674. CHICKEN, BACON and MUSHROOM LASAGNA

1.5 kg chicken
1.25 kg mushrooms
300 grams bacon
1 pack 500gm pre cooked spinach lasagna
parmesan and cheddar cheese

Basic white sauce (Bechamel)
160 grams butter
100 grams sifted flour (plain)
1.7 liters milk
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a heavy base saucepan and gradually add butter over a low heat. Stir to cook the flour a few minutes then slowly add the milk whisking all the time to aviod lumps. Season with a bay leaf S&P and maybe a splash of white wine and chopped parsley. (If you feel like being really decadent, use half milk, half cream in the sauce.)

Cook all the ingredients before combining them with the sauce and pasta. Cover the chicken with foil, cook in the oven with a good splash of white wine, bay leaf, fresh oregano and S&P. (You can add this liquid to your bechemal sauce for extra flavour.) Cook sliced mushrooms in a bit of butter and chopped parsley. Fry bacon till crisp.

To assemble the lasagna, cover the base of your dish with sauce, then a layer of lasagna sheets. Next a layer of chicken, mushrooms and bacon followed again by sauce and cheese. Keep alternating sauce, pasta and chicken layers till the dish is full. Always end with a layer of pasta topped with sauce and extra cheese. Top with chopped parsley. Place dish in the oven at 200deg for 30 min till pasta is cooked through.


courtesy of: Chef David Clarkson, ABC Southwest