Nadia G's Nonna Theresa's Lasagna Bianco

Blog readers, who is ready to get bitchin'? Okie, even I will admit that was velveeta cheesy but I try. Nonetheless, tonight's meal is packed with a punch from Mrs. Nadia G's recipe collection. We profiled Mrs. G a few posts back when we made her not so well recieved potato and onion pizza. Yes, yes I know it wasn't a stellar performace from our kitchen but I refuse to give up hope on her food ideas. Besides tonight is an oldie but a goodie revamped in a whole new way.

Last week the husband and I were watching Nadia's show and I'll admit most of her recipes I wouldn't make simply because they aren't my forte. There was one however that struck this girls fancy. It was her Nonna Theresa's Lasagna Bianco. How much more Italian can ya get? Hey, that's coming from one Italian girl to another. ;]. This recipe gives life to a classic and has a surprising ingredient you wouldn't use normally in lasagna. Wanna know more? Follow me:


Nonna Theresa's Lasagna Bianco

TOTAL TIME: 3 hr 45 min
Prep: 45 min
Inactive Prep: 30 min
Cook: 2 hr 30 min
YIELD: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

CHICKEN BROTH:
1 whole organic chicken, rinsed, cut into pieces
1 bunch fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

EGG PASTA:
2 cups unbleached flour, sifted, plus more for dusting
4 organic eggs

TOPPINGS:
4 cups grated mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmigianno

*Making the broth*: Put the chicken pieces and parsley in a large stockpot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours.

*Line a strainer with cheesecloth and strain. Put the broth in a clean pot on low heat. Skim off the top. Season with sea salt and pepper. Pick out the good chicken meat from the cheesecloth and set aside.

*Making the pasta*: Into a food processor, add the unbleached flour and eggs. Pulse until crumbly. Take the dough out and place on a floured surface. Knead the dough until silky, about 5 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

*Roll out the dough by hand, or using a pasta machine, until about 1/8-inch thick. Slice into lengths the size of the baking dish.

*Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

*Making the lasagna*: Place a layer of pasta, then some mozzarella, Parmigianno, chicken meat and a ladle of broth. Repeat three times. Finish with a top layer of cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.

*Plate the lasagna in a shallow bowl, add a ladleful of broth and enjoy.







(SIDE BAR: I was in charge of the broth and chicken. I must say this is the first time I've made broth and it turned out quite well. *Pats back* Huzzah!)

Lookie at me and Mr. Chicken. Don't laugh, he's very photogenic ;].

I wanna hug Nadi'a G's Nonna. This recipe is stellar! It reminds me of that old stable fave butter and cheese noodles. YUM!


WW Points: 8 points per serving


Tid Bits:
*Whoever said it wasn't okie to cheat...(on recipes that is sheesh!) was wrong. Go ahead and use the no boil lasagna noodles they work just as good.


Ma's Spot: I liked tonight's recipe. I have to admit I liked it better than Nadia G's potato and onion pizza. It does have a few draw backs for me. I thought the chicken was a bit too soggy but I did enjoy the flavors and how they came together. We did have to drain a lot of the chicken broth off after it was done. I saved it to use for chicken soup for another recipe later. It did have 2 of my favorite cheeses in the dish so that was a plus for me. So I liked it but would I make it again? Probably but only because my sister loved it. Please, don't look at my take on this and not think to try it because it's really good.


*SNACK CORNER:*

It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's pick:



WW Points: 3 points for 3/4 cup (without milk)

Dinah: So tonight we have the new cereal by Kellogg's called Krave Chocolate Cereal. Before we have peeps saying that this is not considered a "snack" I beg to differ my good friends. I often enjoy a small bowl of cereal as a delish snack and tonight's pick would be one to enjoy over and over again. I thought it was crunchy and chocolatey. It reminded me of Captain Crunch honestly. Which isn't a bad thing at all. ;].


Ma: First of all let me put this on record. I love cereal. If I could my top my fridge to look like Senifeld's I would. And when you add chocolate to cereal me and that are a perfect match. Is that legal anyways or would I have to go to Conneticut to be with my cereal? I had a coupon for this cereal but even without it I would buy it.


That's all folks! We'll see you here next week with another recipe. Have a great week guys!



Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma