Best Meatless Lasagne - Thumbs up from my Dinner Guests

I don’t know how I found this site Moodie Foodie and decided to keep this recipe, but I’m so glad I did
It made the tastiest sauce.
Jay The Blogger said it fed 6... there were only 4 of us and we ate it all
Jay is more about lighter calorie food than me.

I have upped the fat content, but I still think it is pretty healthy
If you want to be gluten free, use eggplant or potato instead of pasta
And cornflour instead of wheat flour

Also there was plenty of sauce.

Enough for me to freeze for another day
So for Vege Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
400g field mushrooms, finely chopped
160g (1 large) onion, chopped
200g (3) celery stalks, finely chopped
180g (1 large) zucchini, finely chopped
100g (1 large) carrots, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1½ cups stock, chicken or vege
60g (1/3 cup) red lentils
2 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper

Bechamel Sauce
50 gms butter
1 small onion, finely sliced
50 gms flour
1 cup stock
1 cup whole milk
Pepper

1 packet lasagne sheets, preferably the no pre-cooking kind
½ cup grated tasty cheese

For the best result with the vegetables, I chopped them in the food processor
I also do this when making meat sauce, particularly when cooking for kids who are a bit fussy.

Spray a largish rectangular casserole dish with oil.
I used a 30 x 20 cm dish this was perfect for the lasagne noodles that I used

Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan and add mushrooms, onion, celery, zucchini, carrots and garlic with a pinch of salt.
Cook on a medium-low heat for 8 minutes until softened.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, lentils, oregano, bay leaves and sugar
and bring to the boil.
Check for seasoning,
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until fragrant.
Remove bay leaves.
Stir through parsley.

While vege sauce is cooking, make the Béchamel:
In a non-stick (if you have one) saucepan, heat oil on low.
Add onion with a pinch of salt.
Cook for 6-8 minutes on low until onion is softened.
Add flour and continue to cook for a minute or so until flour has been incorporated. Remove saucepan from heat and slowly whisk in stock and milk.
Return pan to the heat and bring to a simmer,
Simmering for about 5 minutes until sauce thickens.

To assemble lasagne:
Slap a good couple of spoonfuls of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish and top with a layer of lasagne sheets.
Top with 3 large ladlefuls of the sauce, This should cover the dish
Add another layer of lasagne sheets,
Then half the Béchamel.
Another 3 large ladlefuls of the sauce
Another layer of lasagne sheets
Top with the remaining Béchamel

Heat oven to 200°c

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
Remove the foil, sprinkle over the cheese 
Continue to bake a further 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Serve with a big salad and you’ll be happy all night long.

I reckon some Garlic bread would also be a great accompaniment
And that way you could feed 6 people.

For great Garlic Pizza Bread  click here

Pizza at it's Homemade Best

I decided to repost this Pizza recipe, as the other day I made some wonderful Pizza Bread
It is really simple and perfect to having with lovely comforting soup with this miserable weather we are having here in Auckland.
When I looked for this post for the recipe, I noticed there were the photos of our time on the boat.
Definitely worth a re-post
Wonderful Summer weather.
Not too far away...only a couple of months...oh maybe 3
So here we go

Hi my first post for 2008 

This my version for the easiest So Simple Pizza

We are still on board Cajun Moon where we have spending the last month in the sunny and not so sunny (as it turned out this year) Jewel of the North Whangaroa Harbour. A beautiful and unique place.

How's this for a sunset?

But back to Pizza

Step by step
You don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn for this bread
Max time: 1 hour 15 minutes... from whoa to go
I have this down to a fine art and feel really confident that anybody could get the same results.
i.e. to get the water to the correct hand hot temp 2/3 cold water 1/3 just boiled water.
This is the right temp for our granddaughter’s mouth and perfect for bread making
You learn something everyday

! cup high grade flour (if you have Italian 00 more’s the better)
1 pkt 8g dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Approx 100 mls warm water prepare 200 mls just in case…some days it may take more
It’s important that the dough is not dry

Place flour in a large bowl
Add sugar, yeast and salt
(making sure the salt and yeast are not together
Salt kills yeast)

So add about 100 mls of water and mix till the dough comes clear of the bowl

Turn out onto floured board and knead about 1-2 minutes
Till dough is smooth
Place back into the bowl which you have oiled and toss around to coat the dough

Cover with tea towel or plastic wrap.
Leave till doubled in size about 30 minutes to an hour depending on the temperature
Pull away from sides of bowl

Turn back onto floured board and knead it well about another minute

Flour the rolling pin and roll into shape and place in oiled pizza pan

Now I do have a stone and a peel on board
and they have been well used, particularly by our son when he is on board but I think to myself… the pizza shop guys use these pans…why not me.
I sit the pan on the stone though to get maximum heat

On this occasion I just wanted to make pizza bread so I brushed an excellent olive oil
Over the top

Into a very hot oven and it should take anywhere around 10 minutes

It doesn’t need to be brown that makes it too crispy this is just perfect
Sliced into 6 pieces and served it with some beautiful tomatoes seasoned with sea salt and pepper and a drizzle of the good extra virgin olive oil

Some nice soft Castello cheese white and blue. Glass of crisp white wine.Lunch fit for a king.

To make Garlic Pizza Bread
Before you place it in the oven make a paste
Using 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
A slosh of olive oil
Sprinkle with sea salt

Again about 8-10 minutes in a very hot oven

Perfect to have with anything really

Of course most times we add toppings.
This pizza I topped just simply with
Fresh tomato sliced
Spring onion chopped
Grated cheese (your choice...this was a mix of mozzarella and cheddar)
3-4 artichoke hearts
And few dashes of hot chilli sauce

It's so good I am going to make it again today

What to Do with Mushrooms - Make Soup of Course

It's Saturday and fine... but windy and cold

A sandwich just won't do and also we have some muffins left over from the other day
In the fridge were some Mushrooms
Ooh, Mushroom and Bacon Soup seems like a good idea
Warm buttered Muffins on the side
What could be better than that

 First you need to render some streaky fatty bacon
To get the fat to sauté the onions and also to have some tasty bacon bits to top the soup

To make a good hearty lunch for 2

4 rashers streaky bacon
1 red onion chopped
200 gms mushroom
Chop 2/3 of them and keep the rest to slice and add at the end
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian Herbs
100 mls white wine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock  (I used low salt)
50 mls cream (optional)

Garnish
The sliced Mushrooms
Slurp of Olive Oil
S & P
Chopped Parsley 

Into a cold pan add the bacon
and cook over medium heat till the bacon gets crispy
and the fat has rendered out
Add onions
Cook till soft not brown
Remove bacon, chop and set aside for garnish
Add chopped mushrooms

You won't need any salt at this stage the bacon will cover that but a
Good grind of Black pepper is just perfect
Plus add the herbs
Toss in white wine and simmer till it is nearly all absorbed
Takes about 10 minutes
Add flour

Stir well to combine
Cook gently for about 3-4 minutes to get rid of that raw flour taste
Add chicken stock stir well and bring to boil
Transfer to a pot
Simmer for about 15 minutes

Meanwhile
Saute the sliced mushrooms in olive oil
Set aside

Put soup into Blender
Whiz till smooth
Return to pot
Add cream

Bring back to boil and then
add reserved mushrooms

Ladle into bowls
Garnish with chopped Parsley and Chopped Bacon
Devour

Best Hot Pumpkin Soup, with some Tasty Courgette and Carrot Muffins

It’s Winter...what is better for lunch on a bitterly cold day but
Hot Soup and Muffins straight from the oven

I have been making this Pumpkin Soup for years... got it out of the Triple Tested Cookbook
Of course I had to play with it a bit... using the ingredients I had in my kitchen
With a little curry and chopped bacon, it just really gives ordinary old Pumpkin Soup a lift

I like to use Buttercup Squash, a nice dry pumpkin, you don't have to peel it
the skin is really tasty and it’s very orange
But you could use butternut or any other pumpkin

This amount will serve 4 for a good hearty lunch
6 as a starter

500 gms squash cut in small chunks and seeds removed
Pop into micro wave for about 4 minutes to start cooking process
Or you can bring to boil in salted water and simmer about 10 minutes
You can then use that water as your stock

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 rashers bacon chopped
1 large onion peeled and chopped
1 kumera, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Water or stock

Add oil and bacon to a medium pot
Cook until bacon starts t crisp
Add onions
Season well with S & P and curry powder
Cook till translucent
Add chopped kumera
Stir well
Add the pumpkin which should have softened nicely in the microwave
Mix up so that all the vege are covered with the spice
Add a little more S &P
Cover with water or stock

Bring to boil
Simmer till all vege are soft
Into a blender
Whiz
Back into pot
If too thick add more water to your liking
Check for seasoning and adjust if needed


So this morning, I decided toast wasn’t good enough to have for this lunch
Some Courgette Muffins would be good
so I looked up a recipe on the net and found this one on netmums.com
The recipe is attributed to Nick Coffer,
Thank you Nick, this is a keeper

Absolutely delicious
What a good way to get vege into kids

Makes 10-12 muffins (dependent on the size of your muffin tins)
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes


125g extra-mature grated cheddar cheese (worth
buying extra mature as it adds to the flavour)
225g self-raising flour (I used high grade flour with 1 heaped tsp of Baking powder
175ml milk
55ml olive oil
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste

1 large carrot, grated
1 large courgette, grated

Note: make sure you squeeze out the courgettes and carrots to remove any excess liquid
Preheat your oven to 200ºC/ 400ºF/ Gas Mark 6

In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients - flour, cheese, carrot, courgette.  
Add in the oil, milk and egg and
stir it all together to form a smooth, slightly gloopy batter.
Lightly grease the muffin tins with oil and spoon the mixture in evenly,
about 2/3 the way to the top of each tin.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes.
The muffins are ready when they are risen, golden on top and fairly dense to the touch. Leave them to cool for a few minutes before serving them warm.

They keep well in airtight containers and can be warmed through in the microwave for 15 seconds before eating.