What's Cooking In Jane's Kitchen

This is an excellent recipe and since I first started making it a week ago, I have made it three times it is so good!

For my great team of learning cooks, always remember to gather all your ingredients together before starting to cook. It makes for a smooth controlled cooking experience.

For those starting out, you can begin with any “Easy ” recipe and after you have done about ten you will be well on your way! Always do the shopping the day before, its a lot less stressful!

For H. J. and I. :)))

Easy

Serves : 6 Persons

Preparation Time: 1/2 hour

Ingredients

1/2 kilo pre-washed spinach leaves

500 g  button mushrooms

2 large cloves of garlic crushed

2 tsp small coriander seeds

50-60 g butter

6 sheets of spinach Lasagna

Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the White Sauce

50 g unsalted butter

40 g  white flour

1 pint milk

200 g mixed grated cheese ( save 50 g for topping )

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

salt to taste

Method

Pre-heat oven at 250.C.      Cooking time 1/2 hr.

1. Wash spinach leaves in a large bowl of salted water. Place in colander to drain.
2. Wash mushrooms under the running tap. ( Don’t soak in water or they discolour). Roughly chop mushrooms into thumb size pieces.
3. Peel and squeeze garlic.
4. Choosing a large saucepan melt half the butter and add your spinach leaves. There is no need to add any water, the spinach leaves will wilt to a 1/4 of their original volume. This takes about 8 minutes. Toss periodically. Remove and drain in colander. Cut up with a fork and knife and press out all the excess water. Season.
5. In a frying pan, melt the rest of your butter together with coriander seeds and garlic. Toss garlic in butter for just one minute and add mushrooms. Using two wooden spatulas turn mushrooms and cook for just two minutes. Take off the heat and season.
6. Make up your white sauce. In a small saucepan melt the butter over a medium heat. When just melted add your flour and stir until it froths up, but does not colour, about two minutes. When all frothy add cold milk all at once and stir with a balloon whisk until it thickens. ( The whisk is the trick as it stops any lumps  from forming). Allow to boil for two minutes for the flour to be thoroughly cooked and take off the heat. Season with salt and freshly grated nutmeg, after five minutes whisk in your cheese. ( As the white sauce has cooled a little the cheese won’t become stringy).
7. Choosing an oven-proof dish of approximately 23 cm X 23 cm, butter the inside with a little extra butter and dust with a little extra cheese. Then pour 1/3 rd of your white sauce over the bottom of the dish. In this order, lay two sheets of Lasagna, then 1/2 your chopped spinach, followed by your mushrooms and two more sheets of Lasagna. Finally pour over the rest of your white sauce and sprinkle generously with grated cheese. * You can always double up ingredients, but in the layering always end with the lasagna sheets at the top and white sauce.
8. Clean your dish round the edges with kitchen paper, for a better final presentation.
9.  Covered tightly with tin foil and place in pre-heated oven. The tin foil keeps the moisture in, so that the lasagna cook.
10. After 20 minutes of cooking, remove tin foil, so that the top becomes golden. Serve piping hot!

*White Sauce is also often called Béchamel from the French word.

In this recipe your white sauce should be the consistency of thick cream, just coating the back of the spoon. If it is too thick add a little more milk.

This is the final result you are aiming for.

Pre-heat oven to 250. C.

1. Gather together your ingredients, before starting to cook.

2. Place 1/2 the butter in a deep saucepan and add your washed spinach. Put lid on and cook until spinach is wilted and  stalks are tender, about 8 minutes.

3. Add  the other 1/2 of the butter to your  medium sized frying pan, together with crushed garlic and coriander seed. Toss garlic in butter for one minute and add chopped mushrooms.

4. Using two wooden spatulas, toss washed chopped mushrooms in butter over a medium heat for  two-three minutes, or until looking just cooked. Poor off any excess liquid.

5. Place spinach in Colander and leave to drain. Press out excess water with a slotted spoon.

6. Cut up spinach roughly and season with salt.

Making your White Sauce: Have all your ingredients measured out before cooking.

1. Melt butter in small saucepan over a medium heat.

2. As soon as the butter is just melted, add flour.

3. Whisk with balloon whisk and once it froths up add “Cold” milk all at once!

4. Continue to whisk until sauce comes to the boil, so that no lumps form. Boil for 2 minutes.

5. Season with salt and freshly grated nutmeg. Leave to cool off the stove for five minutes.

6. Once your white sauce has cooled, mix in the cheese. Your white sauce should be the consistency of a thick cream, just coating the back of a spoon.

7. Into your buttered ovenproof dish pour 1/3 rd of your white sauce. Spread it out evenly and place your Lasagna sheets on top.

8. Then add the spinach followed by the mushrooms, followed by the Lasagna agin and lastly the rest of the white sauce.

9. Sprinkle generously with cheese and cover the top tightly with tin foil. Place in pre-heated oven at 250.C and cook for 20 minutes. Remove tin foil and cook until golden on top.

Delicious and light!