Lasagne

Lasagne 


This is one of my favourite dishes. Many recipes do not use  bechamel sauce but I find that this makes the dish ever so tasty!

Ingredients for the sauce:
2 onions: 1 brown, 1 white
1 glove of garlic
1 leek
2 celery sticks
300 gr. lean pork
100 gr. of chicken
300 gr ground beef
some parsley
extra virgin olive oil
pinch of oregano
1 nutmeg
2 cans tomato pulp
1 can tomato sauce
a sage leaf
rosemary
a bay leaf


Ingredients for the Béchamel Sauce:
1.5 litre of milk
1 nutmeg
salt and pepper
50 gr. butter
200 gm. cornflour


PREPARATION of the sauce:

1. Finely chop the onion, garlic, leek, celery and parsley. Lightly fry them in the oil with the sage, bay leaf and rosemary. Once the vegetables are browned remove the herbs.
2. Finely mince the meat. Add the meat to the vegetables and cook the combined ingredients for a further 20 minutes.
3. Add the tomatos, remaining herbs and a bay leaf and continue cooking the sauce over a medium heat for approximately 2 hours.

PREPARATION of the béchamel sauce:
4. Heat aprox 2 cups of milk and the butter until almost boiling - but don't let it boil!
5. Take off from heat and add the cornflour stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
6. Put back on heat and slowly add the rest of the milk stirring constantly over a medium heat until it begins to thicken. Allow the sauce to thicken for a further 5 mins reducing the heat to low.

FINAL PREPARATION:
7. Cook the lasagne in a saucepan of salted boiling water.( I find that the no cook lasagne is just as good.Barilla makes some excellent no boil lasagne)
8. Cover the base of a greased baking dish with a thin layer of meat sauce, then add a slither of bechamel sauce, and a layer of lasagne. (You can also add some parmesan cheese.) Repeat this process until all the ingredients have been used, finishing off with the bechamel on the top. Cover with aluminum foil
9. Cook the lasagne in a preheated oven for 1/2 hour at 180°.
10. For the last 10 minutes, take off the foil and add grated parmisan cheese and put back in the oven

Some tips.
You can also layer with ricotta and/or creamed spinach for a really decadent dish!

Stuffed Calamari

Calamari (squid) are one of the most succulent dishes typical of the Mediterranean. In most Mediterranean countries, such as Spain and Greece, squid is cut into rings, deep friend and served with a slice of lemon, but in Malta it is more popular to stuff them. The trick is buying the right size ( a 6" body would do) so that it is easy to stuff them. Make sure they are properly cleaned!

Ingredients:
4 medium sized cleaned squid (calamari)
3 finely chopped onions
Garlic finely chopped
1 small can tuna - or about 300gms
300gms fresh breadcrumbs
8 large tomatoes (chopped)
200 grams olives (finely chopped)
fresh mint/basil/parsley - chopped
white wine
olive oil
1 tbs capers


Method
Heat the oil in a large pan. Remove the head of the squid, cut in small pieces and fry. Add the onion and the garlic and fry lightly. Add the tomatoes and a glass of wine and cook gently for about 20 minutes. Take a couple of tablespoons of this sauce and add to a bowl containing the bread, the olives, the capers, the tuna and the herbs. Mix well. Fill the cleaned squid with this mixture and secure the open end with a toothpick.

Place the stuffed calamari in the pan containing the tomato sauce and simmer until cooked, for about 45 minutes. Add some water to the sauce if it starts getting too dry. The calamari are served whole or can be cut into thick rings after having slightly cooled down. The sauce is usually served on the side.

Super Fast Tomato Sauce

A good tomato sauce usually needs at least an hour simmering. This is a quick, and just as tasty alternative. Great with pasta - or even on toast!!

Ingredients:

10-12 tomatoes

10 basil leaves

4 cloves garlic

Olive oil

Method:
Gently fry the crushed garlic cloves and about 5 basil leaves in the olive oil.
Remove the basil when done.
Peel the tomatoes (immerse in boiling water for about 1/2 min and the skin will come off)
Chop the tomatoes and add to the garlic.
Cook gently on a medium flame.

Top with the remaining basil and serve.

Couldn't be easier!!!

Avocado Gazpacho

Something cool for the summer evenings...the lobster makes a nice touch! Another recipe of unknown origin so if there is anyone out there who knows where this came from let me know!

I have a whole box of recipes I collected and unfortunately I never wrote where they came from, so unless i remember I cannot give credit to the author!

Ingredients:

3 avocados

juice of 1 line

100 gms onion, diced

150 gms red bell pepper, diced

150 gms tomato, diced

15 gms cilantro, minced

2 teaspoons coriander

8 gms cumin

5 cloves garlic, roasted

3 cups water

for garnish

300 gms lobster , chopped

1 whole scallion, chopped fine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pinch saffron

salt and white pepper, to taste

Method

1. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits.
2. Scoop the meat into a bowl and discard the skin. Pour the lime juice over and set aside.
3. Put the tomatoes, onions, red peppers, roasted garlic, cilantro, coriander, and cumin in a bowl and mix.
4. Put the avocados and water in a blender. Lightly pulse so the avocados are just broken up. You do NOT want a smooth consistency.
5. Add to the diced veggies and season with salt and pepper.

For the garnish:
6. Boil the lobster meat for approximately 8 minutes or until nicely firm.
7. Shock it with an ice bath and then drain well, removing all extra water. Roughly chop.
8. In a small bowl, mix the lobster, scallions, olive oil, and saffron together.
9. Season with salt and pepper. Chill and set aside

To Serve:

Put the vegetable mixture into serving bowls and garnish with the lobster mix.

Cold Tomato sauce

Fresh and Cold Tomato Sauce

This was one of my grandmothers favourites – and so easy to make. We would use this cold sauce over meatballs.

Ingredients:
6 large tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
½ a green pepper
1 clove of garlic
Some mint or basil
Some capers
Some olives

Proportions are according to taste.
Put everything into a food processor…READY!!