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!!
~~

Chickens Capering To-and-Fro - Chicken Piccata

Spring has sprung, though the rain has begun.  That means that it's time for a springy type recipe.  I can think of nothing quite so bright and sunny as the flavor of lemon mixed with the pungent green bite of capers.  So, I chose to make Piccata sauce.  It's one of the pan sauces I go cuckoo for.

Piccata, in it's simplest form, is a Lemon, Wine, Butter and Parsley pan sauce, usually served over Veal Scallopini (thinly sliced veal that has been dredged in flour and fried in butter).  The beauty of this simple sauce is the innumerable permutations it can take in the hands of any given cook at any given time.  No pigeonholing allowed.  My mom, for example, always adds 1 tsp of Honey and skips the wine.  I add Capers and the Lemon Zest to mine and use the Parsley for a garnish at the end. You can substitute Chicken Stock for the Wine, if you like.  You can replace the Lemon with Blood Orange, Ruby Grapefruit or Lime, if so inclined.  You can even chose Duck, Pork or Lamb, instead of the Veal.  It really just depends on what blows your hair back, floats your boat, turns your crank or what drum beat your are dancing to at the moment you are making it.  Sometimes I like to play it a little Loosey Goosey.

This has become evident in the popularity of "Chicken Piccata" vs the original Veal version.  While I personally do not quail at the thought of consuming Veal (no grousing), especially with the new laws regarding crating, I still find that the chicken variation is my favorite.  Someday, I would like to try this with duck and orange though; sort of a twist on Duck al'Orange.

The most difficult part of this dish is the "scalloping" or "butterflying' and pounding of the chicken breasts.  The pieces need to be fairly thin, so they cook quickly; which is the whole point of this particular dish.  In all honesty, if I had planned better, I would have purchased either Chicken "Tenders" or Chicken "Cutlets", then the hard part would have already been done for me.  (I am getting lazy)  LOL

Chicken Piccata

3-4 Chicken Breasts, about 24 oz (or Tenders or Cutlets)
4 TB AP Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground
1/4 tsp Sweet Paprika
2 TB Olive Oil
3 TB Unsalted Butter
1/3 cup Dry White Wine
1/3 cup Lemon Juice
Zest of 1/2 Lemon
2 TB Capers, drained
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
thin slices of lemon for garnish

“Scallop”, Butterfly or pound the chicken to between 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick. (I usually do a little butterfly-ing followed by a little pounding, cause one end of the breast is always thicker.)

Mix Flour with Salt, Pepper and Paprika.

Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.

Heat the Olive Oil and Butter in heavy skillet or sauté pan.

Brown quickly on both sides giving the chicken sufficient time to cook meat thru.(about 2 minutes per side)

Move to a warm platter, garnish with lemon slices and tent to keep warm.

Pour off all but 2 TB of the fat.

Add wine and lemon juice to deglaze the pan.

Heat to a boil while scraping the bottom of the pan to release the fond.

When reduced by half add the lemon zest; stir to combine.

Add capers and stir.

There is your pan sauce.

Pour piccata sauce over chicken.

Serve immediately, with a smattering of freshly chopped Parsley, if desired.

MMMMMMMMMMMMM!! I'm happy as a Lark.

Mangia!!
~~