My cooking strategies revolve around two main concepts: firstly, there will be nothing wasted, and secondly, I will cram as much vegetables and herbs into everything that I possibly can – for both economy and the health benefits. This dish optimizes both concepts.
I’m crazy about making pasta and nothing beats freshly made. I weigh 100 g cake flour (in Zambia the only flour to use for pasta is Cake Delight – any other brand makes for hard chewy pasta – gah) and make a well in the centre. In the Nutribullet I blitz 1 whole egg, a pinch of salt and 2 great handfuls of chopped herbs (rocket, parsley, basil, marjoram, sage, rosemary – make the combo your own). I pour that into the centre of the flour and let my Kenwood dough hook do the hard work. I usually then add about 2 teaspoons of olive oil and the tiniest trickle of water to bring it to a beautiful smooth dough. I roll it out into thin sheets, and leave them on a floured baking tray while I prep the sauce.
Chopped spring onion, baby tomatoes, grated carrot, chopped carrot greens, fresh garden peas or frozen peas, turmeric, coriander, cumin, salt and black pepper – get that all going in a dash of olive oil and then add your chopped leftover chicken, a glug of white wine (or a small tablespoon of vinegar if you’re avoiding alcohol) and 1/2 tsp sugar. If you don’t have leftovers, one large chicken breast should be about right.
For a change up from the regular white sauce I make a coconut sauce: a knob of butter with 1/2 can coconut milk in a small pot. Add a dash of salt and about 1 tbsp flour and stir over moderate heat until it thickens.
Layer up the lasagne sheets and meat sauce, top with the coconut sauce and grated cheddar cheese, and grate a little nutmeg over the top. Pop in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30-45 mins.
Absolutely smashing left in the fridge for a day or two before eating, but also okay to eat on the same day.
The Pottering Housewife 