Chicken Lasagna & Orange Cake

Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients

Lasagna

  • 9 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente

  • 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, or cooked from 2 lbs chicken breast

Spinach Cream Sauce

  • 1 tbs  olive oil

  • 1 large onion, finely chopped

  • 4 tbs unsalted butter

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth

  • 1 1/2 cups half and half, (or equal parts of heavy cream and milk)

  • 6 oz fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

  • 2 tsp sea salt

  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

  • 5 garlic cloves, minced

Ricotta Cheese Sauce

  • 15 oz ricotta

  • 1 large egg

  • 1/4 cup parsley

  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

  • 3 cups mozzarella cheese (12 oz), divided (reserve 1 cup for topping)

Instructions

Cook Noodles & Prep:

  1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente a from sticking together. Shred 4 cups of chicken.

Make the Spinach Sauce

  1. Place a pot or large saucepan over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and saute onions for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add 4 Tbsp butter and whisk in 1/3 cup flour. Continue whisking 3 minutes or until flour mixture is golden.

  2. Add 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 1/2 cups half and half, 2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Whisk until smooth and simmer 5 minutes until thickened to a light gravy consistency.

  3. Add minced garlic and chopped spinach, and stir to combine then remove from heat.

Make the Ricotta Sauce:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together: ricotta, egg, 2 C mozzarella cheese, 1/4 C parmesan, and 1/4 C parsley.

Assemble Lasagna:

  1. Add a little bechamel sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish, add 3 noodles, Add 1/2 ricotta sauce, 1/2 shredded chicken then ladle 1/3 of spinach sauce over the chicken.

  2. Add 3 noodles, 1/2 ricotta cheese, 1/2 shredded chicken, and 1/3 spinach sauce

  3. Add 3 noodles, remaining 1/3 sauce, and sprinkle on reserved 1 cup cheese.

  4. Cover and Bake: Arrange 12-16 toothpicks over the top to keep the foil from touching the cheese then cover with a large sheet of foil. Bake on the center rack in a preheated oven at 375˚F for 45 minutes then uncover and broil 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese. Rest at least 10 minutes uncovered before slicing.

*In flyer September 22 - 28, 2024
Recipe and photo credit: Natasha’s Kitchen

Orange Cake

Ingredients

  • 2 medium oranges, fresh whole with rind on - 10 oz each orange, 

  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder

  • 6 large eggs , at room temp (Note 2)

  • 1 1/4 cups white sugar

  • 2 3/4 cups almond meal / ground almonds 

Instructions

Boil Oranges:

  1. Boil 10 minutes: Place oranges in a pot and cover with cold water. Boil over medium high heat for 10 minutes and drain.

  2. Repeat x 2: Put oranges back in the pot, cover with cold water and boil again for 12 minutes. Drain, then repeat once more (ie. boil oranges 3 x 10 minutes). Shortcut: Boil 40 minutes without draining, keeping an eye on water level. 

  3. Chop: Rinse oranges, then cool slightly so you can handle them. Slice into 1cm / 1/4” slices then dice, removing any seeds. Cool completely.

Make Batter:

  1. Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F (140°C fan). Grease and line a 9” cake pan.

  2. Blitz oranges: Place chopped oranges in a food processor . Blitz on high for 4 x 10 second bursts, scraping down the sides in between, until it’s pureed into a marmalade consistency.

  3. Blitz in remaining ingredients: Add almond meal, eggs, baking powder and sugar. Blitz for 5 - 10 seconds on high until combined.

  4. Bake 60 minutes: Pour into
    prepared cake pans. Bake 60 minutes until the surface is golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

  5. Cool: Cool fully in cake pan. Unless using loose base pan, cover surface with baking paper to help you turn it out (cake is sticky so may stick to your hand and tear surface otherwise.)

  6. Serve: Decorate as desired.

*In flyer September 22 - 28, 2024
Recipe and photo credit: Recipe Tin Eats

Annah Kassen