We combined the chicken with Alfreado sauce, some spinach, provolone, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses. Of course everything was made from scratch, using fresh ingredients, including the bread crumbs added to the top. Not counting the bread, the dish took about an hour to prep, and combine, then another hour to cook. It made two loaves of lasagna.
Alfredo sauce:
3 cups Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves of crushed garlic
1/2 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream
Grate Parmesan cheese, chop parsley, and crush and mince the garlic. Combine ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley then place in a bowl and set aside until ready to use in the lasagna.
Fillings for lasagna:
1 cup mozzarella cheese (ricotta as an option)
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped fresh oregano (out of our garden)
2 large boneless skinless Chicken (organically raised)
1/2 large carrot (out of our garden)
1 bundle fresh spinach
4 slices do provolone cheese
Grate mozzarella and parmesan cheese into a bowl then mix with an egg. I don't like ricotta cheese, so we substituted it with mozzarella. If you like ricotta cheese, then use it in place of the mozzarella. Chop the oregano and mix into the cheese using a fork, then set cheese blend aside.
Next brown the chicken, adding a pinch of salt and pepper for taste.
Bring a pot of filtered water to a boil, add salt then place the spinach into it for about three minutes. It cooks quick and reduces greatly. Strain it and put it somewhere it can cool off. When it is cool enough to handle, squeeze all the water out of the leaves, making it into a round ball of green. Chop the ball up and set aside.
Grate the carrot and set aside.
Once the chicken is fully cooked and slightly cooled, chop it into small bite sized cubes, and set aside.
Lasagna noodles:
2 cups all purpose flour
4 whole eggs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 to 2 tablespoons filtered water (as needed)
In a mixing cup, beat eggs, then add oil and salt. Mix and set aside. Place flour in mixing bowl then use a fork to mix the egg mixture. When it begins to come together, wet your hands and begin to knead the dough. It should be kneaded for about 10 minuets. Be careful not to tear the dough. Use the palm of your hands and turn it over constantly. You may want to move to a lightly floured board, but you have to use some body weight to get it nice and smooth. Wrap your dough ball in plastic wrap and set somewhere to rest for 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, quarter it, and remove 1/4 from the wrap. Place the dough through a pasta machine on its widest setting (Mine is #7). When it comes out, fold the dough into thirds then roll it through (along the folds) five to six more times. Each time you should rotate 90 degrees. Lightly flour the dough and reduce the roller setting by one. Roll it through until you get to setting #4. I cut the noodle in half, floured both sides then stack the noodles for later.
Continue through the whole ball of dough as instructed above.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter two 9x5 loaf pans. Line the sides of the pan with a lasagna noodle, then place noodles over the bottom. See picture below.
Spoon some Alfredo sauce onto the bottom. Cover with chicken, then two slices of provolone cheese. See picture below.
Cover this layer with lasagna noodles then spread cheese blend over noodle. Next, add carrots and spinach layer. See picture below.
Top layer with more Alfredo sauce. See picture below.
Place lasagna noodle over layer, then fold edges of side noodles over the top. Make a small slit in the center to let some stem out or it will puff up. See picture below.
Cover top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Top with some bread crumbs and there ya go! See picture below.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
It will come out nice and firm, but don't eat right away because you will burn your tongue. Let cool for approximately 5 minutes and serve! Manga, manga!
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