
1 oz (30g) Fontina Cheese, grated - divided

First you must trim the crust from the squishy bread.

Take a rolling pin and squish them down to about half their original thickness.

Brush both sides of the bread with melted butter. (you should have a little left over)

Fit each piece into the holes of a muffin tin.

OK, now it's time to make Béchamel really quick, cause it will need to cool slightly.
So, place 1 TB Butter in a sauce pan set over medium flame, then add the flour and whisk until bubbly and slightly nutty smelling.

Add the milk and whisk until it begins to thicken.

Add Salt, Pepper and Nutmeg and cook 1 minute longer to ensure it is thick enough.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in half of the Fontina cheese (save the rest to top the muffins with)

Once the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth, set aside and begin preheating the oven to 350F (175C) degrees.
Place little bits of ham in the bottom of each cup.

Now crack a medium sized egg into each cup.  (if you are using large eggs, you will need to remove some of the white)

Spoon about 2 TB of Béchamel over each egg.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and brush the edges of the bread with any of the remaining butter.

Bake for 15 minutes for runny yolks or 20 minutes for "set" yolks.

Then remove from the pan with a small offset spatula, and dig into some creamy golden deliciousness.

Now THAT is how I like to start my morning.

Mangia!!
~~

Béchamel Bliss - Moussaka

OK, I will admit it... When I was a child, I hated Eggplant.  Loathed, detested and abhorred it.  Unfortunately for me, my mother absolutely loved the it.  So much so, in fact, that we grew the vile vegetable in the garden every single year.  Eggplant here, eggplant there.. Eggplant everywhere!   Nightmares, where I was eaten my a giant eggplant, occurred quite frequently... 

Did I mention that I reviled Eggplant?

I tried to explain to my mother that since I actually liked Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli and Spinach, that I should not be forced to consume eggplant. Unfortunately, this bit of logical thinking was not in sync with my mother's belief in a well rounded diet.  In protest, I would shun the vile vegetable on my plate; refusing to submit to her dictatorial edict.  This battle of wills would last several hours.  Abandoned by the rest of the family, I would continue to sit at the table with that repugnant rutabaga wannabe mocking me from my plate.

Looking back, I realize that there was no possible way I could have ever won the war.  True to rights, after about 2 hours of staunch rebellion, I would finally give in and eat the noxiously nauseating and nefarious nightshade. (sigh)

Now that I'm an adult, I have come to regret some of my childhood willfulness, (not all of it, mind you) for it wasted a lot of my time, energy, and, as it turns out, delicious eggplant.  Yes, I said it.  Eggplant... I don't know when it happened or how it happened, but I just can't seem to get enough of it these days.

Personally, I think they have hybridized newer cultivars or improved old ones over the years.  Mom use to religiously salt the stuff and let it drain to remove the bitterness, yet it was still bitter and nasty when I was a kid.  Now, I find that salting removes the bitterness completely and, in some cases, salting isn't even necessary.  Thus, I have enjoyed many an Eggplant Rolatini, Eggplant Parmesan, Eggplant Charlotte, Eggplant Tempura and bountiful bowls of Ratatouille over the years.  But my all time favorite Eggplant dish has got to be Moussaka.

Even during my strained childhood relationship with Eggplant, I would always eat the Moussaka when mom made it.  She did resort to pureeing it the first couple of times, so I could not try to pick the eggplant out, (clever, she was) but in the long run it didn't matter.  She figured out fairly quickly that it was the ONE Eggplant dish that I would eat with no dinnertime defiance.

I think this was the very first Greek dish I was exposed to, though the origins of Moussaka as "Greek" are somewhat dubious at best.  More than likely, the dish is a spin-off of the Palestinian Musakhkan or the Turkish Musakka, for even on the Grecian peninsula, it is made differently according to locale...  In Macedonia, for instance, they layer Beef and Potatoes, then top it with a savory custard instead of Lamb and Eggplant with Béchamel.

Either way, the version that we know today, and the one than I bake, became popular until the 1920's thanks to Nicholas Tselemente.  I am assuming, since he was French, that the Béchamel topping is his doing, since I have seen some old recipes that use a yogurt and olive oil sauce on top with Kefalotyri, instead of Kasseri.  But, let us be reminded that this is really a peasant dish, like Ratatouille, and as such, it manifests with multiple modifications made by anybody and everybody that has ever prepared it over the years.  In essence, there is no wrong way or right way to make Moussaka.  You can make it all kinds of "snooty" if you want, but in the grand scheme of things, it's just down home, stick to your ribs, Mediterranean comfort food.

Me?  I am all for the Béchamel, man.  If ever there was a food that instilled rapture, it's cheese laced Béchamel.

Mom's Moussaka

Roasted Eggplant:
2 medium Eggplant, peeled and cut into 3/8 inch (10mm) slices
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

Béchamel:
2 TB unsalted Butter
2 TB AP Flour
2 cups (475ml) Whole Milk (room temperature)
Black Pepper
2 large Eggs

Meat Sauce:
A good glurg of Olive oil
1 1/2 lb (680g) ground Lamb (or Beef, but it really looses something)
1 large Onion, chopped
Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
1/4 tsp dried Basil
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
2 TB Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
3/4 cup Tomato Sauce

Assembly:
Meat Sauce
Roasted Eggplant
1 1/4 cup (5 oz) (140g) Kasseri cheese, grated
Béchamel 
1/2 cup (2 oz) (57g) Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Myzithra)


Preheat the oven to 425 F degrees.
Peel the Eggplants and cut into slices of about 1/4-1/2 inch (10 mm).

Place on a large baking sheet and brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil (don't be stingy with the oil, they will soak up a lot)

Season with Kosher Salt and Black Pepper.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until eggplant slices just begin to brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Reduce the oven to 350 F degrees.

While the Eggplant is baking, you can start the Béchamel.......
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium-low flame.

Once the butter is melted, add the Flour,

Whisk vigorously and constantly, cooking for one minute; until nice and bubbly (you only want a blonde roux)

Slowly pour in the milk, again whisking constantly to that the sauce remains smooth.

Continue cooking, whisking constantly.......

until it coats the back of a spoon, then remove from the flame.

Beat two eggs in a small bowl.

Condition the beaten Eggs by whisking in several spoonfuls of the hot Béchamel.

Then add the Eggs to the Béchamel sauce and whisk thoroughly until well combined.

Cover with plastic wrap on the surface to prevent crusting and set aside.

Now it's time for the meat sauce....
Heat Olive oil in a saute pan over medium flame.

Add the Onions and saute about 2 minutes before adding the Lamb (my lamb was pretty lean this time)

Once everything is nice and evenly browned and the onions are soft, add in the Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Oregano, Basil and Salt.

Add the Tomato sauce and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the Parsley and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from the flame and prepare for assembly......

Assemble:
Place 1/3 of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Cover the meat by laying down 1/2 of the Eggplant slices.

Sprinkle this with about 1/2 cup of the Kasseri cheese.

Spoon 1/2 of the remaining meat mixture over the cheese.

Cover this with the remaining Eggplant slices.

Sprinkle with another 1/2 cup of Kasseri Cheese.

Spoon the remaining meat mixture over the cheese.

Now the best part, remove the plastic wrap from the Béchamel, and pour it all over the top. (It's a beautiful thing)

Smooth with a rubber spatula if necessary.

Sprinkle the remaining Kasseri over the Béchamel, then sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Let stand on the counter for about 15 minutes before attempting to cut into it.
Oh yea! THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout!

Mangia!!
~~