Chicken, Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna

History of Pasta

Nothing says Italy like its food, and nothing says Italian food like pasta. Wherever Italians have immigrated they have brought their pasta and so today it is basically an international staple.  We were taught that the Venetian merchant Marco Polo brought back pasta from his journeys in China. Another version states that Polo discovery was actually a rediscovery of a food that was once popular in Italy during the Etruscan and Roman times. There is some evidence of an Etrusco-Roman noodle made from the same durum wheat as modern pasta called "lagane" (origin of the modern word for lasagna). However this food, first mentioned in the 1st century AD was not boiled like pasta, it was cooked in an oven. Therefore ancient lagane had some similarities, but cannot be considered pasta. The next culinary leap in the history of pasta would take place a few centuries later.
 Like so much of southern Italian life, the Arab invasion in the 8th century heavily influenced the regional cuisine and is the most accepted theory for the introduction of pasta. The dried noodle-like product they introduced to Sicily is most likely the origins of dried pasta and was being produced in great quantities in Palermo at this time. The modern word "macaroni" derives from the Sicilian term for making dough forcefully, as early pasta making was often a laborious daylong process. How it was served is not truly known but many Sicilian pasta recipes still include other Arab gastronomic introductions such as raisins and spices like cinnamon. This early pasta was an ideal staple for Sicily and it easily spread to the mainland since durum wheat thrives in Italy's climate. Italy is still a major producer of this hard wheat, used to make the all-important semolina flour.
By the 1300's dried pasta was very popular for its nutrition and long shelf life, making it ideal for long ship voyages. Pasta made it around the globe during the voyages of discovery a century later. By that time different shapes of pasta have appeared and new technology made pasta easier to make. With these innovations pasta truly became a part of Italian life. However the next big advancement in the history of pasta would not come until the 19th century when pasta met tomatoes.

Ingredients

Lasagna Sheets (home made or store) – Pre cook

8 Skin on –Bone in Chicken Breast – roasted and diced

2-3 pound fresh Spinach- steamed and drained of all liquid

4- 6 Tablespoon Flour

1 pound Mushroom- Slice

1 Red Bell Pepper - Slice

1 Cup Ricotta Cheese

3 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Punch Nutmeg

5 Cups Whole Milk- you can use 2% Milk- not Skim Milk

4- 6 Tablespoon Butter - unsalted

1-1/2 Cups Grated Parmesan Cheese

¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt

¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper

¼ Teaspoon Dried Oregano

Preparation:

Basic White Sauce / Béchamel Sauce

1.               In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over low heat.

2.               Blend 4 tablespoons of flour into the melted butter.

3.               Add 1/4 teaspoons of salt and pepper.

4.               Cook over low heat, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes. Cooking for this length of time will minimize 'flour' taste.

5.               Slowly add 4 cup of milk, stirring constantly.  With wooden spoon.

6.               Continue cooking slowly until smooth and thickened.

              

Basic Pasta- serving 6- 8

Ingredients

• 2 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour or Italian Flour
• 1/4 cup water
• In a medium sized bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the flour, make a well then add the slightly beaten egg, and from in side to out of the well mix. Mixture should form stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes. With a pasta machine or by hand roll dough out to desired thinness. Use machine or knife to cut into strips of desired width.
• Wrap in plastic let stand for 5 minutes, use a pasta machine to make your desire pasta.
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  Lasagna: First you will need to oil baking dish 10 x 13; Pre cook lasagna noodles in salted boiling water for about 2 minutes now more, remove from water brush with olive oil and set aside.  Salt, pepper, oregano and bake chicken breast until done, let cool and dice set aside. Clean, slice mushroom and thinly slice red bell pepper set aside. Drain spinach and set aside.  Place at the bottom of the baking dish the white sauce; add lasagna, pepper, chicken, mushrooms, spinach, ricotta, and parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Repeat last should be all cheese- bake for 30 -45 minutes;   Pre heated oven to 350 
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Who invented BBQ Sauce?

In the United States, especially the South, barbecue (also spelled barbeque or abbreviated BBQ) refers to a technique of cooking that involves cooking meat for long periods of time at low temperatures over a wood fire; often this is called pit barbecue, and the facility for cooking it is the barbecue pit. This form of cooking adds a distinctive smoky taste to the meat; barbeque sauce, while a common accompaniment, is not required for many styles.
Barbecue traditions originate from the South, where the culture is strongest, but have spread throughout the country. Often the proprietors of southern style barbecue establishments in other areas originate from the south. In the south, barbecue is more than just a style of cooking, but a subculture with wide variation between regions, and fierce rivalry for titles at barbecue competitions
The origins of American barbecue date back to colonial times, with the first recorded mention in 1610, and George Washington mentions attending a "barbecue" in Alexandria, VA in 1769. As the country expanded westwards along the Gulf of Mexico and north along the Mississippi River, barbecue went with it.
The core region for barbecue is the southeastern region of the United States, an area bordered on the west by Texas and Oklahoma, on the north by Missouri, Kentucky, and Virginia, on the south by the Gulf of Mexico, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean.

BBQ Ribs

Ingredients

2 pounds Pork or Beef Ribs

½ cup Dry Rub

3 Cups BBQ Sauce (store or home made)

BBQ Sauce Recipe

3 Cups Tomato Ketchup

½ Cup Worcestershire Sauce

½ Cup Honey

¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper

½ Teaspoon Dry Mustard

½ Teaspoon Mustard

½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder

¼ Teaspoon Onion Powder

½ Cup Brown Sugar

½ Teaspoon Sweet Paprika

3 Tablespoon Distilled White Vinegar

2 Tablespoon Dark Jamaica Rum

Preparation:

Remove all extra fat from ribs; rub both side with dry rub. Let stand for 30 minutes.

Next pre- heat the oven to 300;  Now to making the BBQ sauce- You will need a medium sauce pan, heat stove top on medium. Add all ingredients into pan, one at a time and stir. After 5 minutes of cooking add the rum.  Let the BBQ simmer on low for 30 minutes; don’t forget to stir and place a lid on the sauce pan too!  After the ribs have been cooking for 30 minutes spoon the sauce over and place back into the oven. Keep repeating until the juices flow clear and tender. Time vary per cut of ribs - cooking time from( 4-6 hours) .  

*Note the BBQ sauce can be a little spicy- to cut add 1/2 cup more of honey  

 

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Where did fried chicken began?
Fried chicken is famous for its roots in the rural American South. There is a dual origin. The Scots, and later Scottish immigrants to many southern states had a tradition of deep frying chicken in fat, unlike their English counterparts who baked or boiled chicken.  Later, as African slaves were introduced to households as cooks, seasonings and spices were added that are absent in traditional Scottish cuisine, improving the flavor. Since slaves were often only allowed to keep chickens, frying chicken as a special occasion spread through the African-American community. After slavery, poor rural southern blacks continued the tradition since chickens were often the only animals they could afford to raise. Since fried chicken could keep for several days, it travelled well, and also gained favor during segregation when blacks normally could not find places to eat and had to carry their own food.

Recipe Follows:

 8 cut piece frying chicken

3 cup flour

1/2 cup corn starch

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon oregano leave

1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes

3 cup buttermilk

1 paper bag

cooking oil

Flour mixture: Add all ingredient in the paper bag shake, not chicken. Wash and clean all chicken parts, then place into buttermilk(add salt and pepper stir) for 30 mins. Remove from buttermilk .   Place chicken into paper bag  then shake, add chicken back into buttermilk then back into flour. Let rest on wire rack and sheet pan for 5 -10 mins.  Heat cooking oil in deep pot or cast iron frying pan,

Heating oil should read 375

Cook chicken in oil 5 -10 mins until golden brown, after removing  chicken from oil - add punch salt...