Potato and bacon Bake

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 4 bacon rashers, chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 8 potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
• 300ml thickened cream
• 1250ml Milk
• 1 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder or granules 
•  1/2 cup grated cheese

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Lightly grease an 8-cup capacity baking dish.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan on high. Sauté bacon, onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes until onion is tender and bacon is golden.
3. Layer potatoes and onion mixture alternately in prepared baking dish.
4. In a large jug, whisk together cream, milk and stock powder. Pour over potatoes. Cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour, until potato is tender.
5. Remove foil. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake a further 15 minutes, uncovered, until cheese has melted and is golden.

Vegetable Lasgne

What you will need: 

• 3 red and peppers
• 2 aubergines aka Brinjal
• 1 onion
• 1 bunch spinach
• 1 butternut
• 2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 8 tbsp olive oil, plus a little for greasing
• ½ quantity tomato sauce (see below)
• 300g fresh pack lasagne sheets
• ½ quantity white sauce (see below)
• 125g ball mozzarella
• salt and pepper for seasoning

·         White sauce

Melt 85g butter in a saucepan, stir in 85g plain flour, then cook for 2 mins. Slowly whisk in 750ml milk, then bring to the boil, stirring. Turn down heat, then cook until the sauce starts to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Sauce can now be cooled and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for 3 months.

• Homemade tomato sauce
  Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan. Add 2 onions, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, sliced and 1 carrot, roughly chopped. Cook for 5-7 mins over a medium heat until softened. Turn up the heat a little and stir in 2 finely chopped tomatoes. Cook for 1 min, pour in 200ml white wine/vegetable stock, then cook for 5 mins until this has reduced by two-thirds. Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 mins. Leave to cool, whizz in a food processor.

Method

1. Heat oven to  180 degreesC
2.  Deseed the peppers, halve, then cut into large chunks. Trim ends off aubergines, then cut into slices about ½cm thick. Roughly chop onion into chunks. Rinse and chop spinach. Peel and chop butternut into blocks drizzle a little bit of oil and cinnamon powder.
3. In a baking tray roast butternut in the oven for 20 minutes
4.  Lightly grease another large baking tray, then place peppers, onion and aubergines on top. Toss with the olive oil, season well with salt and pepper, then roast for 25 minutes until lightly browned.
5. In a bowl pour boiling water to blanch the spinach for 2 minutes then drain water out.
6. Reduce oven to 160 degreesC
7.  Lightly oil (or spray and cook) an ovenproof serving dish (30 x 20cm). Arrange a layer of the vegetables on the bottom, then pour over a third of the tomato sauce. Top with a layer of lasagne sheets, then drizzle over a quarter of the white sauce. Repeat until you have 3 layers of pasta.
8. To finish, spoon remaining white sauce over the pasta, making sure the whole surface is covered. Scatter mozzarella over the top. Bake for 45 mins until bubbling and golden.