Farmersgirl Kitchen

Saturday, 10 May 2014

Spinach, Mushroom and Blue Cheese Lasagne

Lasagne is one of my favourite dishes. But sometimes it's nice to have a change from an 'al forno' meat sauce and make a vegetarian alternative. Spring bring lovely fresh green vegetables, one of which is spinach, it always seems to be a sort of magical leaf the way it fills the pan and then a few minutes later it has reduced to damp, dark green blob in the bottom of the pan! Mushrooms do a similar thing but not quite so dramatically!

Spinach and Mushroom and Blue Cheese Lasagne
Serves 6

2tbsp olive oil
180g pack spinach leaves
2 garlic cloves
250g pack chestnut mushrooms
400g can chopped tomatoes
300g lasagne sheets
600ml milk
3 tbsp cornflour
100g Castello Danish Blue Extra Creamy
100g mature cheddar
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Heat 1 tbsp of olive in a large pan, add half the garlic and spinach leaves and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the leaves have wilted. Remove from the heat, season well and set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pan, add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are browned. Stir in the remaining garlic. Mix in the tin of tomatoes and heat for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste.
3. Make the white sauce, take two tablespoons of the milk and mix to a paste with the cornflour. Heat the rest of the milk until just below boiling point and add to the cornflour mix, then heat stirring all the time until thick and glossy, cook for 5 minutes to cook out the starch. Season well.
4. Place a layer of lasagne in the base of your dish. Top with half the mushroom mix, then add another layer of lasagne. Spoon over a third of the white sauce and sprinkle over half the blue cheese.

5. Repeat the layers. Place a final layer of lasagne on top and spread over the remaining white sauce and top with the cheddar cheese.
6. Place on a baking tray and bake for 40 minutes or until the lasagne is tender and top golden. Serve with a green salad.

This was a really tasty dish, I love blue cheese and the sharp bite of the Danish Blue was a great foil to the mild mushroom flavour and the deep earthy taste of the spinach.

I'm entering this for blog challenge 'Extra Veg' hosted this month by Shaheen at Allotment to Kitchen . Its blog challenge created by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and Michelle of Utterly Scrummy. The theme this month is Savoury Vegetarian which fits my Mushroom, Spinach and Blue Cheese Lasagne perfectly.

I'm also entering this recipe for Four Seasons Food celebrating the vegetables of spring. FSF is run by Anneli at Delicieux and Louisa at Eat Your Veg who is hosting this month.

Thanks to Castello for the Danish Blue Extra Creamy Cheese.

Labels: Castello, cheese, Danish Blue, Extra Veg, Four Seasons Food, lasagne, mushrooms, spinach

Friday, 30 March 2012

Sweet Heat Round-up: Tapas

Another month of Sweet Heat Challenge is over and it 's time for the round up. I enjoyed seeing the different Tapas recipes and so many of them reminded me of places where I'd eaten similar dishes. I hope you enjoy them too.

Fiona, at London Unattached, made 'Gambas pil pil' as part of a Tapas menu for a special dinner. This takes me back to last family holiday I went on with my parents to Spain, where we had Gambas cooked in salt on a griddle, I can't hear the word Gambas without being taken back there!

At 41 Feasts, Nicola is offering round the nibbles with our drinks. Wow! I'd love to try these Sticky spicy almonds

Francesca from Checky's Kitchen made Calamari Fritos con Allioli (Crisp Deep-fried Squid with Garlic Mayonnaise) This glorious dish reminds me of California where we ate deep fried squid in Cambria with our friends.

This was my own entry of Pepper and Tomato Salsa which is covering the meatballs.

TangoLikeRaindrop went for the classic Patatas Bravas after being inspired by lunch at a local eatery, doesn't that look good?

Over at A Village Pantry, Sheelagh went for something less traditional by making a Mexican Tortilla Lasagne I'll certainly be bookmarking that recipe.

Sweet Heat Challenge owner, Lyndsey from Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops chose Patatas Bravas for her entry which she served as part of a Tapas Feast of chorizo with Red Wine; Mini Lamb Meatballs with Romesco Sauce; Prawns with Sherry & Garlic; Baked Mozzarella Mushrooms; Spiced Almonds and Marinated Olives

and last but not least Corina at Searching for Spice has prepared a dish of Pinchos Morunos or Spanish Pork Skewers, a dish bursting with chilli and other spices.

Many thanks to all the entrants to the Sweet Heat Challenge #6, it's been fun hosting. If you want to join in next month make sure to check Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops on the 1st of April for Sweet Heat #7.

Labels: almonds, calamari, challenge, chilli, lasagne, Patatas Bravas, pork skewers, prawns, salsa, spicy, squid, Sweet Heat, Tapas

Saturday, 31 December 2011

Farmersgirl Recipe Round Up 2011

2011 is drawing to an end, it's been a busy blogging year at Farmersgirl Kitchen so I've done a little round up of the most popular post from each month. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and hope you will visit my kitchen again in 2012.

January

Exploding Marmalade

February

Gingerbread Slab

March

Minced Beef Wellington

April

Rhubarb, Pineapple and Ginger Crumble

May

Butternut Squash Lasagne

June

Chocolate Pavlovas with Strawberries

July

Pepper Steak Marinade

August

When Blondie became Barbie

September

Tomato Chilli Jam

October

Great British Bake Off - Shortbread

November

Chickpea and Smoked Paprika Soup

December

Gingerbread Man Christmas Cake

Labels: 2011 round up, Beef Wellington, blondies, chickpea, chilli, chocolate pavlova, Christmas Cake, crumble, Gingerbread, jam, lasagne, marmlade, New Year, pepper steak, shortbread, smoked paprika, Soup, tomato

Thursday, 15 September 2011

Autumn Vegetable Lasagne

I've fallen in love with Tamasin Day-Lewis's book 'Supper for a Song', in fact, I have it on order from Amazon and can't wait for my copy to arrive, then I will be able to return the library copy for someone else to enjoy.

This recipe for Autumn Vegetable Lasagne caught my eye right away, because of course it is Autumn and I'm on a bit of a mushroom kick after the 'Art of Funghi' session I went to recently.

Autumn Vegetable Lasagne (not strictly vegetarian, but can easily be)

2 tbsp olive oil

200g/7oz chestnut mushrooms, sliced

20g/3/4oz dried sliced morels, soaked in warm water to cover for 30 minutes and drained (optional) I didn't use these, but included some ordinary field mushrooms.

2 tbsp Marsala, or port or Madeira (or red wine if you have a bottle open instead)

900ml/ 1/2 pts full-cream milk

1 bay leaf

60g/2oz butter

2 tbsp plain flour

sea salt and black pepper

nutmeg for grating

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

6 small green or yellow courgettes cut into small cubes

400g/14oz tin cherry tomatoes

a handful of basil leaves, torn

6 slices prosciutto, sliced into long strips (optional)

1 packet of lasagne

60g/20z each Parmesan and pecorino (I used Gran Padano as it is cheaper)

Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a small pan and cook the sliced mushrooms until they begin to release their juice. Add the morels (if using) with their soaking liquor, and the Marsala and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

To make the bechamel sauce: heat the milk with the bay leaf in a pan. Melt the butter in another pan, stir in the flour and cook for a minute or so until you have a biscuit coloured roux, then add a quarter of the hot milk and whisk until smooth. Continue to add the milk a little at a time whisking well. Season and flavour sparingly with nutmeg. Ad the liquor from the mushrooms and let the sauce cook gently for a further 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Adjust the seasoning.

Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic in the remaining olive oil with a sprinkle of salt until they begin to soften, then add the courgette cubes and cook until they are al dente. Add the tomatoes and torn basil and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes. Season with pepper.

Add the mushrooms to the bechamel. Heat the prosciutto strips briefly in the pan used to cook the mushrooms with no extra oil, turning until they begin to crisp a little then add to the mushroom sauce mixture.

Cook the lasagne sheets, according to the packet instructions, until al dente, then drain in a colander.

Spread a little bechamel, avoiding the bits, over the bottom of a large baking dish, then add a layer of lasagne sheets. Cover with half of the remaining bechamel mixture. Add another layer of lasagne, followed by the last of the bechamel mixture. Top with the grated cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbling, and a skewer inserted in the centre meets with little resistance from the lasagne. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving; this is one of those dishes that seems to stay hotter for longer.

I completely forgot to take a picture of the lasagne before I served it up, so all I have is a photo of the half that was left in the dish. It served 8 easily with salad and was really delicious, it was also great reheated.

Labels: autumn, cherry tomatoes, courgettes, lasagne, mushrooms, parmesan, prosciutto

Sunday, 22 May 2011

Vegetarian Week Challenge - Butternut Squash Lasagne

Lisa at 'We Don't Eat Anything With a Face' put out a National Vegetarian Week Challenge to us meat eaters, to adapt a meat/fish based recipe and make it vegetarian.

I like to eat meatless sometimes, but it took a bit of thinking what I was going to do with my Butternut Squash that wasn't a veggie recipe, it usually goes into risotto. Eventually I settled on making Butternut Squash Lasagne.

You will need:

1 large Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed

1 onion sliced

1 pint of bechamel sauce, seasoned with salt, pepper and nutmeg

1 can of chopped tomatoes

six sheets of lasagne (or however many you need for your dish)

Grated cheese as required

fresh or dried herbs (basil, rosemary, thyme)

2 tbsp olive oil

Saute the onions and butternut squash in the oil until the squash has some nice brown edges, you may need to do this in two batches.

Add the can of tomatoes and the herbs and simmer for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile make your bechamel sauce. I've highlighted the video on BBC Good Good website, but you can use any recipe. I don't faff around with bay leaves and butter, but generally make my sauce with cornflour (there is usually a recipe for a white sauce on the packet), not so flavourful, but quicker and pretty well guaranteed not to go lumpy.

Then layer up, first a layer of the butternut squash mixture, then lasagne, then more butternut squash, another layer of lasagne and finally some more butternut squash. Then pour over the sauce and cover with the grated cheese.

Bake in the oven at 170 C (fan oven), for about 30 - 40 minutes until it is bubbling and the cheese is nicely browned. These quantities will serve 6.

I served the lasagne with baby sweet corn and asparagus steamed with butter and fresh thyme. The lasagne was creamy and delicious, the sweetness of the squash contrasting nicely with the acidic tomatoes and the salty cheese.

I would definitely make this again.

Labels: butternut squash, lasagne, vegetarian

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