Kitchen Gods

You know how some days you just know the kitchen gods are shining on you? Tonight I made Lasagne for dinner using the Thermomix.  Ive made lasagne hundreds of times before (yes hundreds, I once had a job that was purely making lasagne!), but this was actually the first time I made the sauce in the Thermie because the last time I used pre-minced mince it was a disaster.  I had over mixed it and it was too fine and tasted horrible and grainy.  But I was re-inspired by two things, I watched a consultant do a talk the other night where she made delicious stuffed capsicums.  She was using pre-minced mince and I noted her technique which yielded the perfect sauce!  She had fed the mince in through the lid bit by bit, straight onto hot sauce as the blade were rotating on the slowest speed.  My other inspiration was today at a demo I was making the Pasta e fagiole from the Everyday Cookbook which reminded me how you can make a sauce from pure vegetables and how delicious and healthy it is. 

So this is how I made my Lasagne

2 smallish onions
2 cloves garlic
    chopped speed 6, 3 seconds

1 Tbs olive oil
    cooked Varoma temp, 2 mins, speed 1

2 carrots, roughly chopped
1/4 zucchini (that was floating around the fridge, you can pretty much chuck in anything!)
5 button mushrooms
a small handful of parsley
1 small red capsicum de seeded and quartered
good pinch fresh or dried herbs (rosemary, oregano, basil, thyme)
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
60g white wine
1 400g can tomatoes
then fill that can with water and add into TM
2 heaped Tablespoons Thermie stock
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
    Puree speed 6, 20 seconds
    Heat 90C, 10 minutes, speed 2
(The reason Im saying 90 is because I did 100, then when I went to add the mince it was boiling and some splashed up and burnt my hands)
Ok now set the Thermomix again for 20 minutes, this time 100C and speed slow (spoon), reverse and add 1kg mince by breaking it up roughly and dropping through the lid, every now and then incorporate it with your spatula and then continue until all is in (this process shouldnt take longer than 3 minutes).
This recipe really pushes your Thermomix to the max quantity line, but it makes a massive serve of Lasagne.

 After 20 mins either pour into a bowl or casserole dish carefully, or if you have a second Thermomix bowl just swap them over and then place in the bowl
70g Plain Flour
70g butter
    mix speed 4 for 3 seconds then add
1 kg milk
good pinch salt or 3/4 tsp Thermie stock
    cook for 8 minutes, 90C, speed 4 then add
40g milled or grated parmesan cheese and check if it needs more salt

I then used a packet of dried Lasagne sheets 500g and layered pasta, sauce, pasta, sauce, béchamel, pasta, sauce, pasta, sauce, pasta, béchamel and topped with grated mozzarella, and baked at 180 for approx 35 mins, until golden, (if its browning too fast you can cover it). Allow to rest 20 mins before cutting.

It was the perfect amount to fill my largest baking dish, perfect amount of sauce, perfect amount of béchamel, perfect amount of pasta, not one piece left.  Ive never actually read the Thermomix recipe for Lasagne, I have no idea of the method they recommend but I think this turned out perfect.  I love those moments,  I was smiling happily thinking about how surely the kitchen gods were smiling down on me for today at least, and at that moment as I bent down to put the Lasagne in the oven my pants split, a giant 20cm gaping hole.  I guess the fashion gods will visit me some other time……