Not quite Barefoot Contessa - Lasagne with Chicken Sausage

My admiration for the Barefoot Contessa knows absolutely no bounds. Ever since that hot June afternoon when I sat down with a tiny Lola and flicked through the TV channels trying to find something to stare absentmindedly at whilst it was bottle time, I have been a fan. There she appeared, on my TV screen, looking all smiley and homely, with her lovely house and her Kitchen Aid and those cute American measuring cups, putting her ‘good vanilla’ and half a pound of butter into a bowl, and I thought, ‘Oh yes, this could be me.’ Unfortunately, instead of ‘habitating’ in The Hamptons, I was lounging somewhere near Liverpool, half asleep, not yet totally dressed, with a little bit of baby dribble adorning my left shoulder but all that was mere detail. This was going to happen. I could breeze in and out in my Mercedes/BMW, the odd dinner party here, the trip to the speciality food store for some mozzarella from the happiest buffalo in the whole world there. Bring it on.

Fast forward 10 years and I have the nice house (though it’s not what you’d call ‘tidy’ – I need at least two hours warning of any visit so I can shift the dogs, children, washing, yesterday’s plates, clothes, etc.)  Phill bought me a Kenwood for my birthday instead of a Kitchen Aid (I am very grateful; I know that sounds like I am not…) and I bought my own measuring cups. Not much going on on the old Mercedes/BMW front but I like to zip about in my little Fiesta up to the farm shop for some carrots… I think the point I am trying to make is that sometimes it’s nice to take an idea and put a twist on it and kind of make it yours, and that is what I did with my ‘I am going to be like the Barefoot Contessa fixation’ and the Barefoot Contessa’s Turkey Sausage Lasagne recipe. I used chicken sausage. And it was fabulous.

Lasagne is a very important dish in our house. I’d like to say it is because of our Italian roots but collectively we’re not that interesting. However, it was a lasagne that wooed Phill (along with, I hope, my stunning wit and repartee, my jolly personality and what I am going to call my ‘allure’) and if I happen to think out loud about what to cook for dinner, I know what the answer is. How would  my brood take to this lasagne craziness? The answer, thankfully, was a general thumbs up, though for the reasons above, Phill said he preferred the real thing. This, however, is a tasty, ramped up humdinger of a dish that epitomises Barefoot Contessa recipes. They’re never bland.

Lasagne with chicken sausage, adapted from ‘Barefoot Contessa Family Style’ by Ina Garten, or you can find the original recipe here

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 1/2 lb chicken sausages, casings removed

1 ½ tins chopped tomatoes

5 – 6 tbsp tomato puree

Large handful chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

pack of fresh basil leaves, chopped

salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound no cook lasagne sheets

15 oz ricotta cheese

3 to 4 oz creamy goat cheese, crumbled

10oz Parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large (10- to 12-inch) pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 x 12 x 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one third of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

I served this with salad and garlic bread.

Not quite Barefoot Contessa, but close: Lasagne with Chicken Sausage

 

 

 

I have been wanting to make this recipe for a while - but could never find the right ingredient - well, I probably could have done if I had looked hard enough, but the fact of the matter is that a quick dash around the supermarket aisles on a Friday night (if I haven't done it online that is: another sop to my role of English teacher up to her neck in A level English Literature coursework) does not necessarily facilitate the idle wanderings and musings that I would like food shopping to be. Anyway, I found the ingredient, well as close as I was going to get, not living in The Hamptons like the Barefoot Contessa, and thought the time is now for lasagna with turkey sausage, only this is a Lola and Finn's Mum's version so it's chicken sausage with Italian herbs and the 'lasagne' bit is spelt correctly. (Don't take offence US readers - this is merely an example of what is known as 'British' humour. Yes, that's right. Humour).

 

Now I had forgotten that this recipe has a reasonably extensive list of ingredients, some of which I did not have, so I made do with some random stuff in the fridge. Therefore, if you make this, it is quite rich with what turns out to be a four cheese sauce, plus quite a strong tomato and herb sauce flavour to accompany it, and so I would buy in what I needed and make loads as a little goes a long way, . That said, the recipe below that I used and adapted, roughly cuts the ingredient quantity in half, being that I only had half the sausage content to play with in the first place. It just so happened that I had enough with what I had left in the fridge to make half of the original.

 

The other adaptation I made was that I was concerned that during the cooking of the tomato sauce, the sauce would become too thick before the puree cooked out, and so I added 200ml of chicken stock to the tomato sausage mixture, in the hope that it would give a more rounded flavour.

 

This was a very punchy, satisfying dish - great for a crowd if you go ahead and make loads, or with a bit of garlic bread and some salad for a Saturday night meal.

 

Lasagne with Chicken Sausage, adapted from Lasagna with Turkey Sausage, adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten and here

 

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad

 

(Cup measurements, as this is an American recipe - my adaptations in red)

 

Ingredients:

 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)

2 garlic cloves, minced

750g chicken sausage with Italian herbs, casings removed

1  can (14oz) tinned tomatoes

3oz tomato puree

200ml chicken stock

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (I used 2 tsp Italian seasoning)

sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

lasagne sheets

7oz ricotta cheese

1 to 2 oz creamy goat cheese, crumbled (I used Tallegio cheese)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling

1 medium egg, lightly beaten

250g fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

 

Method:

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

 

Heat the olive oil in a suitable pan that will be big enough to hold the sauce once all the ingredients are added

 

 

 

Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

 

 

 

Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink.

 

 

 

Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, (Italian seasoning), the chicken stock, salt, and  pepper to taste. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened. Taste for seasoning once again.

 

If you are using lasagne sheets you need to soak, now would be a good time to do this.

 

 

 

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, (Tallegio) the Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley,  salt, and  pepper to taste. Set aside.

 

 

 

Start the layering process by ladling some of the sausage mixture over the bottom of a baking dish. Then add the layers as follows: some pasta, some mozzarella and then the ricotta mixture. Repeat, ensuring you finish off with the ricotta. Lastly, sprinkle with some of Parmesan.

 

 

 

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling then allow to cool slightly before serving.

...



This post is linked to Cook like a Star, ALL Stars Anniversary organised by me, Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Mich from Piece of Cake. 

Wanna cook or bake like Donna Hay, Barefoot Contessa, Jamie Oliver, Masterchef, Martha Stewart, Delia Smith, Curtis Stone, Nigella Lawson, Ree Drummond and Bill Granger? To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from their websites or cookbooks and link with us at this Zoe's, this Joyce's or this Mich's post for the whole of March and April 2014.

- See more at: http://www.bakeforhappykids.com/#sthash.CjCbzQUX.dpuf

Ultimate Meatballs? A bold claim, but they are quite good!

(With apologies for a distinct lack of step by step photos; I was busy being birthday mum and host whilst all this was going on!)

So, recently for Lola's birthday tea we had meatballs and tagliatelle, along with the aforementioned angel cake, and regular readers of this blog will know that my children have never met a meatball they didn't like. I was looking for something completely different when I happened across this recipe, but I was, like, goaded into cooking these because of the extraordinary claim: Ultimate meatballs? Seriously? Will I ever want another meatball recipe after this one? Well, actually they really are rather nice and whilst I will seek out other meatball recipes, it does not mean that I don't rate these. It just means that I am a curiously annoying and inquisitive cook.

This is a recipe adapted from the one by Tyler Florence who I know little about, save for him being an American chef. The success of this dish has encouraged me to seek out some of his others. My tweak was to put a little mozzarella into the centre of the meatball.

Ultimate Meatballs with Pomodoro Sauce and Tagliatelle, adapted from Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs by Tyler Florence

Serves Mum, Dad, Lola and Finn and four others.

Ingredients
(Measured in cups, as it is an American recipe)

For the Pomodoro Sauce:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

4 tins chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the meatballs:

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, smashed

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 cup milk

4 thick slices firm white bread, crust removed

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (mince)

1 1/2 pounds ground pork (mince)

1 large egg (I used two medium ones)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A ball of mozzarella cheese, cut into chunks

Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh basil or parsley

To serve:

1 pound spaghetti, or pasta of your choice.

Method:

Make your Pomodoro (tomato) sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the vegetables are soft, 4 to 5 minutes.

Carefully add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring for a few minutes with a wooden spoon to further break up any tomatoes. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil and season again. Set aside until required.

Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the onion, and cook until it is soft but still translucent, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool.

Pour enough milk over the bread in a bowl to moisten and let it soak while the onions are cooling. 

Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and Parmesan and season generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add that to the bowl along with the cooled onion mixture. 

Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands or with a spoon until just mixed together. Don't overwork or the meatballs will be tough. Test for seasoning. I fry off a little of the mixture to check for seasoning before I begin to roll the meat into balls.

When you're happy with the seasoning, roll the meat into balls, placing a little piece of mozzarella into the centre of each ball.

Heat some olive oil in the frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, until cooked through. This will depend on the size of your balls, as it were, but my walnut sized ones took about 10 - 15 mninutes.

When the meatballs are cooked, combine the meatballs and the sauce together. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti or whatever pasta you are using in the boiling water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and put it onto a large serving platter. Spoon the meatballs on top of the spaghetti and garnish with basil leaves if you like, or parsley. 

Serve immediately along with extra cheese and any sauce you have left over.

A Liebster Blog Award and mum's impromptu chicken, bacon and mozzarella pasta bake.

A couple of weeks ago I was nominated by a dear fellow food blogger for a Liebster Blog award, and I was really quite flattered, because it never occurred to me that people would think that this blog is any good. indeed, it made me think about why I was blogging in the first place and part of it was because I was told I should, and I must say I enjoy doing it enormously. It allows me to indulge creatively whether cooking the dish or writing about it, but it is first and foremost a quite personal thing so for others to like it makes me smile.

Accepting the award means that I follow these five rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.

2. Link back to their blog.

3. Copy and paste the Liebster award to your profile

4. Pick 5 blogs that you feel deserve to be in the spotlight (they must have 200 followers or under)

5. Blog about it and leave a comment for your nominations to let them know that you have chosen their blog.

So, without further ado, I will fulfil the rules of my award, which are thoroughly sensible in that they allow me to thank Becki over at  Becki's Whole Life for nominating me. I encourage you strongly to visit her blog which includes some excellent musings and fabulous recipes. Thank you Becki.

I also get to nominate five blogs that I would like to award a Liebster blog award to. Hmm, tricky. I link to other blogs in my blog because I have enjoyed and enjoy reading them, so to narrow it to five is difficult. But, here are my five:

Jam Tarts and Gingerbread Men - Written by Samantha. I love reading about her food adventures and she writes from the perspective of being a mum, which I really 'get'. Please visit!

How to cook a wolf - Written by Linda, whose photography is beautiful and whose cooking repetoire is really wideranging. A great foodie friend.

Warm and Snug and Fat - A brilliant blog written by Amee. Beautifully photographed with some stunning recipes. A great blog to visit.

It all tastes Greek to me - How I love this blog. I adore Greek food anyway and I just love the way that Eri's selection of mouthwatering recipes.

From the Bookshelf - written by Andrea, her blog contains lots of gorgeous recipes and interesting musings.

So, I figured that the spontaneity with which I received the award should be matched by a kind of spontaneous recipe that happened in my kitchen earlier this week. Regular readers will know of Lola and Finn's love affair with pasta, and to be honest I like it too. So, I decided to concoct a pasta dish from some sorry looking objects in the fridge that were perilously close to their use by date.

I remembered reading about baking pasta with breadcrumbs on top and I liked that idea and I thought Lola and Finn would too, so I googled and initially came up with Giada di Laurentiis' Baked chicken and Pastina. I also know that chicken and bacon go well together so added bacon plus extra garlic, onion, a red pepper and more breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Giada's recipe planted the seed, and then I kind of went my own way with it.

Baked chicken, bacon and mozzarella pasta, also known as 'Mum's made up pasta' inspired by Giada di Laurentiis' Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina.

Serves 4, plus Lola and Finn.

 

Ingredients:

About 250g pasta (I used fusilli)

A little olive oil

5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces

150g bacon lardons, or pancetta

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 Romano red pepper, diced

1 ball of mozzarella, torn into shreds

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, plus extra to garnish

salt and pepper

Half a small stale baguette, blitzed into breadcrumbs (probably made about six tablespoons of breadcrumbs)

A piece of Parmesan, probably about 40g finely grated (or blitzed)

A little butter, for dotting the top of the assembled dish.

Method:

Cook the pasta in salted water until just cooked. Drain and set aside.

Preheat the oven, 180c/Gas 5

In a large cast iron pot or something similar and big enough to take the finished mixture, cook the chicken over a high heat until browned and starting to leave chicken-y residue on the bottom of the pan. Add the bacon and fry until crispy.

Add the onion, sweat for a couple of minutes until turning translucent, then add the garlic. Fry until fragrant and then add the diced pepper.

At this point add the pasta to the chicken mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined.

Add the tinned tomatoes, mozzarella, parsley and then season and stir well.

Press the mixture down slightly in readiness for the breadcrumbs.

Combine the breadcrumbs and the Parmesan together and then scatter it over the pasta mixture. Dot the breadcrumbs with butter.

Place in the oven for about 25 - 30 minutes until the top is brown. Take out of the oven and leave to rest for a few minutes.

Serve, maybe with salad... It is a dry pasta dish, so you might not want garlic bread with it, but we did!