Lasagna Bolognese

This is the standard lasagna I always make, written down so I no longer have to depend on Barilla's packaging for the proportions. The recipe is very simple, just make a Bolognese sauce and a Bechamel, and layer Bolognese, lasagna plate, Bechamel and cheese until you can't fit any more.

Meat sauce

Ingredients

• Mince meat (usually beef/pork mix when we make it), 500g
• Canned tomatos, 2 cans
• Two onions
• Garlic
• Fennel seeds
• Herbs - oregano, rosemary, bay leaf, etc.

Method

1. Chop onions and garlic.
2. Fry meat on high so it browns.
3. Remove meat. Add fennel seeds and bay leaf to the oil and let them fry a bit.
4. Add onions and fry until translucent. Add garlic after a bit.
5. Add back meat, add tomatoes.
6. Add herbs, salt and pepper.
7. Let bubble for maybe 40 minutes.

Bechamel

Ingredients

• Flour, 50g
• Butter, 50g
• Milk, 0.9 liters
• Salt
• Nutmeg

Method

1. Melt the butter in a thick-bottomed pan.
2. Add in the flour. Mix and stir it around until you have a really nice and dark roux.
3. Meanwhile, heat the milk. Add in the milk while whisking. Add salt and nutmeg.
4. Bring to a boil while stirring, until the sauce thickens.

Lasagna

Methods

1. Set the oven for 220 'C.
2. Grease a big pan.
3. Add bechamel and meat sauce. Cover with lasagna sheets. Repeat (and add cheese) until dish is full. Put lots of cheese and bechamel on the final layer.
4. Bake in oven for 20 minutes.

Ottolenghi's Chicken Pilaf

This is from Ottolengi and Tamimi's book Jerusalem which we bought a few years ago but didn't actually like until we found this recipe recently! For modifications on the recipe I looked at this and other pages but ultimately came up with my own proportions.

The recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken but I've used boneless skinless chicken thighs both times I've made this and its worked very well. I suspect bone-in would work better. I don't like chicken skin. The original recipe calls for about 2 cups of rice and 1.8 times the amount of water cooked for 30 minutes on low, but I've found I've needed to add a little more water and cook for a little longer, averaging 45 minutes both times.

Ingredients

• 75g Cranberries
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 onions, finely sliced 
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1.5 kg chicken thighs
• 14 cardamom pods
• 0.5 tsp whole cloves
• 2 long cinnamon sticks, broken in two
• 2.5 cups basmati rice
• 5 cups boiling water
• 5 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 5 tbsp  dill, chopped
• 5 tbsp coriander, chopped
• 100g Greek yoghurt, mixed with 2 tbsp olive oil (optional)
• 1/2 cucumber grated and drained
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Marinate the chicken with the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, a tsp of salt and 1.5tsp of pepper and the olive oil
2. Fry the chicken in a dutch oven or large cooking dish for about 5-7 minutes on each side until you get a nice brown crust and the meat is about half cooked (Medium-high heat 7).
3. Remove the chicken leaving behind the oil and most of the spices.
4. Add the onions to the oil and fry for about 10 minutes, adding the garlic about halfway through (medium heat 5)
5. Now add in the cranberries and rice and fry around for a few minutes. 
6. Now add in the hot water and the chicken and about 2.5 tsp salt.
7. Push the chicken into the rice, cover the pot and lower the heat (3) and leave for ~ 30 minutes
8. Check a few grains of rice and if needed add a few tbsps more of water and cover and cook for another 15 minutes.
9. Once done, quickly place a clean dish cloth over the top of the pot and recover with the lid and leave for 10 minutes
10. Add the dill, parsley and coriander and turn the rice and meat over gently to incorporate evenly
11. Add the cucmber and a dash of olive oil to the yogurt and each on the side