Lasagne always reminds me of my Mam. I remember her making it in the kitchen, carefully layering bolognese sauce, lasagne sheets and a creamy mushroom sauce, before smothering the lot with grated cheese. It was always delicious, and most importantly made with love.
Now my Mum
is miles away and I miss her. Growing up is great, but sometimes my
homesick self needs ways to feel close to her even though we don't live
in the same country anymore.
Making
lasagne is one of these ways, although I haven't used my Mam's exact
recipe (Campbell's mushroom soup being her secret ingredient, it is
impossible to find it in France!).
Still, as I sprinkled over the cheese and put the lasagne in the oven, just for one minute I didn't miss her.
Nothing makes me think more of home than a good old roast dinner, lovingly cooked by my Mam. When I'm feeling homesick I like to give the Sunday lunch a try but whereas Mam's chicken is always lovely and juicy, mine has the unfortunate habit of turning out dry.
I was therefore intrigued to see a new product in the supermarket designed to overcome this problem: Les papillotes de poulet, or chicken in a bag.
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| The magic bag |
There are a variety of flavours available (lemon and herb, tarragon and garlic) but I opted for tomato and paprika, knowing that Cheri likes a bit of spice. The instructions are clear and simple: Unfold the plastic sachet and pop in your chicken, then add the packet contents and a couple of soup spoons of water. Close up the bag and pop in the oven for approximately 1 hour 30 depending on the size of the bird.
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| Ready for the oven! |
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Cooking time over, it was time to see the results! Even before taking the chicken out of the oven, an inviting smell of roasted tomatoes managed to coax Cheri down from the study. And taste-wise? I have to say I'm impressed! The chicken was well-cooked, moist and juicy, and the mixture of paprika and tomato made a lovely jus for our mashed potatoes. The fact that you only add water (no oil or butter) to the chicken is also a plus.
The only down-side is that the sachets are quite pricey, on average at least 1 euro 50, but the results are worth it, especially if you only cook a roast chicken from time to time.
The only test that remains will be to cook this for my Mam the next time she comes over!
