DB March '09 Challenge: Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna

This will be one of those "first time" claims I would make in my lifetime. This month's Daring Baker's challenge will be my first time to make pasta to complete a lasagne recipe. Interestingly, the pasta recipe includes spinach which is not my cup of tea. I grew up knowing pasta synonymous to spaghetti noodles;it is only in my working years that I got introduced to the different shapes and then now, adding a vegetable to the traditional flour+egg noodles.

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)

Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time

10 quarts (9 litres) salted water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe follows)#1
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce (recipe follows)#2
1 recipe Country Style Ragu (recipe follows)#3
1 cup (4 ounces/125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Hand making the Pasta Verde is the main event for this month's challenge. The white bechamel sauce and meat ragu sauce completes the baked lasagne dish. I actually used some leftover chicken bolognese sauce for my final dish instead of the ragu sauce.

#1 Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)

Preparation: 45 minutes

Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.

2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more)
10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3&1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

Here are some of the steps I've done to make the pasta:

(1) Combine the flour, egg, and spinach. Make a hollow towards the center. Mix the egg and spinach using a wooden spoon and slowly mix the flour towards the center;


(2) Knead the dough for at least 3 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Add a few tbs of flour if it gets too sticky and continue to knead. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and let the dough rest under room temperature between 1 to 3 hours.

(3) Cut the dough into quarters and start stretching and thinning using a wooden rolling pin. I am actually glad that I had a very elastic dough, somehow, it was easy for me to shape the dough into thin sheets like the one below.
In this recipe, there is so much importance highlighted that the pasta should be thin. Here my mother-in-law was holding the pasta and you can tell how translucent this pasta is, you can see her hands behind the sheet.
(4) Cut the pasta sheet into desired length and width. I based my size on the baking dish I will use later. The right sheets for me is roughly 8 cm x 16 cm. Hang it dry at least 1 hour before cooking.

#2 Bechamel sauce

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour, organic stone ground preferred
2&2/3 cups (approx 570ml) milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift over the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

#3 Country Style Ragu’ (Ragu alla Contadina)

Preparation Time: Ingredient Preparation Time 30 minutes and Cooking time 2 hours

Makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta or 1 pound/450g dried pasta)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (45 mL)
2 ounces/60g pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium stalk celery with leaves, minced
1 small carrot, minced
4 ounces/125g boneless veal shoulder or round
4 ounces/125g pork loin, trimmed of fat, or 4 ounces/125g mild Italian sausage (made without fennel)
8 ounces/250g beef skirt steak, hanging tender, or boneless chuck blade or chuck center cut (in order of preference)
1 ounce/30g thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma
2/3 cup (5 ounces/160ml) dry red wine
1 &1/2 cups (12 ounces/375ml) chicken or beef stock (homemade if possible)
2 cups (16 ounces/500ml) milk
3 canned plum tomatoes, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Working Ahead:
The ragu can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. It also freezes well for up to 1 month. Skim the fat from the ragu’ before using it.

Browning the Ragu Base:
Heat the olive oil in a 12 inch (30cm) skillet (frying pan) over medium-high heat. Have a large saucepan handy to use once browning is complete. Add the pancetta and minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color. Coarsely grind all the meats together, including the prosciutto, in a food processor or meat grinder. Stir into the pan and slowly brown over medium heat. First the meats will give off a liquid and turn dull grey but, as the liquid evaporates, browning will begin. Stir often, scooping under the meats with the wooden spatula. Protect the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan by turning the heat down. Cook 15 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown. Turn the contents of the skillet into a strainer and shake out the fat. Turn them into the saucepan and set over medium heat.

Reducing and Simmering: Add the wine to the skillet, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir occasionally until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown glaze as the wine bubbles. Then pour the reduced wine into the saucepan and set the skillet aside.

Stir ½ cup stock into the saucepan and let it bubble slowly, 10 minutes, or until totally evaporated. Repeat with another ½ cup stock. Stir in the last 1/2 cup stock along with the milk. Adjust heat so the liquid bubbles very slowly. Partially cover the pot, and cook 1 hour. Stir frequently to check for sticking.

Add the tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pot. Cook uncovered, at a very slow bubble for another 45 minutes, or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper.


As for the meat sauce, I actually used ready made chicken bolognese from one of my favorite gourmet store. The sauce is mainly tomato based,mixed with minced chicken, onion, garlic, olive oil, flour, and some seasoning. I am reserving to use the ragu sauce recipe for my second try of Lasagne Verdi Al Forno.

Here are the two sauces side by side:



Here's the assembly of the final dish before baking at 180C for 30-40minutes.



Overall, my verdict for the outcome of this recipe is, super pasta delicious! It was a lot of muscle work to make the pasta but it was well worth it. I surely will do this again and maybe, experiment with other pasta forms and sauces.

Easy Hummus Dip

Hummus is a dip that is made from chickpeas. My 3 year-old son's teacher highly recommends this as a healthy snack in school. After doing some quick Google, I now understand why this is so. Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C, and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber. No wonder, Hummus is one of the oldest foods dating back to ancient Egypt some 7000 years ago.

The thought of making this dip never crossed my mind until I brought home a handy Braun Multiquick food processor (Multiquick MR 600). I am especially proud that I work for a company that makes high quality products like Braun appliances. I am just excited to use this amazing machine for blending, chopping nuts, pureeing, and that now, includes making hummus in my own kitchen.

Going back to our main subject, making Hummus is one easy task (especially again with my amazing Braun processor:-). For this recipe I used, 125 g of (canned) chickpeas, 57 g of tahini, 2 tbs of lemon (you can add according to your taste), 2 tbs of olive oil, 3 pcs garlic, minced ( you can increase the garlic to your taste) and a dash of salt.

The steps are simple. First blend the chickpeas and the tahini until most of the chickpeas have been disintegrated. Add the garlic, the olive oil, and the lemon juice and some salt to taste. Blend all ingredients together until smooth and it forms a paste. You can add some of the liquid from the canned chickpeas if the paste gets too thick. Use your judgment in adding liquid; the right dip is not too viscous yet not too runny when you dip your favorite snack.

For a really healthy treat, I paired my fresh Hummus with vegetable sticks. I just found celery and carrots inside the fridge which is just ideal to attract my household to eat vegetables!

Spanish Sardine Pate

If you are my kind who is fond of having bread for breakfast then, this is one great spread that will start your morning right! The good news is, there is no rocket science to this pate, it is just a simple combination of ingredients that could very well be in your fridge today.

For this recipe, I used about 125g of my favorite Spanish sardines (in oil), 1/2 cup of cream cheese (softened), 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsps of butter, a dash of salt and pepper to taste.

Mash the sardines well (I used fork to do this). Set aside. Soften the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add the sardines, the butter, the lemon juice and blend. Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste and mix very well until smooth. Use immediately with bread or crackers, otherwise you can also store this in the fridge using an airtight container. I suggest you check the expiry date of the cream cheese as a guide how long you can store.

In my Filipino taste, this is ideal with freshly baked pan de sal and coffee. In the comforts of Singapore, this is just perfect for me with wholegrain bread and coffee. This pate also goes well with crackers, a good appetizer for your guests.

Cooking Paneer with a Filipino Twist

I discovered Paneer in one of my business trips to India and since then, I fell in love with any dish using this white cottage cheese. Paneer is unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese made by curdling heated milk with lemon juice or other food acid (Wikipedia).

Now, as for the Filipino twist, I added the Paneer cubes to Chicken Adobo; the cottage cheese absorbed the rich sauce from the adobo which provides a good balance overall.

I had always thought making Paneer is no easy task until an office colleague showed me how to make this delicious cheese. I was skeptical at first but true enough, it is really easy to make at home.

In this recipe, I used the popular Filipino white vinegar, "Datu Puti" to trigger the coagulation process. This vinegar is made from sugar cane and has about 4.5% acid strength. As for the fresh milk, I used 2 liters of the Japanese brand, "Meiji" milk. but any fresh milk brand will do however please do not use the low-fat kind. You also need a muslin cloth or any thin cotton cloth to separate the milk solids from the water.

The procedure in making Paneer is relatively simple:

1.) Pour the milk in a saucepan and let it boil. Gradually stir the milk as it warms up to prevent the formation of a thin film at the surface;

2.) Add vinegar 1 tbsp to another until you see the milk coagulating and separating from the water. I used 3 tbsp of white vinegar for this recipe. You can turn off the heat once you see the coagulation process complete. At this point, you will see the milk solids floating and the remaining water slightly yellowish to light green.



3.) Filter the contents of the saucepan using the muslin cloth separating the excess water from the milk solids. When all the water has been drained out, mold it like a rectangular block to shape the milk solids. Put some weight on top to compress the milk solids and also squeeze out any remaining water. Be careful not to compress too long as the Paneer could become hard. I did this for roughly 20minutes.


The whole preparation time took me less than an hour and the yield for a 2liters milk is good enough to serve a family of 6. You can store the Paneer inside the fridge or inside the freezer to last longer. As a personal rule, I always want my ingredients fresh so I encourage using and eating right away.

So far, the most common Paneer dish I find in most Indian restaurants is the Palak Paneer which is mainly mashed spinach cooked with Paneer. I had the privilege to have a live cooking demo of this dish courtesy again of my colleague (Jyotsna, many thanks and I owe you on this one!).


Here's a link to the recipe from Indian Food Forever website. There are also a lot more Paneer Indian recipes in this website which is cool to try! http://www.indianfoodforever.com/vegetables/palak-paneer.html

I also tried using Paneer when I was making a Vietnamese spring roll one day. I used rice paper to contain the spring roll and inside, I added julienned carrots, fresh mint, rice vermicelli, bean spouts, shrimp, and of course Paneer cubes. The result was fantastic!



There is no stopping how many dishes you can use and combine with Paneer. And btw, even without anything too, i find Paneer a great snack to munch and maybe next time, I will experiment on flavoring the milk curd itself.