Chicken Lasagne

Ingredients

• 1.1 kilogram chicken breasts, boneless, skinless; cut into strips
• 2.3 onions, large; coarsely chopped
• 3.1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 4.oil, for frying
• 5.4 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 6.400 gram mushrooms, sliced
• 7.400 gram canned peeled tomatoes, liquidised with juice
• 8.225 gram tomato puree
• 9.3 bay leaves
• 10.125 ml water
• 11.sugar, a little; to taste
• 12.2 onions, finely chopped; for béchamel
• 13.6 tablespoon Cardin margarine or similar, for béchamel; a cooking margarine
• 14.4 tablespoon flour, for béchamel
• 15.750 ml chicken stock, made with 3 cubes; for béchamel
• 16.4 egg yolks, for béchamel
• 17.2 tablespoon Orlywhip, non-dairy whipping cream; for béchamel
• 18.lasagne verdi (spinach lasagne), green/spinach lasagne sheets; 12–16 pieces depending on dish size
• 19.breadcrumbs, freshly grated; for topping

Method

1. 1.Sauté onion and garlic in oil until golden and set aside. Sauté chicken strips a few pieces at a time. Set aside. Sauté the mushrooms.
2. 2.Combine the onions, garlic, chicken strips and mushrooms. Add the parsley, tomatoes, tomato puree, bay leaves, water and sugar to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer all until combined and chicken is soft. Set aside and cool.
3. 3.FOR THE BÉCHAMEL: Sauté onions in Cardin until golden. Add flour and stir and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and whisk to make a smooth sauce.
4. 4.Add egg yolks: Add a few tablespoons of sauce to the yolks first. Remove sauce from stove and stir in the slaked egg yolks. Return to stove and bring to boil, stirring all the time. Add the Orlywhip to make the sauce more creamy. Set aside to cool.
5. 5.Cook the lasagne sheets: add only 3–4 pieces at a time to a pot of boiling water. Cook about 2 minutes until softish. Remove each piece with a slotted spoon and lay flat on a clean dish cloth. You may need between 12–16 pieces depending on the size of dish used.
6. 6.TO ASSEMBLE: Grease a suitably sized lasagne dish. Lay down one layer of lasagne. Top with half the chicken mixture. Cover with a layer of lasagne. Smooth over half the sauce. Lay down another layer of lasagne. Top with the remaining chicken mixture. Put down another layer of lasagne. Finish with the remaining sauce. Make sure the top layer of lasagne is covered.
7. 7.Sprinkle with freshly grated breadcrumbs. Bake at 180°C/350°F for 60–90 minutes.

Notes

• Lasagne tastes nicer if made early in the day and then refrigerated until needed. Reheat to serve.
• If you wish to freeze the lasagne, freeze uncooked.
• Orlywhip is a South African non-dairy whipping cream substitute; substitute with whipping cream or cream.
• 'Cardin' appears to be a South African cooking margarine brand.
• 'Lasagne verdi' = green (spinach) lasagne sheets.