Reverse Lasagna

The other day, my mother had an idea. What if instead of our regular putting the meat into the tomato sauce (we usually make a bolognese with minced meat), we'd put it into the white cheese sauce? I liked the thought and made it a reality. As cooking is art, not science, I have not included quantities. It all depends on your own taste, what you have on hand, and how many people you are feeding. Besides, I didn't make enough sauce anyways.

What you will need:

Lasagna sheets (I used ones that didn't have to be pre-cooked)

Parmesan or shredded mild cheese

Tomato sauce:

tomato puree (I used garlic flavoured chopped tomatoes)

cherry tomatoes

fresh garlic (I used a bit of dried/roasted garlic pepper)

onion or shallots (I didn't use the garlic or onion and regretted it)

fresh basil

a few bay leaves

a dash of sweet paprika powder

a dash of dried basil

a dash of dried oregano

a dash of cocoa powder

a dash of sugar

salt and pepper

Cheese sauce:

a few shallots

sliced mushrooms

chicken thighs, boneless, skinless

butter

flour

milk

sharp cheese

parmesan

a dash of hot paprika powder

white pepper

nutmeg (fresh is best)

salt

Method:

1. Start with the tomato sauce. Put the sliced cherry tomatoes into a medium-hot pot with onion and garlic (if using). Don't use oil, or it will splatter everywhere. Cook until the tomatoes are softened, but don't let anything burn.

2. Add the tomato puree. Swish some water in the puree container to clean it up, and add the water to the pot.

3. Add the seasoning and bay leaves, let it simmer, covered, until it has taken in all the flavours, uncover and let it reduce.

4. Fry up the chicken, you can do it while the tomato sauce is simmering. Put diced shallots into a lightly oiled pan. Cook them for a minute, then add the mushrooms and diced up chicken. Fry it on medium-high to develop some colour. The chicken doesn't have to be cooked all the way through. Season with salt and hot paprika. Turn off the heat and set aside.

4. The white sauce has a bechamel base. Put some butter into a clean pot. When it has melted, add the flour. Fry it for a little while, stir continuously. Start adding milk, little by little. Stir in-between  every adding, and don't add extra unless all the previous milk has evaporated. The base is done when the sauce is not too thick or too runny. Season with white pepper, nutmeg and salt. Add the cheeses according to taste. Combine the sauce with the chicken-mushroom mixture.

5. To assemble the lasagna: Put some tomato sauce at the bottom of a baking dish. Lay lasagna sheets on top. Add more tomato sauce, followed by the cheese sauce and grated parmesan, and lasagna sheets. Press it down lightly, careful not to break the sheets. Repeat the process, until you have enough sauce for only one more layer. Reserve the sauces for the top of the lasagna. Add parmesan, or if you like a cheesier dish, some shredded mild cheese.

6. Put the lasagna into a pre-heated oven for 40 minutes to an hour, until you can stick a knife into the dish without resistance. I also put a baking sheet with water in the oven, below the lasagna.

I hope this "reverse lasagna" finds a place in your regular food repertoire. Apologies for very general instructions, but if you feel comfortable in the kitchen, you wouldn't follow them anyways. Also, blame the lack of photos on my newbie-status, I'll try to be better in the future.