· Pack of Pasta (my childhood memory recalls spaghetti)
o Boil until al dente (4 liters of water with a pinch of salt and a hint of olive oil)
· 1 Chicken (usually people prefer breast, but it's my childhood memory)
o Boil the chicken until tender
§ Add salt & pinch of black pepper
§ a stick of cinnamon
§ 1 whole onion
§ 1 carrot
§ 1 stalk celery
o Save the chicken stock aside
o Remove all the bones from the chicken leaving only meat
o Shred the chicken
· Vegetable mix (frozen mini mix or canned mix) (childhoods mix was peas and carrots)
o Mix the veggies with the chicken
· Béchamel sauce (recipe follows)
o Mix 2/3 of sauce with the chicken mix
Assembly
· Pre heat oven to 300 degrees
· Butter a baking dish and coat the bottom layer with breadcrumbs
· Place a layer of pasta on the bottom
· Top with a generous layer of the chicken/veggie béchamel mix
· Place another layer of pasta
· Top with the 1/3 sauce (mixed with egg & cheese) that was kept aside
· As preferred top with some more grated cheese
· Place in pre-heated 350 degrees oven for around 45 minutes or until the top layer is a crunchy crispy golden brown of spaghetti strips
Béchamel Sauce
· 4 Tablespoons Butter
· 4 Tablespoons Flour
· 4 Cups of Milk (or 3 milk ½ cream) – OR – 2 Cups Milk, 2 Cups Chicken Broth, ½ cream
· A pinch of Nutmeg
· 2 tsp of salt
· In a saucepan, warm the butter and gradually add the flour
· Sauté till golden smooth around 5 minutes
· In a separate pan, heat the milk to near boiling temperature
· Remove from fire
· Add the mix to the mixture, slowly & gradually, to avoid clumping
· Bring to a boil whisking and stirring constantly for around 10 minutes
· Remove from heat adding salt and nutmeg
· (save a third and whisk with an egg and a grated Kraft cheese)
