ROCK 'N' LASAGNE

Although the current Italian situation and the depressing grey English weather, I am proud to present this late Autumn special: an Italian classic, LASAGNE. It is the proper time to make lasagne, it is getting cold, we need confort food and it is an occasion to live your kitchen with your beloved persons. And, lasagne are so good that even help to digest the worst TV news (you know what I am talking about).
Now, it is necessary to make it clear that it doesn’t exist one recipe for lasagne, as every family keeps its own special variation. Mine is just a version, probably one of the easiest and lighter ones, but you can add whatever ingredients you prefer. The good thing about cooking is that dogmatism is banned, in favour of fantasy.

CAULIFLOWERS WITH TWO CHEESES AND CRÈME FRAICHE

A for Ape, that we saw at the fair; B for Blockhead, who ne’er shall go there; C for cauliflower, white as a curd…I remember when I believed babies were found under cauliflowers by their parents. It was a world full by fantasy and fairies, cheerfulness and joy. Now I know that my parents had lied to me: it is not a wonderful world, but still I can play with it and use fantasy to make it fantastic. And it is how a cauliflower can become a sheep or a cloud before becoming a divine meal.
This recipes is very easy to make and relatively cheap. It won’t look out of place even as a side dish in a romantic dinner. Happy cooking!

A medium size cauliflower
Crème fraiche
Two different types of cheese
Salt
Nutmeg

Place the cauliflower florets and a few of the inner leaves in a steamer and still them until tender.
Pour a little (75ml circa) of the steaming water into a saucepan, add the crème fraiche and simmer, whisk well until it has thickened, then add the cheeses. Heat this gently for about one minute, until cheeses have melted, then add a bit of nutmeg and season the sauce to taste. Pour the sauce over the cauliflowers and place the dish under a hot grill until the cauliflower has browned.
Some examples of the cheese you can use are: Parmesan cheese, French Brie, Blue cheese if you prefer a stronger taste.

GREEN TAGLIATELLE WITH MUSHROOMS

This dish has the merits to be easy to make, cheap to buy and it makes quite an impression. Not to mention that is low in calories but at the same time very filling and tasty. I see it as an autumn classic for a quick dinner, after a long working day. If you are lucky enough to live in the countryside you can pick up your own mushrooms (make sure from an expert that are the edible ones) otherwise look for the next Tesco. I know, it does not sound right, but hey, where can I find mushrooms at this time of the night! Anyway, the better the mushrooms the better the final result.


250 g. Mushrooms
250 g. Green (spinach) Tagliatelle
Olive oil
Salt
Garlic
Parsley
Concentrated tomato puree
White wine

Stir fry the mushrooms with a clove of garlic. When they are almost ready add some parsley, the tomato sauce and a bit of white wine. Leave it dry for few more minutes but do not let dry too much. Bring to the boil a large pot of water, salt it with coarse salt, wait for few minutes and then add the tagliatelle. When ready drain it, add to the mushrooms and add some olive oil. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
If you want you can add some pine nuts. They add more calories, but they are healthy and strengthen the taste.